Laptop without OS?

Lostintheclouds

Neil_Jones said

You do not need a Microsoft account to set up Windows 10.  You have never needed a Microsoft account, Windows 10 will work happily with local accounts, never mind what the setup screen says.

With regards to Linux, the setup disk will do everything.  You can make a CD bootable or a USB stick bootable, boot from it and it'll do everything you need.  You can often set up a dual boot as well between Linux and Windows if that's what you want.

Regarding the first point. Don't they make you set one up, as in you can't actually skip any steps? Kind of how you can't set up Skype accounts without a mobile phone number?

I know I can't get into my laptop without signing in with my Microsoft account - It boots up with that when I turn it on.

Regarding Linux. I meant from a downloaded file as I won't have a Linux CD, I will be downloading it from a website.

wongataa

Lostintheclouds said:

Regarding the first point. Don't they make you set one up, as in you can't actually skip any steps?

It is made difficult but it is possible.  You need to make sure the computer is not connected to any network.

Lostintheclouds said:

I know I can't get into my laptop without signing in with my Microsoft account - It boots up with that when I turn it on.

That is because you have set up the computer to use a MS account.  Until you change that you will always need to log into it.  You can add a local account and use that instead if you wish to.

Neil_Jones

Lostintheclouds said:

Regarding the first point. Don't they make you set one up, as in you can't actually skip any steps? Kind of how you can't set up Skype accounts without a mobile phone number?

I know I can't get into my laptop without signing in with my Microsoft account - It boots up with that when I turn it on.

That's because you've set it up that way.  The solution as above is not to be connected to Wifi/Network when you set Windows up, so it has no choice but to use a local account, and its easy enough to change back anyway through Settings ->  Accounts.

Skype is a different thing, that's the sort of product that because of the way it works it needs an account to do its job.  That's no different to setting up email accounts.

mksysb

Lostintheclouds said:

Neil_Jones said

You do not need a Microsoft account to set up Windows 10.  You have never needed a Microsoft account, Windows 10 will work happily with local accounts, never mind what the setup screen says.

With regards to Linux, the setup disk will do everything.  You can make a CD bootable or a USB stick bootable, boot from it and it'll do everything you need.  You can often set up a dual boot as well between Linux and Windows if that's what you want.

Regarding the first point. Don't they make you set one up, as in you can't actually skip any steps? Kind of how you can't set up Skype accounts without a mobile phone number?

I know I can't get into my laptop without signing in with my Microsoft account - It boots up with that when I turn it on.

Regarding Linux. I meant from a downloaded file as I won't have a Linux CD, I will be downloading it from a website.

You just download the iso from the site of the linux distro you want, then create a bootable usb or dvd.  Then boot into it and follow the install prompts.  This site shows you how to create the bootable media.


https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/burn.html

Lostintheclouds

Neil_Jones said:

That's because you've set it up that way.  The solution as above is not to be connected to Wifi/Network when you set Windows up, so it has no choice but to use a local account, and its easy enough to change back anyway through Settings ->  Accounts.

It seems Windows forced it and wouldn't allow access to the laptop without it.

Currently trying to get rid of it.

Neil_Jones

Lostintheclouds said:

Neil_Jones said:

That's because you've set it up that way.  The solution as above is not to be connected to Wifi/Network when you set Windows up, so it has no choice but to use a local account, and its easy enough to change back anyway through Settings ->  Accounts.

It seems Windows forced it and wouldn't allow access to the laptop without it.

Currently trying to get rid of it.

Yes, as I and others have already said, that's because you were connected to the internet when you set it up.  If you weren't then Windows can't create an online account if you're not online.  Simple as.  I've already posted directions as to how to change it back, it takes two minutes if that, or there are some other instructions with pictures here:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-switch-local-account-microsoft-account-windows-10

And as a side note if you were online and trying to set it up, you can just feed it a dummy phone number, you'll get the option to "verify" and then you can skip the MS account to do a local account.