As we know, Windows 11 has taken the scheme introduced with the previous version of the operating system to the extreme: it tries to force users to use a Microsoft account instead of a local account from the moment of first installation. To be able to use a Microsoft account, however, the Internet connection must already be working during the phase OBE (Out Of Box Experience) or the final part of the Windows 11 installation procedure. So the latest Microsoft operating system is activated to ensure that the network drivers can be installed manually by the user by clicking on a specific button.
Basically, in fact, Windows 11 should be able to recognize the vast majority of network cards Ethernet and WiFi. Drawing on the drivers available locally on the Windows installation media, the routine installation is responsible for enabling the user to use the Internet connection and then subsequently propose any updates through Windows Update.
Installing network drivers during final Windows 11 setup
What happens, however, if Windows doesn’t recognize the scheda wireless and the wired connection is not available? In this case the installation of the operating system should necessarily raise the white flag and allow the user to use a account locale. The new button Installa driverinstead, puts the user in a position to provide the network drivers useful for immediately using the Internet connection and setting up their Microsoft account.
By clicking on the button Installa driverwhich will soon appear in the stable versions (for now it is introduced in build 25977 preview and subsequent releases), a window opens File Explorer which allows you to select the driver network to use. The driver can be stored in a folder, on the same installation media of Windows 11 or recovered, for example, from another external USB drive.
However, nothing prevents you from installing Windows 11 without a network connection and without necessarily configuring a Microsoft account. To force the installation of Windows 11 with a local account it is in fact possible to use several simple ones tricks. The simplest one is to type a account non-existent (for example [email protected]) in the window Adding your Microsoft account but there are many others, all documented in the two articles cited.
