Introduction To A Microsoft Account ?

mike888 · 20 Dec 2021

The family has bought me a new laptop for Christmas which will when the on button is pressed do various checks and then instal Windows 10.

I have been told by an agent that a Microsoft account will be required although he wasn't sure. I have never had a Microsoft account before in 20 years of computing and don't want one now. However if i am forced to have one could someone explain in simple terms how it can be used. For instance during the initial computer setup can you enter any email address with the email password ? Does that then automatically make it a Microsoft account ? Do you need to be online to use Windows 10 with a Microsoft account ?

I'm sorry to have to ask these questions that may seem stupid to other users but I HAVE tried to find a simple overview of using a Microsoft account online and cannot find any helpful advice.

A Microsoft account in my circumstances is totally unnecessary in my circumstances . I don't want any syncing, one drive , no added security. These are the things I think that are associated with an account.

My other machines all have local accounts, no passwords or identification ,and boot to the desktop. The only thing I value on the laptops are my email passwords.

The agent also went on to say that if I tried to download ANY drivers manually for the new laptop I would be forbidden to do so by the laptop if i hadn't got a Microsoft account ! WTF ?

I feel that i won't be able to be patient enough with the machine and have to ultimately dispose of it although I will try to set it up in the next few days.

On a separate note my new printer,scanner combo came with a 550 page manual all in English. It has made the joy of using computers more of a chore since years gone by.

Bree · 20 Dec 2021

mike888 said:

The family has bought me a new laptop for Christmas which will when the on button is pressed do various checks and then instal Windows 10.

I have been told by an agent that a Microsoft account will be required although he wasn't sure.....

...The agent also went on to say that if I tried to download ANY drivers manually for the new laptop I would be forbidden to do so by the laptop if i hadn't got a Microsoft account ! WTF ?

It sounds like your laptop may have Window 10 Home in S mode installed. S mode is restricted to only installing apps from the Microsoft Store, and you would need to use a Microsoft account to do that. If so then yes, you would initially have to set it up with a Microsoft account. Check the specs of the laptop carefully to find out exactly which edition of Windows 10 is installed, if it is S mode it should say so clearly. Once set up you can switch out of S mode and get the normal edition of Windows 10.

Switch out of S mode in Windows 10 for Free

If it isn't S mode, then it is possible to set up with just a local account. You just have to make sure you don't connect to the internet when prompted to during the initial setup. If you do have to use an MS account initially and you successfully switch out of S mode, then you can switch the MS account to being a local account.

Switch to Local Account in Windows 10

For instance during the initial computer setup can you enter any email address with the email password ? Does that then automatically make it a Microsoft account ? Do you need to be online to use Windows 10 with a Microsoft account ?

Yes, you need to be online to setup with a Microsoft account. Once set up though you can sign in with your MS account without being online.

A Microsoft account is not the same thing as your email account, but you do need to use an email account to set up a Microsoft account. You can use any email account to setup a Microsoft account, Yahoo or gMail for example. The MS account is separate from your email and is held on Microsoft's servers, your email account is used to verify your identity in setting up the MS account. If you do need to use an MS account then you can't just type any email address when setting up the PC, you first have to create your MS account. This tutorial shows all the steps on starting up a PC for the first time, with Windows already installed you will be starting at Step 17. When you get to Step 24 you are asked for your MS account. At this point you can create one if you do not already have one.

Clean Install Windows 10

If you do not have a Microsoft account and would like to use one, then click/tap on the Create account link to create a new Microsoft account.

mike888 · 21 Dec 2021

Thanks for your detailed response that I will fully study.
The laptop is definetly windows 10 pro, it is advertised as such and mentioned in the specs on the box it was deliverred in.
I have many laptops and have for several years. I have been near enough forced into having it. Things might go ok but the laptop has all the things I dislike, like UEFI, Secureboot, Platform Module 2.0 and probably a lot of other things.
On the plus side though it has a Solid State Drive and double the memory of my other machines.

However I am used to MBR with a simple BIOS that has served me well over the years. Looking at Youtube the majority that show a UEFI Bios look as though they have ten times the settings that I am used too, and probably the majority of these are never used and just clutter up the interface.

As I didn't order it and can't be bothered to sell it on an auction site I'll probably put it down to experience if I can't get it working how I want.

Regarding a Microsoft Account ,can't I just use my existing Hotmail account when it asks for an adddress ? I'm probably speaking in advance because I havn't checked out your links yet.

I think its a combination of Coronavirus, being Christmas and family matters that makes me feel this whole experience is making me feel as if I'm having a tooth pulled. I should say I havn't even turned the machine on yet but have charged the battery. Assuming I do get it set up ok one of the first things I'll do is disable "fast boot" in Windows as I have done with my other older machines assuming I'm allowed to do that..

