Set Up Windows 11 Computer Without Microsoft Account

When Microsoft banned computer hardware that didn't have the TPM chip and therefore would not run Windows 11, I said, That's it. Fool me once Microsoft. shame on you... What's to stop Microsoft from doing this again in the future? I began looking at alternatives and decided that running Windows 11 as a Virtual Machine (VM) inside a product called Parallels Desktop on a Mac was the way to go. I'm one who always assembled his own PC's and keeping my budget at $1000 for the box (no new monitor, keyboard, mouse, external devices) BUT, if I was going to run Windows 11 inside of my new Mac, the Mac had better be on the robust end of the spectrum. My former Macs have always had 8 to 16GB of RAM which was adequate for my usage. But since Windows 11 doesn't thrive until reaching 16GB, I decided that 32GB should be fine with this new Mac (it's perfect) Next, storage. VM's require a lot of storage space. I'm running a Windows 11 VM, Mac Sonoma (this is an additional Mac VM) and a Linux VM. My Mac now has 850GB free on a 2TB drive. Yes, get the 2TB storage! I have no storage insecurity which counts for a lot. Perhaps I'll try moving the VM's to external storage someday but I don't have resources for trying experiments now - using RAID arrays, etc. So now I have an expensive Mac (it's all relative, I know). I justify it by saying that I was going to have to buy my $1000 Windows box anyway plus I wanted the new Mac silicon. Installing Parallels Desktop and the Windows 11 VM is mostly an automated experience. Everything is fast.

I had two laptops that were no more than three years old and after the upgrade to Microsoft windows 11 they just seem to slow down. The simple fix was to put two of these drives in the two computers and then clean load Microsoft windows 11 - 64 bit The difference was unbelievable it was almost like a totally different computer and also with a new operating system. These are such a wonderful set of drives and do just fine performance and affordability

Great computer...much faster than my old one was. Had to upgrade for Windows 11.

After 7 years with my last computer and windows upgrade it was time to purchase a new computer,. Microsoft office 365 issmuch different then what I'm used to

The printer is not supported by my (1 month old) HP Windows 11 computer

Great for backing up files. It worked on a Windows 11 and Windows 10 computer.

Setup was fairly easy; although, the manual instructions did not match the actual steps on my Windows 11 computer.

This is the fastest, coolest (temperature), and versatile computer I have owned. I have owned various MacBook Pro's (Intel era), iMacs and MacPros (cheese grate), so I know a little about OSX computers. I use Parallels sometimes to run Windows 11 Pro, and this computer does not disappoint. I use CT scans for work, and can seamlessly use the same software at work (Intel PCs with Nvidia RTX cards) vs. my ARM version Windows 11 Pro in virtual machine simulation. Manipulation of these 3D renders is comparable in speed (even though the software explicitly states that it was not optimized to use ARM chips). Haven't found anything that really slows it down. The computer is mostly cool all the time. The fans barely quick up, if at all, so it is really quiet.  But most importantly, I use this computer day in and day out, and most of the time I can use it all day for three to four days before it is down to the 20-30% range where I start feeling anxious and then I plug it in. Charge up is super quick as well -- I think less than an hour to fully charge to 100% from a really low state of charge. So this is the first computer that I feel comfortable calling portable since I don't have to worry so much about finding a plug somewhere. For sure, a well built solid machine. The only cons I have to report is the weight -- I put a clam shell clear protector (which was not that heavy), but I feel that this laptop could be used as a weapon to defend myself if I had to (like the really old IBM mechanical keyboards if you are from my generation). Also, I think there is a small defect on the edge of my screen in the super thin black surround frame which is a purely cosmetic annoyance. I didn't bother to claim warranty on this since I figure it does not really affect the computer's functions. Overall, I would buy it again, although I probably would wait for the M4 that is coming out soon. Kudos to Apple again for creating such a nice piece of hardware.

I am very happy with this computer. Microsoft makes transferring everything a breeze.

Excellent computer, far better than any Microsoft based computer that I have used