Is there freeware extent to convert Win10S to Win10H WITHOUT enabling the Win10S laptop Wi-Fi?

Is there freeware extent to convert Win10S to Win10H WITHOUT enabling the
Win10S laptop Wi-Fi?

I twice tried to convert a Win10S laptop to Win10H _without_ Wi-Fi...
o And in both tries, I was forced to use the Wi-Fi

But I wasn't able to test all possibilities...
o Simply because you only get one experiment per laptop!

While all you need to do to initiate the conversion of Win10S to Win10Home
is download and install any freeware such as the firefox browser, there's a
bit more to that process that is added by Microsoft Marketing.

*Is there freeware extent that _eliminates_ the Microsoft Marketing steps?*

I previously posted in the Windows archives my experience twice with two
Costco Win10S laptops, where my experience, greatly summarized, was:
a. You absolutely must create (or re-use) a Microsoft login!
b. Once logged in, you could then very _easily_ revert Win10S to Win10Home!
c. Microsoft makes it a bitch to delete that Microsoft account;
(e.g., after a month, they claim they will delete it for you);
d. Yet, it certainly didn't cost any money (it actually saved me money);
e. It's a one-way street (according to Microsoft anyway).

Note, on the second attempt, I tried desperately to do it without enabling
the WiFi, but I failed (so there needs to be more research in that area).
o For example, maybe we can try to install Firefox from a flash drive?

At this point, I'd buy a Win10S laptop any day, simply because you
generally save something like fifty bucks (or whatever) given they are
perhaps desperate to get people on it who don't know how to get off of it.

Other than the irritating Microsoft-login shenanigans, all you need to do
is download any freeware such as Firefox freeware using the default Edge
browser and then attempt that install to initiate the Win10S-to-Win10Home
sequence.

However, maybe there's a method that doesn't require the Wi-Fi connection?
a. For example, does conversion work by installing freeware on a USB stick?
b. Or, better yet, does freeware exist that performs conversion for you?

If someone can find freeware that allows the Win10S-to-Win10H upgrade to
work WITHOUT enabling WiFi, _that_ would be very useful value added indeed!
--
Usenet is a public helpdesk where people purposefully help each other.

Arlen Holder wrote:
Subject: Is there freeware extent to convert Win10S to Win10H WITHOUT enabling the Win10S laptop Wi-Fi?

My understanding is that it MUST be done thru' the MS Store with all
that entails.

The wp article section on 10 S has a great many references and footnotes
that could be helpful

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window...ional_Editions
Windows 10 S

incl such as

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/8/17...-free-upgrades
Microsoft admits Windows 10 S was confusing, new ‘S Mode’ upgrades
will be free - Mar 8, 2018 (+43 comments several useful)

MS page not referenced 2019 Mar faq

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...-in-s-mode-faq
Windows 10 in S mode FAQ

--
Mike Easter

Mike Easter wrote in
:

Arlen Holder wrote:
Subject: Is there freeware extent to convert Win10S to Win10H WITHOUT
enabling the Win10S laptop Wi-Fi?

My understanding is that it MUST be done thru' the MS Store with all
that entails.

The wp article section on 10 S has a great many references and
footnotes that could be helpful

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window...ational_Editio
ns
Windows 10 S

incl such as

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/8/17...ows-10-s-mode-
free-upgrades
Microsoft admits Windows 10 S was confusing, new ‘S Mode’
upgrades
will be free - Mar 8, 2018 (+43 comments several useful)

MS page not referenced 2019 Mar faq

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...10-in-s-mode-f
aq
Windows 10 in S mode FAQ


Linux is Free if you switch operating systems, Linux will dominate the future of computing.

Windows 10 is ugly and is thirsty.

Robin Goodfellow wrote:
Mike Easter wrote in
:

Arlen Holder wrote:
Subject: Is there freeware extent to convert Win10S to Win10H WITHOUT
enabling the Win10S laptop Wi-Fi?
My understanding is that it MUST be done thru' the MS Store with all
that entails.

The wp article section on 10 S has a great many references and
footnotes that could be helpful

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window...ational_Editio
ns
Windows 10 S

incl such as

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/8/17...ows-10-s-mode-
free-upgrades
Microsoft admits Windows 10 S was confusing, new ‘S Mode’
upgrades
will be free - Mar 8, 2018 (+43 comments several useful)

MS page not referenced 2019 Mar faq

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...10-in-s-mode-f
aq
Windows 10 in S mode FAQ


Linux is Free if you switch operating systems, Linux will dominate the future of computing.

