Question of the Fortnight
Can you still install Windows without a Microsoft account?
It has removed a popular workaround, but there remain tricks to try
Historically, Microsoft has been far less restrictive than Apple, letting you customise Windows in ways you’ve never been able to in macOS. But since the launch of Windows 11 the company has been limiting your choices more aggressively, most notably by forcing you to have the TPM 2.0 chip and Secure Boot enabled just to run the operating system.
Such restrictions always motivate developers to find loopholes. They soon built software that tricks Microsoft into thinking your computer has the elements needed to run Windows 11. Now they’ve discovered a way to install the system without having to create a Microsoft account.