Microsoft is currently making the installation of Windows 11 difficult: the system provider has not owed ISO files to interested parties for a long time. If you want to test the operating system, you need Windows 10. You can switch to the Windows Insider Program via the Settings app – Windows 11 will then be downloaded and the upgrade to the latest system branch will begin. If you want to reload Windows 11 without an operating system already installed, you need an ISO image. Obtaining images from unofficial sources; deskmodder.de is a good point of contact and links for external file hosts. Getting an ISO (even if Microsoft will officially provide such files in the future) is also useful when trying out Windows 11 in a virtual machine (VM). Not all beta testers are comfortable with running Windows 10 first in a virtual machine and then switching to Windows 11 via a gigabyte-heavy download. Basically, ISOs have the advantage of saving download time: one download is enough, then you can install the desired operating system on several computers using a boot stick that can be created with the help of Rufus. Or you can reinstall Windows 11 on the same machine if you have run the current test disabled.
Install Windows 11 with an offline account
When the Windows 10 or 11 installer asks you for your email address, you don’t seem to have a choice: you have to enter an email address that belongs to a Microsoft account. If you don’t have an online profile yet, create one – your new email address will then be used for registration. One solution: There are some keywords that the Windows Installer entry window calls for your email address. Then enter the password, with nothing selected. You don’t have to remember the phrase. After the confirmation click, a dialog box appears: “Unfortunately there has been a problem. Someone entered the wrong password for this account too often. We have temporarily blocked your account for security reasons. Please try again later.” Now click again to go to the next step and on the next screen Windows 11 allows you to specify a username for a local user account. Among other things, the keywords “spammer” and “elonmusk” work. More keywords with which we succeeded can be found in the article “Windows 10 without Microsoft: perfect the operating system”. We originally tested the “magic words” mentioned there with Windows 10; In subsequent testing in conjunction with the Windows 11 installer, they were all hit again.
After entering a dummy username (left), the screen shown on the right appears. Click here on “Next”, then a local account can be created.
Microsoft has now translated the entire user name dialog box into German. In an earlier version of Insider Preview, the text was partially in English.
One alternative to setting up an offline setup for Windows 10 is to disconnect the internet during the (new) installation. To do this, press Shift-F10, which already invoked a command line during Windows XP setup (!). Enter in CMD ncpa.cpl or Network Connections Control a; Then the Network Settings window opens. Here you can right-click on the LAN (W) adapter via context menu entry “Deactivate”. After clicking the back arrow at the top left of the Windows 10/11 installer, it is possible to setup with an offline user account instead of a Microsoft online profile which is likely to be a problem under data protection law. We’ve been successful in this procedure with Windows 10 as well as Windows 11. The extent to which an online user account is not the best in terms of data protection can be found in our “Windows 10 without Microsoft” guide.
Windows 11 Pro: Easier to set up an offline account
When installing Windows 11 Pro, it is easier for you compared to the main version of the operating system: in Setup you will find the item “Login options”. This is in both OS versions, only with the Pro peer the “Account Offline” link appears after clicking. I chose this. Microsoft will then offer you a cloud account, which you can “skip now” below with a click of your mouse. Next, under “Enter your name”, enter the description of the user account in the “Name” field, and continue with the “Next” button. The OS installer asks for a password and additional information, follow the prompts (or not, if you don’t want to use a password, for example).
Note: Note that the “disconnect from the Internet” and “keyword” tricks do not necessarily work forever. Microsoft may remove both remedies before or after the final release of Windows 11. You will probably only then have Windows 11 Pro, as the ability to set up a local user account will almost certainly not be deleted without such extensive cloud connectivity. In case you’re wondering why Microsoft is so insistent on going into its own cloud: This allows you to collect more data from your users and potentially generate more sales. Windows 11 also belongs to the “Windows as a Service” (WaaS) principle that was introduced with Windows 10, in which the operating system and feature updates that appear every six months (for Windows 11: annually) are free. Microsoft explains details about WaaS in its well-read article “Quick Guide to Windows as a Service“.
Windows has had a modular architecture since Windows 10 at the latest and is closely related to the cloud. You can use WaaS in the context of major (semi) release updates/upgrades even without an account in the Microsoft cloud. But the system provider would like you to use one. You can use the tricks from this article to cheat him – those who are privacy conscious should do so while they can.