Windows 10 is ugly and is thirsty.

That sounds like wording right out of a beer commercial :-)

This must be Bud Light.

Paul

On Sun, 31 May 2020 19:40:36 -0400, Paul wrote:

That sounds like wording right out of a beer commercial :-)

Did you see the new wording that showed up today in:
Win10 flag Settings Update & Security Windows Update

Here's what I got just now (it clearly says I'm not compatible):
https://i.postimg.cc/vBYjkVst/update01.jpg

"The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way.
*We're offering this update to compatible devices*,
*but your device isn't quite ready for it.*
Once your device is ready, you'll see the update available"

It's due to the ten known (pretty big) problems currently reported:
o The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is finally now released 5/27/2020
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/C8uKEw5vIMA/JUUdpg8ZAgAJ
--
Looks like a lot of devices won't be compatible given these issues.
o Devices with Realtek, Nvidia, Conexant, & Synaptics drivers
o Devices with Intel integrated graphics processing units
o Devices with Thunderbolt ports & certain Hypervisor & Kernel setups
o Devices with Always On Always Connected network adaptors
etc.

Arlen Holder wrote:
On Sun, 31 May 2020 19:40:36 -0400, Paul wrote:

That sounds like wording right out of a beer commercial :-)

Did you see the new wording that showed up today in:
Win10 flag Settings Update & Security Windows Update

Here's what I got just now (it clearly says I'm not compatible):
https://i.postimg.cc/vBYjkVst/update01.jpg

"The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way.
*We're offering this update to compatible devices*,
*but your device isn't quite ready for it.*
Once your device is ready, you'll see the update available"

It's due to the ten known (pretty big) problems currently reported:
o The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is finally now released 5/27/2020
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/C8uKEw5vIMA/JUUdpg8ZAgAJ

I'll wait for the movie to come out.

Will Bruce Willis be in it ?

Paul

Paul wrote in :

Arlen Holder wrote:
On Sun, 31 May 2020 19:40:36 -0400, Paul wrote:

That sounds like wording right out of a beer commercial :-)

Did you see the new wording that showed up today in:
Win10 flag Settings Update & Security Windows Update

Here's what I got just now (it clearly says I'm not compatible):
https://i.postimg.cc/vBYjkVst/update01.jpg

"The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way.
*We're offering this update to compatible devices*,
*but your device isn't quite ready for it.*
Once your device is ready, you'll see the update available"

It's due to the ten known (pretty big) problems currently reported:
o The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is finally now released 5/27/2020
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/micr...sxp.general/C8
uKEw5vIMA/JUUdpg8ZAgAJ

I'll wait for the movie to come out.

Will Bruce Willis be in it ?

Paul

It would be interesting to know what a ship's captain uses to control his big ship. I would think that Linux is
controling things, can;t have windows decide to do a backup in the middle of an important decision.

I think that Linux is being used for many commercial operations, in fact I observed that most research
experiments at the university that I worked at (90's) were using Linux. Mac's were popular for word
precessing and so was unix for those latex fans.

Freeware shall also include Linux software, since Linux has easily become what computing was about from
the beggining.

I can recall when microsoft was giving windows10 away for free, they made it nearly impossible to not
upgrade, then decided to no longer support windows7, trying to force everyone to upgrade, to 10, then after
they lured enough, the toll bridge was lowered.

Choose your freeware carefully, and more importantly choose your operating system carefully, remember that
your machine is you, and you stand behind your choices.

UPDATE:

In another thread, Paul today pointed to an article which claims it's not a
one-way street, which gives us advantages in testing using freeware!

*How to switch from Windows 10 S to Pro, and back again*
It's easy to go from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro. Switching back is
harder, but still possible.
"https://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-switch-from-windows-10-s-to-pro-and-back-again/"

"Here's another way: you can also simply download a
forbidden app (anything not from the official Microsoft app store)
and try to install it. A pop-up window will ask if you want to see
how to install it, and you'll be directed to the same upgrade page."

Now, that still doesn't say whether "login" is necessary or
not. The idea would be, say you tried to install hdtune255.exe
and that's a win32 application. The OS, being in Win10-S mode,
should "instruct" you on how to enable win32 subsystem by
getting out of Win10-S mode. And it's supposed to go
to the microsoftsto/switchwindows directly.

http://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtune_255.exe

I still can't imagine them avoiding a need for a login though.
We know how annoying they can be, when they put their minds to it."

