Extend / The Rufus tool will offer you to modify your Windows 11 installation media when you create it. The workaround for the Microsoft account requirement is new in beta 3.19.
Andrew Cunningham
One of the new “features” of the Windows 11 22H2 update is a Microsoft account requirement for all new installations, regardless of whether you’re using the Home or Pro version of the operating system. And that’s a shame, because the 22H2 update fixes some of the original shortcomings of Windows 11 while adding some quality of life improvements.
An easy solution to this requirement is the Rufus USB formatting tool, which can create USB installation media for Windows and all other operating systems. Rufus has already provided some metrics to remove Windows 11 system requirements checks from the installer, eliminating the need for Windows Registry edits and other workarounds. But the beta version of version 3.19 will also remove the Microsoft account requirement for new installations, making it easier to set up a new Windows PC with a traditional local account.
Announcements
When setting up Windows 11, be sure not to connect your PC to the Internet before creating your user account. This trick worked to circumvent the Microsoft account requirement in Windows 11 Pro and some later versions of Windows 10, but it is being completely removed from Windows 11 22H2. The Rufus tool only returns to the status quo prior to 22H2.
If you use Rufus to bypass Windows 11 system requirements, your system will still not be “supported” once you have Windows 11 running. This means supporting periodic reminder messages about unsupported hardware and the vague threat that Microsoft may stop providing updates and patches for unsupported systems. On the other hand, Rufus does not prevent the TPM and security features of Windows 11 from working once the operating system is installed, so if you want to create a single USB installer that covers both compatible and non-compatible hardware compatible, Rufus makes it possible.
Microsoft offers its own media creation tools for people who want to install USB drives for Windows 10 or Windows 11, but obviously doesn’t offer the same circumstances for company requirements.
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