How to avoid creating/using a Microsoft Account when upgrading to Win 8.1

[tomos]

It seems MS wants us all to use a Microsoft account to upgrade to windows 8.1

Took me a while to find a workaround, so I thought it worth a new thread:

After you install Windows 8.1, you will be asked to sign in to a Microsoft Live account. There will be no apparent way to move past that screen if your intention is to only have a local account. Here is the trick: Click the Create New Account link and then at the bottom of that next screen you will see a link that will let you cancel the process. You will then login using your local account. Now what Many users got caught by this poorly implemented log in process and ended up creating and / or using a Microsoft account to log in to their new Windows 8.1 operating system. Since that time, I have had several questions from readers asking if there was a way to reverse the process. There is and it is fairly straightforward.

(techrepublic.com)
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/quick-tip-change-to-a-local-account-in-windows-81/

[cranioscopical]

How did you get hold of 8.1 to begin with? I thought one had to have a Microsoft account to obtain the upgrade.

(I'm on such a slow internet connection that probably it is academic.)

[Stoic Joker]

How did you get hold of 8.1 to begin with? I thought one had to have a Microsoft account to obtain the upgrade.

It's on page 1 of Metro Shopping in Windows 8

(I'm on such a slow internet connection that probably it is academic.)

It's a 2.83Gb download.

[Stoic Joker]

Laptop has been sitting plugged into AC power overnight at logon prompt. Now by AC power I mean hell no to sleeping, hibernating, or anything other than sitting their with its little digital "eyes" wide open like a coked up hyena waiting for its masters command.

I tap the touch pad to get back to the login prompt to be done with this inane horse shit.

I type my password, hit enter, and the screen goes blank ... It's supposed to be going to that stupid MS account prompt I'm now armed to dispose of.

It stays blank...

It's taking to long...

...Way to long...

So I kill the friggin' thing (hard boot).

It responds by auto-magically booting into restoring your previous operating system "mode". Note this isn't an 'option' ... One isn't given a choice ... it's a straight into the wall, fuck you, I'm leaving kind of response ... To a hard boot.

...Now I realize that a statistical sampling of one isn't supposed to prove shit to anyone...but God Damnit, this shit don't look good!


Hay, I'm back to the desktop of Windows 8.0 already! So I guess - on the plus side - if MS is going to rape someone in the ass with their jacked up delivery system...at least they'll do it quickly.

[Shades]

@Stoic Joker:
If that is a problem for you...did you take already a look at the new BIOS'es that nowadays ship?

There is no option to say to ACPI to leave the system off after a power failure. At least on none of the Asus boards  that passed through my hands lately I could find that option anymore. The NSA sure wants to be able to read all your stuff at their leisure (and your dime!).

[rgdot]

Of course this is not wholly on topic but ... please Linux people fix various Linux wifi issues so that I can dump Windows even more quickly.

[Stoic Joker]

There is no option to say to ACPI to leave the system off after a power failure.

That is pretty weird. But I haven't dealt with the latest generation of hardware much, so I'm not real familiar with the idiosyncrasies' of UEFI.

The laptop is currently 'Gathering Info' after having re-downloaded the 8.1 update (thank you fiber connection!). I think it would be best if I go watch TV for a bit ... Because if I stare at this blinking thing much longer...it'll probably have a spontaneous high speed hardware "failure".

[cranioscopical]

How did you get hold of 8.1 to begin with? I thought one had to have a Microsoft account to obtain the upgrade.

It's on page 1 of Metro Shopping in Windows 8

Thanks. I haven't even looked at that. The one time I tried to it wanted me to have a MS account.

(I'm on such a slow internet connection that probably it is academic.)

It's a 2.83Gb download.

The next time I have a month to spare... Oh, and is that 64- and 32-bit, I have both here?

It looks as if my only options will be stick with 8 or pay for the upgrade on a physical medium (always assuming that I don't have to pay the full price for the O/S a second time.

Thanks for the info btw  

[Edvard]

Of course this is not wholly on topic but ... please Linux people fix various Linux wifi issues so that I can dump Windows even more quickly.

What's the issues?  I and certain of my compatriots would certainly be willing to help troubleshoot, especially if it results in giving Redmond the bird... a nattily dressed flightless aquatic bird, that is.  

@Tomos: Thanks for finding that.  I think my son already has a Live account, but he'll surely be uninterested in using THAT as his login.  Not sure if he will be wanting to upgrade, though.  Once bitten...

[Stoic Joker]

Okay, it looks like the 3rd time was indeed the charm...as the 2nd time it just fizzled with some lame currently updating error.

The link (for the upgrade) is as mentioned in tomos' article at the bottom just left of center and says "Continue using my other account".

Both my compiler and the Harley engine tuning software are still there...so I suppose the upgrade was a "success". But it sure was damn aggravating having to unnecessarily loop through it 3 freaking times for no intelligent reason.

[ewemoa]

Of course this is not wholly on topic but ... please Linux people fix various Linux wifi issues so that I can dump Windows even more quickly.

What's the issues?

Yes, what are the issues?