--
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surfacerecoveryimage

On Sun, 31 May 2020 23:10:02 -0400, Paul wrote:

I'll wait for the movie to come out.

It's surprising there are so many serious errors with basic drivers such as
Realtek, Nvidia, Synaptics, and even any computer with Intel integrated
GPUs (which is a hellovalot, isn't it?).

It just goes to show how little is put into testing of software.

We get to test it ourselves.
--
Usenet is a public helpdesk where people purposefully help each other.

On Mon, 1 Jun 2020 10:02:02 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

You absolutely must create (or re-use) a Microsoft login!

No you let it connect to ethernet or wifi, then when it's wanting to
create the MS account you either yank the ethernet cable, or find a
suitable way to disable its wifi connection ... then it'll let you
continue with a local account.

Thanks for that information about yanking the cable at just the right
moment, where a killfile switch makes sense to disable the Wi-Fi connection
given these Windows 10S laptops didn't even have an Ethernet RJ45 port.
https://www.liquidvpn.com/vpn-kill-switches/

It's certainly not as easy as you make it sound; but perhaps there's a
video out there that will show the process (I'll need to look for that).

It sure sounds like you know that it works; which is what matters most.

Rest assured I tried like hell the first and second time _not_ to have it
connect to Microsoft, so I'll take your advice with a grain of salt 'cuz,
as Paul well knows, it sure is insistent on that Microsoft Account.

Still, there are often "tricks" that work at just the right moment in time,
so the _next_ time I convert a Windows 10S as Windows 10 Home, I'll try the
software killswitch when it asks for a Microsoft account.

Thanks.
--
Rest assured, I _did_ try it without any Internet, and that did not work.

On 2020-06-01 22:39:32 +0000, Robin Goodfellow said:

Paul wrote in :

Arlen Holder wrote:
On Sun, 31 May 2020 19:40:36 -0400, Paul wrote:

That sounds like wording right out of a beer commercial :-)

Did you see the new wording that showed up today in:
Win10 flag Settings Update & Security Windows Update

Here's what I got just now (it clearly says I'm not compatible):
https://i.postimg.cc/vBYjkVst/update01.jpg

"The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way.
*We're offering this update to compatible devices*,
*but your device isn't quite ready for it.*
Once your device is ready, you'll see the update available"

It's due to the ten known (pretty big) problems currently reported:
o The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is finally now released 5/27/2020
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/micr...sxp.general/C8
uKEw5vIMA/JUUdpg8ZAgAJ

I'll wait for the movie to come out.

Will Bruce Willis be in it ?

Paul

It would be interesting to know what a ship's captain uses to control
his big ship. I would think that Linux is
controling things, can;t have windows decide to do a backup in the
middle of an important decision.

You've not heard of Windows for Warships(TM), then
https://www.theregister.com/2009/01/...hits_type_23s/


I think that Linux is being used for many commercial operations, in
fact I observed that most research
experiments at the university that I worked at (90's) were using Linux.

I'd be surprised. In the 90s most Universities (in the UK at least)
were still using UNIX for complex scientific research. The places I was
at used SGI Irix.

Nowadays, yes all compute clusters are invariably linux. There are a
few diehards who also use linux as a desktop, but most have Windows
with a small, but significant, percentage on Macs.

Mac's were popular for word
precessing and so was unix for those latex fans.

Yes, Macs were popular in academia in the early 90s. as was latex. The
price/performance of wintel won out from the late 90s onwards and now
we're stuck with the cluster**** that is track changes in Word. With
the unix underpinnings of OS X Macs have had a resurgence particularly
within the bioinformatics field.


Freeware shall also include Linux software, since Linux has easily
become what computing was about from
the beggining.

I can recall when microsoft was giving windows10 away for free, they
made it nearly impossible to not
upgrade, then decided to no longer support windows7, trying to force
everyone to upgrade, to 10, then after
they lured enough, the toll bridge was lowered.

Choose your freeware carefully, and more importantly choose your
operating system carefully, remember that
your machine is you, and you stand behind your choices.

In the workplace, you don't get to make the choice.

On Sun, 31 May 2020 20:36:43 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

Is there freeware extent to convert Win10S to Win10H WITHOUT enabling the
Win10S laptop Wi-Fi?

