Can the Windows 11 installation media be altered to include the 'oobe\bypassnro' command in the registry?
Can the Windows 11 installation media be altered to include the 'oobe\bypassnro' command in the registry?
Hello guys,
Like all techies who install Windows 11 regularly on computers for other users, installing Windows 11 without creating an online account is important. So far hitting shift-F10, entering the command oobe\bypassnro and then rebooting has been a very minor hassle. However it seems in the next build Microsoft will be blocking this option. According to articles online there is a way to unblock it:
When faced with the Microsoft Account sign-in screen, users need to open a command prompt (Shift + F10) and type:
reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE” /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown /r /t 0
On restart, the Shift + F10 and typing OOBE/BYPASSNRO trick will again work its magic. By this, we mean you will restart again and be able to finalize the installation offline and without a Microsoft Account.
This now becomes a real irritation. I have to enter a long command (will probably save in a text file on install media to execute, maybe even build a batch file that I can run?). But I also have to reboot twice now if I understand the procedure correctly. First boot to bring the feature back, second to execute it.
My question is this: Surely there must be a way to edit the install media so that when installing Windows 11 the above key is already present in the resigtry and does not have to be added manually? Even better, the command is pre-run and I dont' even have to enter oobe\bypassnro and reboot at all?
Obviously the easiest way to get around all of this is to keep using older install media where it is not blocked. But that will require more time wasted on Windows updates, which really slows down the process of getting a PC ready.
I'm hopeful that there are people on this forum with the skills to accomplish this. It is way above my skill level. Cheers.
I hope it is acceptable to share technical solutions for this issue. I have never needed to set up a Microsoft Account for Windows 10 or 11. I always disconnect the PC from the internet. When the oobe.networkconnectionflow package runs during the W11 install, I see an option saying "I do not have an internet connection," which lets me skip the need for a Microsoft account.
Secondly, as a workaround, I found that removing the oobe.networkconnectionflow package from the image can completely bypass the process.
Thirdly, you can also adjust the registry entries by modifying the image file. The steps below are outlined:
Be cautious with steps 2 and 3; they may render your image unusable.
For method 3: Assuming you have the sources\install.wim on your installation media:
1. Copy the install.wim to a temporary folder, such as C:\temp.
2. Create a mount directory, for example C:\mount.
3. Mount the install.wim using DISM.
4. I assume there is only one Windows version on the media, or that you want the first one (index:1).
5. Perform this action from an elevated command prompt.
Code:
dism /mount-image /mountdir:c:\mount /imagefile:c:\temp\install.wim /index:1
You should also add a registry bypass in hklm\software located at c:\mount\windows\system32\config.
Code:
reg load "hklm\myreg" "C:\mount\Windows\System32\Config\software"
reg add "HKLM\myreg\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE” /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg unload "hklm\myreg"
Alternatively, you could simply run regedit, navigate to the myreg entry, and manually add the key. After that, save the changes back into the install.wim file.
Code:
dism /unmount-image /mountdir:c:\mount /commit
The modified install.wim file at C:\temp now contains the necessary tweaks.
I suggest creating a backup of the install media or copying the install.wim file before starting.
Proceed with caution. If you are not familiar with these adjustments, you risk damaging your installation media.
You may either employ Rufus to generate an installation media without requiring a Microsoft account, which is straightforward with Rufus, or try this alternative method:
Launch a terminal with shift-f10 as usual for bypassnro, then input
start ms-cxh:localonly
I encountered an issue during my initial Win11 installation yesterday. I discovered a remedy from another source, and the problem resolved afterward.
The Rufus tool really assisted me with my issue!
I was thinking of following @NayWard's suggestion, but Rufus provided a solution.
I require a virtual machine, and it frequently requests a Microsoft account. This eliminates a lot of effort for me!
What I did was:
Generate the latest Windows 11 public release ISO using uudump to avoid delays from Windows Update
Applied Rufus, used a removable flash drive, and adjusted the Windows installation
Employed PowerISO to swap and replace the files on the drive with the ISO file.