They actually don’t quite force this. They just make it very difficult to find the option to use a local account instead.
(Unless they’ve changed things for the worse since last time I installed windows. Very possible!)
On W11 you have to resort to more esoteric tricks, you can't actually complete setup normally without network and a ms account.
Maybe with the latest images, but I have an original W11 RTM image that installs just fine without network and a MS account.
The Home version does not.
Rufus (https://rufus.ie/en/) offers an option to revert fix this, but you still have to ensure that you keep wifi disconnected and ethernet unplugged during install.
I got tripped up by this too because I was insistent on not connecting it to the internet during setup, but the local account only switch had moved since I last checked up on it.
It will still ask you three or four times ARE YOU SURE you don’t want to sign in to a Microsoft account. But at least you can still avoid it for the moment.
Huh. Aside from the ethics, this creates a chicken-and-egg problem for anyone who needs a PC to set up their home internet.
This isn't correct. Even with network connected, it's 2 "no thanks" clicks to continue with a local account. If you don't have network connected, you go straight to local account as the only option.
At least this is the case with the last 3 versions of W10, and a normal single-user product key, or if you skip the product key. I guess if you use an enterprise or volume key it might be different.
I think you are apologizing for them if you say it wasnt forced. It sure feels forced.
Also, the entire reason I was even doing 10 instead of 7 is this laptop came with 10.
I had to help my grandma get her new laptop up and running for the first time, with Windows 11, and it got to the account screen and there were no hidden/vague options to skip or go local. I assume this is because they detected an internet connection.
She literally had to get an MS account which apparently didn't work because she already had one from the last laptop. MS wanted to send her a recovery code to her email... Which she couldn't access because no computer.
Oh and the amount of opt-in screens after that? 10+ screens. No joke.
It's insane. There's no way she would be able to use her new laptop if she didn't get 2 hours of help.