I just begged my way into temporarily having access to a Windows 10S laptop
which I told my neighbor I would gladly switch to Windows 10 Home for her.

Win+R run winver says it's Version 1909 (OS Build 18363.836).
It has both Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
It has a local account named HP, Administrator.

What I would love is some sort of freeware that allows me to switch to
Windows 10 Home _without_ ever getting on the net.

If I must get on the net, the second-best option is to switch to Windows 10
Home without creating a Microsoft login account, if possible.

I'll only have this PC for a short period of time to set it up.
o Have any of you successfully done what I am trying to do?

If so, how?
--
Usenet is best when adults post purposefully helpful suggestions.

On Mon, 01 Jun 2020 05:14:45 -0400, Paul wrote:

Chris wrote:
On 2020-05-31 20:24:58 +0000, Paul said:

Chris wrote:

Hi all. Is Windows 10 S now the default set-up on bought laptops?

A friendly recently bought a new Lenovo and we were surprised to see
it was Windows 10 S despite the spec stating it came with Windows 10
(without the S).

After a bit of a google I see that you can easily change it to
'normal' Windows, but it still confused us for a bit. We rang the
company that sold it and they say that that is what Microsoft now
require. So is this the new normal?

A side-note would be, Microsoft no longer (as of now) provides OEMs
with any "free" versions of Windows 10. The guy in charge of the
Windows division, changed the rules a number of years ago, so that
OEM devices with screens smaller than 9 inches or so, the OS was "free".

That rule has been changed again, implying Chromebook is no longer
a threat, or, they just don't care.

Now, how does Windows 10-S fit into that narrative ?

I can see Microsoft offering an "incentive", like a cut
rate for the machine to be configured that way. So, rather
than this being a "Microsoft requirement", this is the OEM
"accepting a dollar, to **** up the machine for the customer".

Removing Windows 10-S is a dialog box. Once done, the OS provided
runs both Win32 and Apps with equal capacity.

Could the rules change, yet again ? Maybe. As a customer,
I would likely express my concerns with the seller at least.

Done that. We told them that the specs were misleading as there's no
mention of S.

Or, phone up the OEM who made this crapfest, and talk to them.

It's a Lenovo laptop, not sure that's going to make a difference.

Somehow, an unfiltered message has to be delivered to the
person who "made a buck off this schtick".


https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/...s-10-free.html


Notice in the sequence, how the Microsoft Store is involved.

Now, if you already got tricked into setting up an MSA,
you won't care about the details.

For free transactions, the Windows Store should work without
an MSA. And it's your job to work around any MSA login prompts
that might appear "by accident". Some pathways to do things,
"accidentally" hit an MSA roadblock. If this happens, Google
your ass off to find the alternate path.

The only reason I mention this, is people have been tricked
into applying for an MSA, just to switch out of Windows 10-S,
which is not right.

Yep. I did give her instructions to do this, but I think S might have
thrown her.


The "best" config for Windows 10, is to set up a local account
when the machine is new. This allows the *user* to pick the
name of the home directory, when the name is derived from
the local account setup details. For example, instead of
being Bob Smith, I set up the local account as "Bullwinkle"
with no last name, and my user directory is "bullwinkle".

Then, if I want to apply for an MSA after that (for my free
OneDrive or something), I can sign up as and
the userid on the email account won't be "retrofitted" to my
home directory.

If you sign up for the MSA right away, the home directory
will be C:\users\kooky *forever* :-(

That's why the recommendation is to do local account first,
MSA when you really want/need one, and not by being "tricked",
but by making a considered decision to have one.

Paul

https://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-swi...nd-back-again/

"Here's another way: you can also simply download a
forbidden app (anything not from the official Microsoft app store)
and try to install it. A pop-up window will ask if you want to see
how to install it, and you'll be directed to the same upgrade page."

Now, that still doesn't say whether "login" is necessary or
not. The idea would be, say you tried to install hdtune255.exe
and that's a win32 application. The OS, being in Win10-S mode,
should "instruct" you on how to enable win32 subsystem by
getting out of Win10-S mode. And it's supposed to go
to the microsoftsto/switchwindows directly.

http://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtune_255.exe

I still can't imagine them avoiding a need for a login though.
We know how annoying they can be, when they put their minds to it.

Paul

Hi Paul,

I need your help as I only get to do this once... and it has to work.

