TECH NEWS – Another loophole closed by the Redmond-based tech giant on its operating system… and then they wonder why many people stay on Windows 10, or switch to Linux?

Microsoft says it is introducing new measures to “improve security and user experience” in Windows 11. It wants to remove the bypassnro.cmd bypass that has been used so often. This script will soon be obsolete, as Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5516 states that the company will remove it. This update will force users to use the Internet and a Microsoft account to install the operating system.

This isn’t the first time they’ve tightened up on Windows 11. They originally imposed stricter hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, Secure Boot), but this can be circumvented by creating an installation thumb drive using Rufus. (You can download it here – if Microsoft is that stubborn, we’ll provide a workaround). With the release of Windows 11 version 22H2, Microsoft required users to have both an Internet connection and a Microsoft account in order to install Windows 11.

You can still bypass the network requirement in OOBE by setting the BypassNRO DWORD yourself. Open regedit, create the DWORD under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE, set it to 1 and reboot. Only the script is gone. https://t.co/VJVG2Pd6w4 pic.twitter.com/0pOn2Cw3ze

— phantomofearth 🌳 (@phantomofearth) March 28, 2025

But clever users found a loophole. This was bypassnro.cmd, which allowed them to proceed with the installation without an Internet connection and using a local account. This worked for a while, but Microsoft raised security concerns about it. It has also attracted a lot of criticism for raising privacy concerns, especially for users who want to install the operating system offline. Fortunately, there are still loopholes. Open regedit, then under HLKM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE create a DWORD (name it BypassNRO), set its value (1) and reboot.

With such rapid changes to the Windows 11 operating system, when hardware requirements were already more stringent, it is no wonder that many users are choosing other alternatives. Linux may be an increasingly compelling alternative, and Valve may be helping: we’ve reported that SteamOS may soon be available for desktop PCs, which could further erode Windows 11’s already questionable market share.

Source: WCCFTech