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Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account
(www.theverge.com)
this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
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Rufus can be used to disable account creation along with other settings.
rufus doesn't help with preloads that you don't want to or can't, for whatever reason, overwrite with a 'clean' install.
If os can't be installed off a usb then that means linux can't either, which makes it a pretty sad machine to spend money on.
So it must be a work or school device then? Which users wouldn't be installing OS on anyways with it being handled through IT.
There are plenty that will boot/install Linux just fine but won't do a nice clean install of Windows 11.
Modern Thinkpad E16 (AMD) is one of them, a clean USB won't work, it will always stick at not finding required drivers.
You need to inevitably create a USB install from the MS USB Media Creation tool, running on the machine itself from the included crapware Windows - to get an installer USB that will work.
Different if you're just pushing a wim over the network from endpoint/scm, but it's basically broken for local users.
Just install it in a VM. I've done this before to force Windows 10 to install on a USB stick, you can pass a VM an entire physical drive to use instead of a virtual hard disk and install to that SSD directly from the VM (just kill the VM and reboot into the windows partition when the VM tries to reboot to the windows installation). I'm sure if you passed the VM a USB created with Rufus you could install from that as well.
I had this issue at work, I was able to fix it by using the windows media creation tool instead of just writing the iso to the drive. Not sure why that worked, but it has every time so far.
That's unfortunate. Looks like thinkpads aren't worth getting. I generally do not trust manfucturer preinstalled OS.
I would still get a ThinkPad, but then, I would never be putting Windows on it anyway.
Especially pertinent for Lenovo.
Only if you want to run Windows on that model I guess. My kid has an E16 AMD and installed Fedora Linux from a USB no problem.
Do you have more info regarding that ThinkPad E16?
I'm mostly working with T series laptops and haven't had the problem, but always good to know if or when an E16 shows up.
Usually all ThinkPads work mostly the same regarding Linux support (bar the usual Nvidia driver shenanigans if you ever trip that), but I'd be concerned about the E-series themselves. If you want a cheaper than T-series ThinkPad you should get an L-series one. Not as expensive as the T-ones, but still retains some usable chassis durability, double replaceable memory slots, replaceable keyboard, etc.
I've started calling the E-series as E-waste.