Basically, install Windows as you normally would, but when asked for Time and Currency format, select English (World) instead of your country.
Then let the installer do its thing. Eventually, you will see a window with an ice cream cone on the floor with the words “Something went wrong” and the error message “OOBEREGION.” This cryptic message means that the “out of box experience” (OOBE) didn’t launch because it didn’t know which region to launch.
Click Skip, though, and Windows will install just fine. You won’t be prompted to buy Microsoft 365, you won’t be prompted to pay for a OneDrive subscription, and your Start menu won’t be cluttered with apps.
Really cleanse yourself by booting into Linux
Some may have that problem. Check https://protondb.com to be real sure of it though. Pretty much every game I’ve wanted to play has been compatible on Linux. If you really can’t even with WINE then you could boot windows from a separate drive.
If you really need to use Windows for some reason–for instance, my job requires me to use software that isn’t available for Linux (or, for that matter, Mac)–what you want to look for is a long-term service channel release of Windows. They’re difficult for end users to find, but It’s more or less just the OS, and not much of anything else. Updates are security only, not features. You’ll typically need a Windows license, and then will have to buy an additional Win LTSC license on top of your existing license.
If you really need to use Windows
What if I want to use Windows for many reasons? I mean in cases where Linux could work, but it is a personal preference?
I get you’re trying to help with your suggestion, but the way you started that comment isn’t needed at all - it stinks of elitism.
You could have just said:
Another way to get Windows without all the bloat is to install it using a Windows long-term service channel release.
This falls a little flat to me. I’ve been using desktops since the IBM 8086 clones of the 80s; I don’t recall ever seeing anyone that was passionate about Windows (or MS-DOS before that). Perhaps there were, but I don’t remember them. Microsoft products were just kind of the default after a little while; people used them because it was convenient. Plenty of people are deeply passionate about Macintosh, or whichever Linux distribution they like, but I just don’t see that in Windows. Most people seem to use it because that’s what they have to use in order to play games, or run work applications.
But hey man, if Windows is really your jam, but you don’t like the bloat, then you go right ahead! You are more than welcome to like what you like, and it’s really not my place to tell you that you’re wrong. I use Windows 99% of the time because I’ve got, uh, fuck, 35 years (?!?) of experience using Microsoft products, and the documentation for Tails is really, really spotty. (OMG, I just realized that I went to college the first time using DOS 6.22; I didn’t even have Windows 3.1.)
You can have a preference without being passionate or evangelical about the thing you prefer.
I feel an operating system is a really weird thing to be passionate about anyway. And judging others for their personal preference in OS says more about the person doing the judging if you ask me…
I find merit in each of the major operating systems I use: Windows 11, Mac OS 13, Ubuntu, Debian, Manjaro, Raspbian/Raspberry Pi OS, and Alpine Linux - and those are just the ones I run currently. In the past I used OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Solaris, HPUX, Slackware, SUSE, Fedora, Redhat, Windows 3.11/95/98Se/2000/XP/7/10, and Mac OS 9 through 12 (with the exception of Cheetah and Mavericks).
But to act like you’re better than someone else, and make it clear you think less of them, because of your choice in operating system is telling. As mentioned else where ITT it’s like the console vs PC master race crap you get in gaming communities - it says more about the insecurity of the person trying to elevate themselves than anything else.
This is gonna be a very simple patch for Microsoft to eliminate
Consider permanent solutions such as automated scripts (learn how to read scripts or ask the ai overlords to do it for you and verify)
But if you’re reeeally over windows shit it’s a good time to consider swapping OS or even doing a dual boot with a steam os just for gaming but dual boots with windows can get hairy and you run the risk of getting fawked up
It has been ages since I installed Windows 11. Does it require (as in, you can’t continue without) an internet connection be enabled at an earlier stage in the installation process?
If not, then MS can patch all they want, if you have the installer on a USB drive already, they can’t force you to update it and the installer won’t fetch a patched OOBE installer with the internet disabled.
It tries to, however you can bypass the ‘Let’s get you connected’ screen. Since you’ll probably need to manually install the wifi drivers, you can start that way with internet disabled.
If anybody needs the actual method: Shift + F10 at the Connection Screen, then in the command prompt, type: OOBE\BYPASSNRO
It’ll restart and you’ll have to go through a couple windows again (keyboard layout, language, etc.), but then you’ll be set. One thing to remember, once you log in with your account and get the internet going (if you decide to), Onedrive will immediately start trying to sync and download everything. Literally the first thing I do is quit one drive and uninstall it so it won’t!
I’ve created a powershell script for fresh installations that removes all the unnecessary preinstalled garbage and copies a cleaned up startmenu layout file to the appdata subfolder of my user and the default user because in a professional setting, people shouldn’t see tiktok and Disney+ and shit like that. Fuck Microsoft. In private, I’ve switched to Linux and couldn’t be happier.
No, sorry. But the line in question is just
copy-item start2.bin C:\users\default\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperiencehost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\
Replace default with your actual username. Default is the one that gets used for new users when they log in for the first time.
You need a clean start2.bin file ofc. To get that, just manually create a start menu you like and copy the file from the above location.
The old export-startmenulayout commands from windows 10 don’t work for windows 11.
Warning: had to type the directory structure on mobile, might’ve made mistakes.
Have you tried with the newest version of powershell (whatever they’re calling it now) think you still have to go out and download it but I’m not sure.
Thanks for the direct info share!