[rgdot]

Thanks. Some cards (especially RealTek) don't play well. Intermittent, random disconnects. There are 1000s of thread just on linuxmint.com and ubuntuforums.org forums. I have tried some tweaks like wireless card power management, etc.

This is is my unanswered post there posted few months ago http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=141939

Look at that forum if you want, there are many similar ones, some solved somehow, many not.

If there are any ideas we can split this off to new thread.

[ewemoa]

Some cards (especially RealTek) don't play well. Intermittent, random disconnects.

...

If there are any ideas we can split this off to new thread.

One idea is to investigate the following:

  Wireless section of a page for a Lenovo machine with Realtek RTL8188CE

[tomos]

mouser (or anyone else with the capability), can you split off the last three posts to a new thread?

[Curt]

How did you get hold of 8.1 to begin with? I thought one had to have a Microsoft account to obtain the upgrade.

It's on page 1 of Metro Shopping in Windows 8

is it only visitable via Win 8, or can I have a link, please?

I have a licensed Win 8 installer, but am still running Win 7.

or should I stay away?

Windows 8.1...

[4wd]

How did you get hold of 8.1 to begin with? I thought one had to have a Microsoft account to obtain the upgrade.

You can also download an ISO with a little slight-of-mouse: How to download the official Microsoft Windows 8.1 ISO

[Darwin]

How did you get hold of 8.1 to begin with? I thought one had to have a Microsoft account to obtain the upgrade.

It's on page 1 of Metro Shopping in Windows 8

is it only visitable via Win 8, or can I have a link, please?

I have a licensed Win 8 installer, but am still running Win 7.

or should I stay away?

Windows 8.1...

YMMV, Curt, but I say "run away"! Windows 7 is a peach. Windows 8.0 is stable but not really worth the bother of upgrading from 7. Windows 8.1 is an electronic manifestation of hell on your desktop... I'm a bit fecked off at the moment - I just posted a lengthy note about this on the thread you linked to above, followed up by a note about having suffered ANOTHER BSOD. Not happy.

[rgdot]

One idea is to investigate the following:

  Wireless section of a page for a Lenovo machine with Realtek RTL8188CE

Will try and report back, thanks.

[rgdot]

Some cards (especially RealTek) don't play well. Intermittent, random disconnects.

...

If there are any ideas we can split this off to new thread.

One idea is to investigate the following:

  Wireless section of a page for a Lenovo machine with Realtek RTL8188CE

Probably have to live with the laptop wired and/or install linux on a desktop. Only other possibility is updated Kernel, with Mint 15 or other distro.

[ewemoa]

FWIW, though I have no first-hand experience with:

  https://www.thinkpenguin.com/catalog/wireless-networking-gnulinux

I've heard that some of the hardware options listed have worked for some people.

[cranioscopical]

Finally! Today I found time to update Win8 to Win8.1. This after a week when Murphy pitched his tent in our yard.

Everything went smoothly the first time round. Thanks to the advice in this topic I was able to avoid opening accounts that I don't want.
So, thanks to all. 

(The 8.1 Start screen is the most garish thing I've seen since the WWW began.)

[Stoic Joker]

Wasn't sure where to put this and didn't want to start another thread, so... 

Had a client (who was out of town) call today in low grade ballistic mode after apparently their Windows 8 laptop just decided to up and start upgrading itself. Luckily I had stashed a copy of the installer for their cellular broadband card - which the 8.1 upgrade broke - on the laptop so I could get them back online over the phone.

Has anyone else heard of that bizarre behavior?

[cranioscopical]

Wasn't sure where to put this and didn't want to start another thread, so... 

Had a client (who was out of town) call today in low grade ballistic mode after apparently their Windows 8 laptop just decided to up and start upgrading itself. Luckily I had stashed a copy of the installer for their cellular broadband card - which the 8.1 upgrade broke - on the laptop so I could get them back online over the phone.

Has anyone else heard of that bizarre behavior?

Yeah, just last night I wanted to look up something about W8.1 and came across a thread somewhere that was stiff with such complaints. Did your client really do absolutely nothing to start that going?

There's this, too — MS put up a banner across my wife's screen urging her to upgrade. No obvious (to her) way to get out of it, When I saw it I though ti was some sort of scam but, no, in the end it led to the store.

OTOH I've 'upgraded' two machines now with no significant glitches.

[Stoic Joker]

While they maintain they did "nothing..."

MS put up a banner across my wife's screen urging her to upgrade

There was something to that effect mumbled in passing.

Still, it's a hell of a bind to put someone in since they were traveling by car when the whole thing kicked off.

[cranioscopical]

While they maintain they did "nothing..."

MS put up a banner across my wife's screen urging her to upgrade

There was something to that effect mumbled in passing.

Still, it's a hell of a bind to put someone in since they were traveling by car when the whole thing kicked off.

Yup, when one tells it to move on it just doesn't w8, it gets right into the download without ado — no second chances. Had I not been okay with doing the 'upgrade' I'd have been appalled. As it was I sat there wondering just how many people were going to get screwed by this — it's a really dumb way to do things.