I just begged my way into temporarily having access to a Windows 10S laptop
which I told my neighbor I would gladly switch to Windows 10 Home for her.

Win+R run winver says it's Version 1909 (OS Build 18363.836).
It has both Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
It has a local account named HP, Administrator.

What I would love is some sort of method that allows me to switch to
Windows 10 Home _without_ ever getting on the net.

If I must get on the net, the second-best option is to switch to Windows 10
Home without creating a Microsoft login account, if possible.

I'll only have this PC for a short period of time to set it up.
o The first thing I'll try is your suggestion...

This is a running log... where the details are so we can reproduce or fix:
(1) On another machine, I downloaded that hdtune_255 to a USB stick.
Name: hdtune_255.exe
Size: 642632 bytes (627 KiB)
SHA256: 4256ABB5B5583AEB5C61937415555657A5AE3B76FCC59657ED FCB3BCE792F958
(2) The Win10S laptop is login "HP" with no password & is not on the net.
(3) I copied that USB file to the Win10S laptop & doubleclicked on it.
(4) Up popped a blue message with white letters:
"For security and performance, this mode of Windows only runs verified apps from the Store.
This helps to protect your PC and keep it running smoothly.
C:\tmp\switch_win10s_to-win10h\hdtune_255.exe
Still want to run this unverified app?
See how [Copy to clipboard][Close]
(5) I clicked on "See how" and a white window popped up saying:
"Check your connection
Microsoft Store needs to be online.
It looks like you're not.
[Refresh the page][Check connection]
Code 0x80072F30
CV: 22FcYJjz2E2zzigH
(6) In that same window, at top right is a "search" & "sign in" icon.
(7) Pressing the "Sign in", I get only two options:
o Sign in
o Add work or school account
(8) Pressing "Sign in" a white window pops up asking:
"You'll need the Internet for this.
It doesn't look like you're connected to the Internet.
Check your connection and try again.
0x800713AB
Send feedback [Cancel]
(9) Pressing "Add work or school account" in that same white window
"We can't connect you.
Looks like we can't connect to one of our services right now.
Please try again later, or contact your helpdesk if the issue persists.
HTTP 404
login.microsoftonline.com [Close]
(10) When I press "Close", it pops up a small white window saying
"We encountered an error.
Please try signing in again later. [Close]

Since I only have this laptop for a short period of time, I would like to
ask your advice as to what you might suggest, given the goal is to figure
out how to convert Win10S to Win10H without connecting to the Internet (of
possible), or, if we must connect to the Internet, without having to create
a Microsoft Login and log into it, however momentarily.
--
Note, on another laptop, I will download the liquidVPN killswitch to the
flash drive to put that killswitch batch file on the Win10S laptop.
https://www.liquidvpn.com/vpn-kill-switches/

UPDATE

When I tried to execute the liquidvpn freeware killgw batch file...
o https://www.liquidvpn.com/vpn-kill-switches/

Up popped the blue "FS&P" window which won't let me run it.
"For security and performance, this mode of Windows only runs verified apps from the Store.
This helps to protect your PC and keep it running smoothly.
C:\tmp\switch_win10s_to-win10h\liquidvpn\killgw.bat
Still want to run this unverified app?
See how [Copy to clipboard][Close]

The salient two commands, of course, are simply:
o route add 0.0.0.0 mask 0.0.0.0 %defgw%
o route delete 0.0.0.0 %defgw%

Which corresponds to the router IP address, namely:
o route add 0.0.0.0 mask 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.1
o route delete 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.1

Unfortunately, the "Win+R Run cmd{shift+control+enter} trick to open a
command line as the administrator also comes up with that same blue "FS&P".
"For security and performance, this mode of Windows only runs verified apps from the Store.
This helps to protect your PC and keep it running smoothly.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe
Still want to run this unverified app?
See how [Copy to clipboard][Close]

Unfortunately, the same FS&P windows pops up on _any_ cmd window attempt:
o Win+R Run cmd{enter}

What I need is explicit (I repeat, explicit, because we only get 1 chance!)
instructions on how we can possibly switch Win10S to Win10H _without_
logging into the Microsoft Store.

Bear in mind I saw what Andy Burns wrote, which is my last resort:
You absolutely must create (or re-use) a Microsoft login!
No you let it connect to ethernet or wifi, then when it's wanting
to create the MS account you either yank the ethernet cable,
or find a suitable way to disable its wifi connection ...
then it'll let you continue with a local account.

