Couple that with the fact that Bitlocker is now being enabled by default in new Windows 11 installs. Bitlocker uses the TPM to store encryption keys for the disk. Which means that if somehow your TPM gets wiped while you have Bitlocker enabled, it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to decrypt the disk. I do really wonder what their plan is with all of this...
My problem was kinda similar. All i wanted was to play some fucking Halo and Borderlands, but no. Gotta have Microsoft connected. I wish i knew a way to port them over to a Linux system, but I'm sure they'd still want an account attached...
Lets say the Pluton/Intel Management Engine/AMD Platform Security Processor backdoor (or even one built into Windows itself) is used to take the Bitlocker decryption keys from the TPM, exfiltrate them, then wipe it all. The potential for ransomware attacks is tremendous. We all know that Microsoft and all the others want us to go back to using glorified dumb terminals in order to connect to their cloud infrastructure so they can change their business models to subscription-based ones, and a ransomware attack on every machine running Windows 11 would push plenty of people towards that path of least resistance.
Late, gay and it's likely you already know this but (granted I'm speaking about win10 not win11 because fuck that) if you keep the device offline during initial setup you can still create a local account instead of needing a full on MS account. Once you're actually at the desktop just reboot and connect to your chosen network, that's how I get around the account requirement when setting up win10 VMs at least
What, like forced Windows Updates that can do/change whatever it wants?
If it runs AD and Azure maybe. But then again, you are SOL if you encrypt your own drives.
This happened to me. Turns out it's because I was using a saved link in my phone, a link microsoft had made defunct. I typed in www.outlook.com fresh and was allowed to log in, first time.
That is also being pushed slowly so you start using their Authenticator app, I'm being asked to log in constantly on anything Microsoft unless I install yet another app on my personal phone
It's been like that for a long time. Along with browser updates that are already downloaded, locked and loaded for the next time you start the browser. Those don't get the same privileges but I think MS have a better hold of most peoples cock and balls than Intel does with the supposed IME infiltration.
If you can't recover the old one, I've had luck using G2A for cheapish legit Windows keys in the past, in the rare instance that I needed one. YMMV.
Don't buy a new key, just use an activation script like @teriyakiburns said.
I've had good luck with these. I'd be wary of any not on Github, though.
