why does ms keep pushing users to logon with an account?

With Windows 11 Home, you must use your Microsoft account to complete the setup. It is not a choice. Haven't tried without internet, though.
With Pro you still have the option to use a local account, although you still get nagged a lot to switch to a Microsoft account.
Quite apart from the other issues, there are still lots of places where there is no internet, or the connection is really bad.

 

You cannot finish Home Setup without Internet, at least officially.

 

Imagine buying a new laptop with this crap installed? Jesus. Doesn't bare thinking about.

 

And Win 11, tries to fool you anyway on the first reboot after a CU is applied, with no obvious way to skip it other than shutting down using the power button (That's on Professional, not Home)

 

Thats not working anymore with Win11. But Alt-F4 does, at the account asking screen

 

Update: See this post for precisely when to use Shift F10 and disable network.

Procedure below still works...

During setup, after file copying and reboot, wait for OOBE to start, press Shift-F10 to open command prompt, command:

Code:

control netconnections

Network connections window will open, right-click on the Network Adapter and disable. Close command prompt, continue with installation. First boot into Windows, do as you like, re-enable network from the system tray/notification area.

Credit others, had this saved in a tweaks folder, I've no doubt this same thing is probably posted many times here on MDL.

 

Then they should maintain it better. On the internet it says when you login your license key will restore. I did a W10 upgrade from home (oem) to pro. When i replaced my ssd and reinstalled windows it did use the home key instead of the pro key. I did sign up @ setup. I tested this twice and twice it used the home key instead of the pro. When i manually entered the pro key i got a error message, rebooted the laptop and suddenly i am pro. But by default it does not restore the pro key when there is a home key in the bios.

 

MSFT probably didn't count on MDL to create the HWID on the fly stuff

And your OEM system has a MSDM for home, could be a cause for the too.

When clean installing on a system with a MSDM for home, what home key did you even use, consumer ISOs pick up the MSDM key by default, to avoid this a pid.txt or an ei.cfg is needed.

 

I created a iso with ms tool, when i install windows i dont have to enter any serial because my bios has a home key installed by default (i dont even get asked to enter a key). When the w10 setup asks you to sign in into your live account i assumed it would restore to w10 pro...but it does not. I have to manually enter the key while someone at the phone from ms said i didnt had to do this because it would auto restore

I tested this twice and it failed both times. So whats the point to activate digitally if it does not even work.

 

The activation will be auto-restored if you install Pro. In order to dodge the Home key stored in the firmware being automatically used at install time, the install media needs to have a generic ei.cfg file inserted. With the file in place, MSDM key will be ignored.

 

It does not auto restore when your signed into your live account when windows 10 home is installed. While it says that i am licenced with a digitally copy.

So again, what is the purpose of a live account if it cannot even simply restore the pro activation ? It should do a auto upgrade by default.

 

Even a live account won't switch SKUs. The change from Home to Pro is technically an SKU upgrade and requires a reboot. If you do that SKU upgrade yourself, it will immediately be activated after that.

 

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Emphasized it for you. You need to install the same edition (aka SKU). If you install Home while having an HwID for Pro, nothing will happen. You must switch to Pro, or install Pro in the first place. That's how MS designed it.

 

Again my bios has a home key installed and not the pro key!!!

My upgraded pro key is digitally activated with a live account....and again when reinstalling i did not get the option to use a serial and i did get a option to sign in to a live account. And again signing in with live did not restore the pro key.

God is it so hard to understand

 

You need to add an "ei.cfg" file in the "sources" folder of your Windows (ISO) when installing Windows. Then you will be given the option to choose the edition you want to install -- in your case Pro. You don't even need to sign in to your account. You just need to go online to activate.

 

Thanks for this info.

 

I already mentioned that in post #30. Not my fault if you didn't read it.

 

I'm sorry. But this is not working. Disabling all network adaptors before OOBE will stop you. I just tested it in "11 Home 22.000" and the procedure hangs where you select network. There is no way to get passed the choose network dialog