Desktop with No Microsoft Account


  1. Posts : 182
    Windows 10 Pro-21H-19043.985
       #1

    Desktop with No Microsoft Account


    At the initial install of Win10 last summer which I did myself I purposefully avoided the 'set up Microsoft Account' on the desktop. I had a successful install overall and the system has updated smoothly with no major performance issues over the past year.
    The install retained the past Win7 pro routine of boot up and into my user account with no password involved.
    I'm in a one local user with administrator privileges setting. I don't use Cortana or the store and I have the tiles removed from the desktop view. Its a very plain jane looking Windows 10.
    Now I have read that the upcoming Anniversary update/upgrade could or will require a Microsoft Account.

    A laptop sitting alongside was upgraded from version 8.1(home) by a technician before the desktop was upgraded and it has a Microsoft Account with the log in routine. It does not have a separate user account. There was so much disarray going from 8 to 8.1 that I wasn't willing to do the 8.1 to 10 myself so I hired that event out to someone skilled.
    I use a pin log in on the laptop and my local email address is displayed. I do not use the outlook.com structure.

    My question is about the Microsoft Account. Is there an account PER machine or does the account that exists on the laptop cover any other machine in my name?
    So if I set up a Microsoft Account on this desktop do I tag onto the info that exists from the laptop or is it a completely separate account? I would be 'registered' with the same email from two separate Win 10 machines?
    I do not want to be IN a MSaccount on the desktop on a daily basis and I am not syncing data with the laptop.

    The other issue is the NO PASSWORD currently for my dsktop user account. Unfortunately, I have never had a user log in password since Win95 and many machines. I don't know what to ask to do about that since that setup was done by a technician at time of purchase.

    I have read the tutorials for this topic and overall the assumption is that there is a user password.

    Of course, if a prerequisite of MSAccount present is not true then I'll continue as I am but if it is true then I'd rather be prepared in advance.
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #2

    There will be no requirement to have a MS Account for the Anniversary Update. I always start with a local account only and the Insider builds of the Anniversary Update have worked just exactly the same with no MS Account.

    To answer your other questions, though, the same MS Account can be used on as many computers as you want.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 505
    Windows 10 Pro (Mix of Builds) / Linux Mint
       #3

    NavyLCDR said:
    There will be no requirement to have a MS Account for the Anniversary Update.

    To answer your other questions, though, the same MS Account can be used on as many computers as you want.
    Well, let's caveat that, so far I believe we have members with 6+ on a single MS account, we hope the number may be higher ... :)
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 182
    Windows 10 Pro-21H-19043.985
    Thread Starter
       #4

    RE: NavyLCDR: though, the same MS Account can be used on as many computers as you want.

    Hmmm....I figure I'm not getting my head around the 'account structure' then....
    MS Account
    ..........password and email into My Account
    .............Computer 1
    ............ Computer 2 (same password, same email)
    ............ device ( smart phone - same password,same email)
    So it appears the account is a location (get into the store, storage etc) and it is open to whatever device accesses that location.
    I read in another user post here that they wanted to have the same password on two machines but the preferred advice was to have two separate passwords since it was two users; each are on their own machine.
    At any rate if it is not expected to have an Account setup in one machine for the Aug update then I'll wait and see.
    Thanks for the input.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #5

    There are two separate scenarios, Rose W:

    1. You are the person who basically wants the same information available on many different devices. I'm the computer guru in my house and I "administer" 11 different computers at home. Plus I have my cell phone. Therefore I have my personal MS Account login which is exactly the same for me on each of those computers. Using the same MS Account for all the devices allows some items to stay in sync. The simplest of items is my username and password. If I change my password on 1 computer - it gets changed on all the computers (as long as they are connected to the internet when I log on).

    2. Different users want their own accounts. My wife has her own log in on the several computers she uses on a regular basis. My daughter has her own log in on several computers. My mother-in-law and father-in-law have their own log ins. That's when you would use different usernames and different passwords.

    3. If I went with a local account only for my log ins, then I could still keep the same username and password for myself on all the computers - but nothing would sync across the computers. If I wanted to change my password, then I would have to change it individually on each computer separately.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 182
    Windows 10 Pro-21H-19043.985
    Thread Starter
       #6

    RE: You are the person who basically wants the same information available on many different devices. - Different users want their own accounts.
    Okay. That is straight forward and understood. I have no need to have same info on the laptop. Its a specific use item with no need for all data from the desktop. I have the two machines networked with a shared path to some specific folders and that is for moving the specific use files over. I take the laptop to events or presentations so the log in is valid.
    My issue with the desktop was the absence of a log in password in my current user account. I didn't think that would survive with the MSAccount routine.
    I can see 'administrating' 11 different computers would be made more efficient with this synchronization.
    Thanks for the extra explanation/illustration.
      My Computers


 

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