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Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9641
Posted: 05:51am 16 Sep 2025
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BIT OF A RANT THREAD:
Tried to setup a brand-new out of the box HP laptop for a customer today, and looks like MS have now blocked the SHIFT+F10 access to the command-prompt.
Doubling-down on FORCING everyone to use a MS account.
Interestingly, this new HP laptop, in the BIOS, you CANNOT disable the WiFi - that's interesting. Every other laptop I have run into before now, you CAN disable the WiFi in the BIOS, among other things. In this new HP BIOS, about the only things you can change are weather TPM is enabled, and the boot-order. Everything else is enabled by default, and you can't disable any components.
That prevents you from trying to install with the WiFi off, which was another workaround to get a local account. Now, cos W11 can see various WiFi networks, you are FORCED into using a MS account.
The usual process of SHIFT+F10 or SHIFT+Fn+F10 on laptops, does nothing now - the command window no longer shows up, and ALT+TAB does not reveal it either - so it is not hiding in the background, and you can't switch to it.
WINDOWS+R does still bring up the RUN window, but if you try to run cmd.exe from there, W11 moans that cmd.exe - which MS wrote - is a security issue, and won't let you run it!
It's INSANE. Users should be allowed to choose if they want a local account or a MS account. This forcing users into "Our way or no way at all!" really sucks BADLY.
I actually told them about Linux, and plopped a copy of Linux Mint 22 as a live USB to play with overnight, but I am hoping I will have converted another to Linux.
This MS outright FORCING you to do certain things the way THEY want, and taking your freedom of choice away from you, is really starting to......."Annoy me", shall I say to keep it polite.
Anyway, back on Mint Live USB, the system is super-fast(only has 4GB of RAM so is less then I would like to see W11 running on anyway), effortlessly let me connect to the WiFi, it automatically found and connected to her WiFi printer, and she can still access all her backup files on the backup USB flash-drives in Linux with just a click or two - as you all will know and expect.
...and if I get her onto Mint permanently(installed rather then live USB), she can have the standard local user account and password.
Why, MS, Why..... Edited 2025-09-16 15:55 by GrogsterSmoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
mikeb Senior Member Joined: 10/04/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 176
Posted: 06:59am 16 Sep 2025
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Thanks for your efforts Grogs in bringing this to light. I used the 'F10' method for setting up many PC's on a project our company is involved in and was unaware MS have now removed the feature. Another pet hate of mine is the move to subscription based software. MS are again guilty in this area when they added the copilot feature to Office 365 and automatically billed me for the pleasure. I immediately cancelled the subscription, found a third party vendor, and bought the software outright. If I buy something I expect to own it. I'm quite willing to pay for enhancements of my choice but I refuse to pay for 'bug' fixes or features that I do not want. To me, using the end user as a 'beta' tester is outright fraud. The software is not fit for the purpose for which it has been sold. They should do their own due diligence, during R&D, before unloading a product on the market. The amount of 'failed' patches released which have to be fixed with more patches is deplorable. Let's not get into the W10 to W11 forced migration........ Regards, Mike B.There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those that don't.
It’s really strange—I did it last week on a brand-new laptop that a client wanted to set up with a local account. Shift+Fn+F10 worked... I notice it’s a laptop; maybe it would work with an external keyboard?
That said, Microsoft does have a knack for disabling or changing the features users actually like...
Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9641
Posted: 08:06am 16 Sep 2025
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NO.
I tried that too - external USB keyboard - access to the command-prompt was denied. Standard KB - no fancy features, just a bog-standard USB keyboard. SHIFT+F10 was TOTALLY ignored.
Hello Linux Mint!
They do indeed.
Heaven forfend that the USER should be allowed to have their own local account. MUST have EVERYTHING and EVERYONE using W11, linked to the MS cloud services....Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
phil99 Guru Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2712
Posted: 08:19am 16 Sep 2025
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Their appear to be a multitude of slightly different versions of W11. Some of this irritating stuff is also arriving in W10 with the updates.
The same security message in the photo also appears in W10 now. Where it asks "Still want to run this unverified app" I click on "See how" and can get it to run the "unverified app", if logged in as Admin.
Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9641
Posted: 08:24am 16 Sep 2025
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Yeah, I did copy that and follow the prompts - but it wanted internet access, which was not yet established, so that FAILED at that point.
Linux Mint......just WORKS, and there is none of this crap.
Sorry everyone. I am kinda worked-up about this tonight. Setting up a Windoze system SHOULD NOT be this difficult, but again, MS are FORCING this: "You WILL have a MS account, and you will F-ING LIKE IT!" crap on everyone now, and the only thing that I somewhat enjoy about all of this crap, is showing people how EASY Linux Mint is in comparison.
Mint, generally speaking, also runs SO MUCH FASTER on the same hardware then (expletive deleted) Windoze 11 does. Edited 2025-09-16 18:37 by GrogsterSmoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
Quazee137 Guru Joined: 07/08/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 597
Posted: 09:15am 16 Sep 2025
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This sounds odd but step in to a walk-in freezer or another Faraday cage to see if the WiFI is blocked. I have an old gutted refrigerator I store my years of backup drives and a few computers just in case the world does something stupid. Some of the older drives have service / maintenance manuals for all kinds of equipment.
Another solution would be to reinstall Windows 11 with an older version that still allows creating a local account... Yes, it’s totally frustrating.
Any version of Linux would make better use of the PC’s hardware. The computer I set up last week is a brand-new Dell Latitude. The fans run at full speed right after booting and on the desktop with nothing installed on it...
Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me.
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