Just bought a new ASUS E410M laptop from Best Buy. When installing a fresh install of Windows 10 from an 1809 or 21H2... there is a hardware circumvent during the OOBE that disables SHIFT F10 functionality to get a command prompt to come up. When you click SHIFT F10... it does the little circle thinking thing on the icon... then nothing. It is not an issue with the laptop keyboard... using a USB keyboard is the same thing. The command prompt usually comes up... but on this new hardware... it does not.
That's the actual issue, it is already in S mode when OOBE runs. S mode cannot run Win32 software by policy, that includes the command prompt. So, it is rather collateral damage coming from the technical restrictions of S mode.
Is being in S mode during OOBE normal? Does anyone know for sure if something on newer hardware these days is affecting the way OOBE works? Any suggestions on getting it to work normally?
OOBE is in the last phase of Setup. While you are not in your final user account, yet (as that's one thing being asked for, here), you are already running on the build you installed. So, yes, product policies are already applied at that stage. Installing in S mode was chosen by your OEM vendor, and these policies have been applied to the preinstalled image that came with the device. Installing from an external source of the same Edition will install in full mode, the license key is the same. Otherwise, you should also be able to get out of S mode using the MS Store, after completing Setup. I have no way to test this, no S mode here.
I wiped the drive with a clean Windows iso. (That I have never had this problem with.) Could the vendor force S mode with hardware? I suspect if this was an older laptop... I would not have this problem.
Im already with Carlos, but did you try Fn+Shift+F10 ? Or tried to deactivate "Action/Function keys in BIOS" ?
If that also happens with a "normal" clean ISO, the manufacturer could also use the TPM for forcing product policies like S mode (it's exactly what a TPM is for, taking away your rights) . Maybe it's possible to wipe the TPM clean, together with all the OEM garbage that may be stored in it.
I was able to finally get Shift F10 to work... but I had to do it at the first screen of the OOBE when you eventually get to the CONNECT TO NETWORK prompt. I was unable to get it to work at that prompt... but I could get it to work on the first screen.