Error installing windows 11 when using custom options in rufus about rufus HOT 13 CLOSED

Thanks for the report.

I have just tried to replicate the issue using the same options as the ones you used, and went through a full installation of Windows 11 23H2v2, but I never saw the error you mention.

If you still have the drive you created that produced the error, could you please copy/paste the sources\$OEM$\$$\Panther\unattend.xml file you will find there? Or if not, could you recreate the media in the same way as you created it and then copy that file?

from rufus.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
  <settings pass="disabled">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" language="neutral" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" versionScope="nonSxS">
      <UserData>
        <ProductKey>
          <Key />
        </ProductKey>
      </UserData>
      <RunSynchronous>
        <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
          <Order>1</Order>
          <Path>reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>
        </RunSynchronousCommand>
        <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
          <Order>2</Order>
          <Path>reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>
        </RunSynchronousCommand>
        <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
          <Order>3</Order>
          <Path>reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>
        </RunSynchronousCommand>
      </RunSynchronous>
    </component>
  </settings>
  <settings pass="specialize">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64" language="neutral" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" versionScope="nonSxS">
      <RunSynchronous>
        <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
          <Order>1</Order>
          <Path>reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>
        </RunSynchronousCommand>
      </RunSynchronous>
    </component>
  </settings>
  <settings pass="oobeSystem">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" language="neutral" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" versionScope="nonSxS">
      <OOBE>
        <ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>
      </OOBE>
    </component>
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-SecureStartup-FilterDriver" processorArchitecture="amd64" language="neutral" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" versionScope="nonSxS">
      <PreventDeviceEncryption>true</PreventDeviceEncryption>
    </component>
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-EnhancedStorage-Adm" processorArchitecture="amd64" language="neutral" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" versionScope="nonSxS">
      <TCGSecurityActivationDisabled>1</TCGSecurityActivationDisabled>
    </component>
  </settings>
</unattend>

from rufus.

Yes, this is the exact same content as the one I have, so I am very surprised this answer file would generate an error on your side (because this is the unattend answer file that your setup says it cannot parse, and specifically, the BypassNRO section) but not on mine. This means that there has to be some sort of environmental component to the issue.

I'm going to try a few more installs, but it looks to me that, under some circumstances, and some machines, BypassNRO will be rejected by Windows setup and generate an error. My guess is that it may have to do with remnants of a previous installation, or some networked licensing exchange between the Microsoft servers and your machine during the installation process, in which case you may want to make sure that your network is disconnected when you proceed with the install (which it should be anyway, as the only way BypassNRO will work in the first place is if Windows can not connect to a network). But outside of this, I don't really have much of any other ideas for now.

from rufus.

Still can't replicate the issue. I also suspect that this has to do with whether you entered a product key and what edition of Windows you selected for installation.

So, in order for me to investigate further I would like to know:

1. Did you enter of product key? Or did you select the I don't have a product key option?
2. What edition of Windows did you select for installation?

from rufus.

1. Never had the chance to input the product key. The laptop came with W11 Home edition in S mode. I flashed my thumb drive and then installed another edition of windows over it, (and then the whole issue happened) so I disabled all options and successfully got a new install of W11 on my laptop. Even in the installation screen, there was nothing about a product key. (Which is quite weird). Later I activated the laptop with MAS
2. Windows 11 Pro Education edition

from rufus.

Never had the chance to input the product key. The laptop came with W11 Home edition in S mode.

There we go. That's the issue.

Windows S Mode is a global setting, that is applied to the hardware in a permanent manner by Windows (it is stored in the UEFI variables, so even if you remove/clear Windows completely, the setting is persisted) and that forces the use of a global account.

Therefore, if your run the installer on a machine that had Windows S installed, and you use the bypass global account option, then of course Windows setup will produce an error about trying to bypass that option.

So there's the issue.

Unfortunately, since Rufus does not alter any executable files, it is not possible for Rufus to detect Windows S prior to installation, so, short of adding a specific entry in the FAQ about this (which I am planning to do) there's not much that can be done. You're just trying to make two incompatible options (Windows enforcement of a global user account on hardware where Windows S was installed vs. trying to disable global user account) work together, whereas they obviously can't.

from rufus.

from rufus.

How fix

You first need to remove S Mode from your computer. See here or here or the many other pages you will find if you google how to disable S Mode.

Then you can install Windows without the need for a Microsoft account and you won't get the error.

from rufus.

@pbatard I was successfully able to remove S mode once. However on a clean install after that S mode still persists. Is the laptop forever locked to S mode?

from rufus.

I was successfully able to remove S mode once. However on a clean install after that S mode still persists.

Then you didn't actually remove S mode. If you do it properly, S Mode removal is permanent. If S Mode still persists, then you didn't remove it properly.

from rufus.

Then you didn't actually remove S mode. If you do it properly, S Mode removal is permanent. If S Mode still persists, then you didn't remove it properly.

Very weird. I logged in with my MS account, removed S mode... restarted and it wasn't there. Came back after the fresh install.

from rufus.

I have now created a new FAQ entry:
https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/wiki/FAQ#user-content-The_settings_specified_in_the_answer_file_cannot_be_applied

Since there is nothing more I can do about this, as, again, this is a pure incompatibility enacted by Windows Setup between a PC having been set to using S Mode (which is a permanent setting that is persisted in the hardware) and the enforcement of a Microsoft online account when S Mode is detected, I will close this issue.

from rufus.

This thread has been automatically locked since there has not been any recent activity after it was closed. Please open a new issue if you think you have a related problem or query.

from rufus.