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Microsoft kills official way to activate windows without internet (www.neowin.net)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by 1984@lemmy.today to c/technology@lemmy.world

140 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Now when trying to activate the OS by attempting to call the phone number for Microsoft Product Activation, an automated voice response says the following: "Support for product activation has moved online.

Linux is this way, guys.

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[–] Avidis@sh.itjust.works 42 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Sorry souls who don't want to create a MS account if they just need to reimage a PC or only need a local account. Such a blatant attempt at locking folks into their ecosystem. Same as Apple.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 21 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

this isn’t about microsoft accounts or local PC accounts. this is just about activating the OS which you can do on a provided website (without an account).

[–] lazynooblet@lazysoci.al -4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Use Pro edition and you aren't locked into an account.

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah. Owning the thing you pay for is a premium feature.

[+] lazynooblet@lazysoci.al -6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That doesn't make sense.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, but that's apparently how Microsoft rolls, as you noted.

[–] Avidis@sh.itjust.works 0 points 6 days ago (2 children)

💯 this. Yes, you can still create a local account from the Out of Box Experience with the Pro version when selecting "Domain Join". But my original statement still stands as this feature had to be added back in after many folks complained. Whereas the Home version has been slowly losing the methods to just make an account and go about your day. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Yes, you can still create a local account from the Out of Box Experience with the Pro version when selecting "Domain Join". But my original statement still stands as this feature had to be added back in after many folks complained

[Citation needed]

That never happened to me despite deploying hundreds of PCs in the early stages of the initial OS rollout. Even in nondomain systems, creating the local account was trivial, even if you did have to navigate through dark patterns to make you think you didn't have another option.

[–] lazynooblet@lazysoci.al 2 points 5 days ago

FUD. The pro version has always had local account creation during OOBE.