Since Win10S won't run a batch file, does anyone know how to get a command
window (preferably as Admin since we only get one shot) on Win10S?
--
Win10S is even more brain dead than I would have thought it was.

Arlen Holder wrote:
On Mon, 01 Jun 2020 05:14:45 -0400, Paul wrote:

Chris wrote:
On 2020-05-31 20:24:58 +0000, Paul said:

Chris wrote:
Hi all. Is Windows 10 S now the default set-up on bought laptops?

A friendly recently bought a new Lenovo and we were surprised to see
it was Windows 10 S despite the spec stating it came with Windows 10
(without the S).

After a bit of a google I see that you can easily change it to
'normal' Windows, but it still confused us for a bit. We rang the
company that sold it and they say that that is what Microsoft now
require. So is this the new normal?
A side-note would be, Microsoft no longer (as of now) provides OEMs
with any "free" versions of Windows 10. The guy in charge of the
Windows division, changed the rules a number of years ago, so that
OEM devices with screens smaller than 9 inches or so, the OS was "free".

That rule has been changed again, implying Chromebook is no longer
a threat, or, they just don't care.

Now, how does Windows 10-S fit into that narrative ?

I can see Microsoft offering an "incentive", like a cut
rate for the machine to be configured that way. So, rather
than this being a "Microsoft requirement", this is the OEM
"accepting a dollar, to **** up the machine for the customer".

Removing Windows 10-S is a dialog box. Once done, the OS provided
runs both Win32 and Apps with equal capacity.

Could the rules change, yet again ? Maybe. As a customer,
I would likely express my concerns with the seller at least.
Done that. We told them that the specs were misleading as there's no
mention of S.

Or, phone up the OEM who made this crapfest, and talk to them.
It's a Lenovo laptop, not sure that's going to make a difference.

Somehow, an unfiltered message has to be delivered to the
person who "made a buck off this schtick".


https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/...s-10-free.html


Notice in the sequence, how the Microsoft Store is involved.

Now, if you already got tricked into setting up an MSA,
you won't care about the details.

For free transactions, the Windows Store should work without
an MSA. And it's your job to work around any MSA login prompts
that might appear "by accident". Some pathways to do things,
"accidentally" hit an MSA roadblock. If this happens, Google
your ass off to find the alternate path.

The only reason I mention this, is people have been tricked
into applying for an MSA, just to switch out of Windows 10-S,
which is not right.
Yep. I did give her instructions to do this, but I think S might have
thrown her.

The "best" config for Windows 10, is to set up a local account
when the machine is new. This allows the *user* to pick the
name of the home directory, when the name is derived from
the local account setup details. For example, instead of
being Bob Smith, I set up the local account as "Bullwinkle"
with no last name, and my user directory is "bullwinkle".

Then, if I want to apply for an MSA after that (for my free
OneDrive or something), I can sign up as and
the userid on the email account won't be "retrofitted" to my
home directory.

If you sign up for the MSA right away, the home directory
will be C:\users\kooky *forever* :-(

That's why the recommendation is to do local account first,
MSA when you really want/need one, and not by being "tricked",
but by making a considered decision to have one.

Paul
https://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-swi...nd-back-again/

"Here's another way: you can also simply download a
forbidden app (anything not from the official Microsoft app store)
and try to install it. A pop-up window will ask if you want to see
how to install it, and you'll be directed to the same upgrade page."

Now, that still doesn't say whether "login" is necessary or
not. The idea would be, say you tried to install hdtune255.exe
and that's a win32 application. The OS, being in Win10-S mode,
should "instruct" you on how to enable win32 subsystem by
getting out of Win10-S mode. And it's supposed to go
to the microsoftsto/switchwindows directly.

http://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtune_255.exe

I still can't imagine them avoiding a need for a login though.
We know how annoying they can be, when they put their minds to it.

Paul

Hi Paul,

I need your help as I only get to do this once... and it has to work.

I just begged my way into temporarily having access to a Windows 10S laptop
which I told my neighbor I would gladly switch to Windows 10 Home for her.

Win+R run winver says it's Version 1909 (OS Build 18363.836).
It has both Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
It has a local account named HP, Administrator.

What I would love is some sort of method that allows me to switch to
Windows 10 Home _without_ ever getting on the net.

