
Not many people will see it given the Windows boot splash has for years used whatever logo the BIOS does when in UEFI mode, but there is a new flatter Windows logo.

The OOBE thing that pops up on first boot basically makes it mandatory to go through network setup, unless you physically disconnect the network connection or Windows doesn't have a driver loaded.
This is done as Microsoft has now effectively made it mandatory for everyone to use a Microsoft Account to log in, even on Enterprise editions. Of course you can still bypass this on most editions (although it's a lot more difficult), you can no longer bypass it on Home edition unless you bypass this OOBE setup step.
Again, I am not sure when it became acceptable to force a user to "choose" how to use their computer. When I am setting up multiple computers, I am setting them up to do different things - with different programs, different sets of data, and a different configuration. M$ accounts don't respect that in the slightest. And what happens when I go to set up a new computer for someone else? Someone not in the room with me, who may be several hundred kilometers away on a different continent?
Fortunately, again, it is possible to bypass this BS:
1: Go through Windows Setup as normal until you reach Region. Then press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
2: Type OOBE\BYPASSNRO. Hit enter and reboot.
3: Pull the ethernet cable, disable the wi-fi connection, or turn off your wireless access point.
If you cannot do any of the above, once the system has gone back to the region settings, hit Shift + F10 again, and type ipconfig /release.
4: Continue through the region and keyboard settings as normal.
5: You should now be presented with an option called "I don't have internet" or similar. Click this.
6: Click "continue with limited setup".
7: Create a local user AS IS RIGHT AND PROPER.
8: Continue with setup as normal.
Otherwise the Out-Of-Box-Experience setup program isn't much different from Windows 10, it just has a new look and feel.

Providing a password now also requires you to select these so-called "security questions". I guess it's useful if you forget your password, but it would be nice if it gave you more than just a few hand-selected questions to pick from.
It is worth noting that later versions of Windows 10 do the same thing, though.

The final preparation stage now has a fancy background graphic, but again is otherwise unchanged.

The lock screen still tells you nothing about what you're supposed to do here, but I guess now that it's been over a decade it's now common knowledge so whatever. |