Bree · 21 Dec 2021

mike888 said:

The laptop is definetly windows 10 pro...

In that case you will definitely have the option to set it up with a local account, or 'offline account' as MS describe it on the setup pages. That's step 25 in the Clean Install tutorial I gave a link for earlier.

....the laptop has all the things I dislike, like UEFI, Secureboot, Platform Module 2.0 and probably a lot of other things.

...However I am used to MBR with a simple BIOS that has served me well over the years. Looking at Youtube the majority that show a UEFI Bios look as though they have ten times the settings that I am used too, and probably the majority of these are never used and just clutter up the interface.

In practice there's little to choose between using a Legacy/MBR system and a UEFI/GPT one once you are booted into Windows. How complex/fancy the bios interface looks very much depends on which make you have, Acer for example have a UEFI bios setup interface that looks identical to an old text based Legacy bios. So do many Lenovo Thinkpad models. Dell has a conservative layout with an easy to navigate menu on the left.

Introduction To A Microsoft Account ?-dell-e7440-battery-bios-settings.png

Regarding a Microsoft Account ,can't I just use my existing Hotmail account when it asks for an adddress ? I'm probably speaking in advance because I havn't checked out your links yet.

No. An email address is not a Microsoft account, even if it's an email address provided by Microsoft, but you can use it to create a Microsoft account. Anyway, that's academic now as in W10 Pro you'll be able to set it up with a local account. I sign in with a local account on all my machines, including the newest one that's UEFI and running Windows 11 Pro.

I think its a combination of Coronavirus, being Christmas and family matters that makes me feel this whole experience is making me feel as if I'm having a tooth pulled. I should say I havn't even turned the machine on yet but have charged the battery. Assuming I do get it set up ok one of the first things I'll do is disable "fast boot" in Windows as I have done with my other older machines assuming I'm allowed to do that..

Yes, Windows will be exactly the same whether it's a UEFI or Legacy BIOS PC. I like to turn off Fast Startup on all my systems too, be they UEFI or Legacy.

mike888 · 21 Dec 2021

Thanks for answering my questions.

However I am wondering if I will be offerred the chance of a local account if I am connected to the Internet . I don't know how old the system image is that the manufacturer has used.
There was a time when a person wasn't offerred the chance of a local account during installation and they had to go back one page, disconnect from the internet, to then get the local account option.

As a side point on some of my other Windows 10 machines I still get the OOBE page appear after Windows Updates and I just click on "remind me later" or "remind me in 3 days"whatever, and continously postpone it. I'm not interested in any of the options shown.

Bree · 21 Dec 2021

mike888 said:

However I am wondering if I will be offerred the chance of a local account if I am connected to the Internet . I don't know how old the system image is that the manufacturer has used.
There was a time when a person wasn't offerred the chance of a local account during installation and they had to go back one page, disconnect from the internet, to then get the local account option.

Only when setting up Home is it difficult to avoid using a MS account. You have Pro and that always has the 'Offilne account' option. You may see a few 'nag' screens saying words to the effect of 'wouldn't you really like to use a MS account?' but just persist and take the option to 'Continue with limited setup' and you'll get your local account.

As a side point on some of my other Windows 10 machines I still get the OOBE page appear after Windows Updates and I just click on "remind me later" or "remind me in 3 days"whatever, and continously postpone it. I'm not interested in any of the options shown.

Yes, I see that occasionally. I click 'continue', it usually starts innocuously with 'let's set Edge as your default browser' (no thanks) then when it gets to the 'set up a MS account' page I click cancel. Having gone through the motions, albeit accepting none of the 'suggestions', it seems to stay away for a lot longer than 3 days. This tutorial can help keep it at bay too.

Turn On or Off Get even more out of Windows Suggestions in Windows 10

mike888 · 22 Dec 2021

Thanks for your help. The instal went smoothly and have installed updates for 20H2 which was the system image provided by the manufacturer. I will do a full backup with Aomei before using Windows Update to update to 21H1 and then afterwards 21H2.
Thanks also for the link to disable (hopefully) the OOBE messages that I have had on other machines , even though its not much trouble to just dismiss the notifications when I do have them.

Bree · 22 Dec 2021

mike888 said:

Thanks for your help. The instal went smoothly.....

glad to hear that.....

... have installed updates for 20H2 which was the system image provided by the manufacturer. I will do a full backup with Aomei before using Windows Update to update to 21H1 and then afterwards 21H2.

The update from 20H2 to 21H1 or 21H2 is just a small enablement package that turns on a few dormant features that are already in the system files for your 20H2. It installs like a cumulative update, taking very little time and should give no problems.

I'm very pleased to hear the first thing you're going to do is a system backup. It's a step that few think to do, and often live to regret not doing so.

Enjoy your new laptop, and make sure you thank the family appropriately