If I must get on the net, the second-best option is to switch to Windows 10
Home without creating a Microsoft login account, if possible.

I'll only have this PC for a short period of time to set it up.
o The first thing I'll try is your suggestion...

This is a running log... where the details are so we can reproduce or fix:
(1) On another machine, I downloaded that hdtune_255 to a USB stick.
Name: hdtune_255.exe
Size: 642632 bytes (627 KiB)
SHA256: 4256ABB5B5583AEB5C61937415555657A5AE3B76FCC59657ED FCB3BCE792F958
(2) The Win10S laptop is login "HP" with no password & is not on the net.
(3) I copied that USB file to the Win10S laptop & doubleclicked on it.
(4) Up popped a blue message with white letters:
"For security and performance, this mode of Windows only runs verified apps from the Store.
This helps to protect your PC and keep it running smoothly.
C:\tmp\switch_win10s_to-win10h\hdtune_255.exe
Still want to run this unverified app?
See how [Copy to clipboard][Close]
(5) I clicked on "See how" and a white window popped up saying:
"Check your connection
Microsoft Store needs to be online.
It looks like you're not.
[Refresh the page][Check connection]
Code 0x80072F30
CV: 22FcYJjz2E2zzigH
(6) In that same window, at top right is a "search" & "sign in" icon.
(7) Pressing the "Sign in", I get only two options:
o Sign in
o Add work or school account
(8) Pressing "Sign in" a white window pops up asking:
"You'll need the Internet for this.
It doesn't look like you're connected to the Internet.
Check your connection and try again.
0x800713AB
Send feedback [Cancel]
(9) Pressing "Add work or school account" in that same white window
"We can't connect you.
Looks like we can't connect to one of our services right now.
Please try again later, or contact your helpdesk if the issue persists.
HTTP 404
login.microsoftonline.com [Close]
(10) When I press "Close", it pops up a small white window saying
"We encountered an error.
Please try signing in again later. [Close]

Since I only have this laptop for a short period of time, I would like to
ask your advice as to what you might suggest, given the goal is to figure
out how to convert Win10S to Win10H without connecting to the Internet (of
possible), or, if we must connect to the Internet, without having to create
a Microsoft Login and log into it, however momentarily.

This method is probably not going to work any
better than the Activate screen, because it's
still calling microsoftsto//switchwindows
or whatever that URI was.

I don't see a reason why the same authentication
won't happen.

I would start by connecting the cable, and seeing if
I could use the Store icon on the Task Bar (assuming
it's there and hasn't had one of its malfunctions
already), and "pretend to browse the Windows Store
without authenticating". This also assumes the victims
computer is not using an MSA already, which is going
to potentially hide what is happening.

You then feed it the HDTune.exe test case, to see
if the already-open Store dialog will allow the incoming
URI ("switchwindows") and send that to the Store without
any further authentication. The sending should work,
but what comes back is how the server feels about it
(prompt for MSA or not).

Unnecessary authentication happens when an icon isn't open
at the time, and is being "accessed for the first time"
in the session. The only workaround I can see, is if you
can pretend to browse the Store, and convince it to access
the SwitchWindows page without that account info.

If it puts up a prompt for an MSA at that point, you know
that the SwitchWindows page is "protected" by a per-user
authentication, as if this switching of Windows-S is somehow
registered against that user. Which it really shouldn't
be, if the intent is to have "no going back" registered against
that NIC MAC address (i.e. the machine ID).

And I don't see a reason for the Windows Store protection states
to be "malleable" from a client, short of hacking and tipping
over their server. All we can do out here, is determine what
the page protection is, and move on.

The only reason for even trying this, is on the premise that
the MSA prompt is a "mistake" caused by "first access this session"
to the Store. You're supposed to be able to do some things
on the Store, without authentication. If it puts up the
prompt, then that ends the adventure, as to bypass that, you
need a token generated from some MSA account to get in.

In the following picture, I open the Store icon first, and
it presents the usual garbage games on the welcome page.
I open MSEdge and enter the magic URI format.

ms-windows-sto//switchwindows/

and when I hit return, the Store dialog with the games
advertising, switches to the Windows 10-S page. But, because
they've checked my machine and found it's activated with
Windows 10 Pro, the page then stops and informs me there
is nothing to do. And I got that far, without an MSA.

https://i.postimg.cc/CM2xZLvc/jump-to-page.gif

Paul