Those who regularly follow Neowin or Windows news, in general, are likely aware of the requirements like MSA (Microsoft Account) or an internet connection when setting up a new Windows 11 PC (via the Out of Box Experience or OOBE). However, not everyone may be well versed about these and sometimes it can also be high-profile figures in the tech space itself.
Twitter (now X) owner Elon Musk apparently bought a new laptop and was surprised, in a bad way, to find that he could not install Windows 11 on their new PC without an MSA. Needless to say, he did not appear too thrilled about it.
Musk expressed his disapproval of this requirement via their official X handle stating that it gives Microsoft"s AI (Copilot) access to user data.
Just bought a new PC laptop and it won’t let me use it unless I create a Microsoft account, which also means giving their AI access to my computer! This is messed up.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2024
There used to be an option to skip signing into or creating a Microsoft account.
Are you seeing this too?
Responding to one of the replies on the same thread, he labeled this particular requirement as "not cool":
This is not cool of Microsoft
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2024
If you want a recall of how it all came to be, like many new changes, Microsoft first started test-driving the MSA requirement in a Windows 11 Insider build back in February of 2022, and expanded that to Insiders as well later on in the year.
Neowin published a guide on how to bypass the MSA requirement, alongside some other ones like the one that works around the internet check (the previous one we published may no longer work).
It is also possible to use third-party software utilities with popular ones like Rufus, or Ventoy, as well as a little less popular ones like WinToUSB.