How I clean up a clean install of Windows 11 and Edge
Tips and tricks for making Microsoft leave you alone while you use your PC.

If you don't want to bother with sign-in at setup, you have two options
(three for Windows 11 Pro users):

During Windows 11 Setup, after selecting a language and keyboard layout but
before connecting to a network, hit Shift+F10 to open the command prompt.
Type OOBE\BYPASSNRO, hit Enter, and wait for the PC to reboot.

When it comes back, click "I don't have Internet" on the network setup
screen, and you'll have recovered the option to use "limited setup" (aka a
local account) again, like older versions of Windows 10 and 11 offered.

Windows 11 Pro users can do it without needing the command line to do it.
Proceed through the Windows 11 setup as you normally would, including
connecting to a network and allowing the system to check for updates.
Eventually, you'll be asked whether you're setting your PC up for personal
use or for "work or school."

Select the work or school option, then sign-in options, at which point
you'll finally be asked whether you plan to join the PC to a domain. Tell
it you are (even though you aren't), and you'll see the normal workflow for
creating a "limited" local account.

If you find yourself doing a lot of Windows 11 installs and don't want to
deal with Microsoft accounts, Rufus lets you tweak the install media itself
so that the "limited setup" options always appear, no matter which edition
of Windows you're using.

To start, grab Rufus, and then a fresh Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft.
You'll also want an 8GB or larger USB drive; I'd recommend a 16GB or larger
drive that supports USB 3.0 speeds, both to make things go a little faster
and to leave yourself extra room for drivers, app installers, and anything
else you might want to set a new PC up for the first time. (I also like
this SanDisk drive that has a USB-C connector on one end and a USB-A
connector on the other to ensure compatibility with all kinds of PCs.)

Fire up Rufus, select your USB drive and the Windows ISO, and hit Start to
copy over all of the Windows files. After you hit Start, you'll be asked if
you want to disable some system requirements checks, remove the Microsoft
account requirement, or turn off all the data collection settings that
Windows asks you about the first time you set it up. What you do here is up
to you; all I usually turn off is the sign-in requirement, but disabling
the Secure Boot and TPM checks doesn't stop those features from working
once Windows is installed and running.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/what-i-do-to-clean-up-a-clean-install-of-windows-11-23h2-and-edge/

[snip]

> Windows 11 Pro users can do it without needing the command line to do it.
> Proceed through the Windows 11 setup as you normally would, including
> connecting to a network and allowing the system to check for updates.
> Eventually, you'll be asked whether you're setting your PC up for
> personal use or for "work or school."
>
> Select the work or school option, then sign-in options, at which point
> you'll finally be asked whether you plan to join the PC to a domain.
> Tell it you are (even though you aren't), and you'll see the normal
> workflow for creating a "limited" local account.

That's the way I did it. I had to search the internet to find out how.

[snip]

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Of course, we cannot guarantee our Bibles against normal wear or
abuse." [Oxford University Press]