Trouble installing windows 11 on a new PC build.

[Tom1948]

HELP. I built a new PC and I'm in the process of installing windows 11 from inserting a USB stick that has the windows installation tool on it. All typical stuff, except when I reach the "let's connect you to a network" bit. No wireless networks are being detected and the next button is grayed out, thus I can't proceed. I assume no networks are being detected as no network drivers are installed... so I'm stuck. Any advise?

[191x7]

11 minutes ago, Tom1948 said:

HELP. I built a new PC and I'm in the process of installing windows 11 from inserting a USB stick that has the windows installation tool on it. All typical stuff, except when I reach the "let's connect you to a network" bit. No wireless networks are being detected and the next button is grayed out, thus I can't proceed. I assume no networks are being detected as no network drivers are installed... so I'm stuck. Any advise?

https://www.repairwin.com/setup-windows-11-22h2-without-internet-connection/

[Bombastinator]

50 minutes ago, Tom1948 said:

HELP. I built a new PC and I'm in the process of installing windows 11 from inserting a USB stick that has the windows installation tool on it. All typical stuff, except when I reach the "let's connect you to a network" bit. No wireless networks are being detected and the next button is grayed out, thus I can't proceed. I assume no networks are being detected as no network drivers are installed... so I'm stuck. Any advise?

Iirc there’s an “I don’t have one” button that is real handy for avoiding all sorts of stuff.  It’s so handy that you may want to press it even if you do have one.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Bombastinator

[kb5zue]

I have found that when installing doing a fresh or new install of windows the best thing to do is to disconnect any / and/ or / all ethernet or wifi connections so the machine is in a standalone mode.  Disconnect any method at all from the internet prior to doing the windows install.  Then when you get to the point during installation that it wants to connect to the internet you can bypass that completely.

 

Another idea is to skip registration / authentication / registration during installation and when it asks you for a key, click on the button that says you don't have one.

 

These things will allow you to complete the install without any interference from windows, THEN when the install is all said and done you can connect to the internet and complete things.

[Tom1948]

Thanks for all the advise. I solved this by pressing shift + f10 keys to launch command prompt. Then I typed the line that's stated in the brackets and typed enter (taskkill /F /IM oobenetworkconnectionflow.exe). 

 

After that you will be able to bypass that network requirement screen in windows 11 setup or you will be greeted with a retry connecting to a network screen. My case was the latter, I clicked the retry button then immediately pressed alt + tab to navigate back into the command prompt and clicked the arrow up key and the line I typed out the first time appeared writen once again, press enter again to confirm the command line. Then I just did this last step until I bypassed the network requirement screen. 

 

Will using command prompt and spamming this command to bypass the network requirement for windows 11 leave any unknown problems within the install of windows? Like disable something without me knowing later. 

 

I was able to connect to the ethernet later by installing the needed LAN drivers via a USB stick included within my motherboard box.

 

[Tom1948]

13 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

Iirc there’s an “I don’t have one” button that is real handy for avoiding all sorts of stuff.  It’s so handy that you may want to press it even if you do have one.

When you are on the "let's connect you to a network" page on windows 11 installation there isn't any "I don't have any button". You just can't proceed if you can't connect to the WiFi or ethernet. Unless, if you do some command prompt stuff, which I did to bypass.

[Bombastinator]

Yeah.  It’s earlier.  Or maybe they removed it.  I’ve used it though. It was a partial way out of the “you are cattle to us.  We own you now” phone home data mining crap.

[GoodBytes]

For next time, the proper procedure is:

1. Hit the keyboard shortcut at any time: CTRL+SHIFT+F3
   This will make Windows generate a temporary Desktop environment to install drivers and programs that you need/want to be shared between all users (if more than one user).
   Note: On this desktop, you'll have a dialog box with the title "System Preparation Tool" that will show. This is you way out of this temporary account (as if you restart the system normally, you'll be back to that desktop). Once out, you'll be back to the Windows first setup screen screns (OOBE - Out of the Box Experience, as Microsoft calls it). All you'll need to do is hit "OK" button on it. The temporary account you are in will be wiped completely. If you close it by accident, simply go Win+R, and type: sysprep, or if you need to restart the system, no worries, it will reappear, even if you closed it before.
    
2. On that temporary desktop, update Windows, install all your drivers (chipset, graphics, audio, keyboard/mouse, webcam, etc...). You can restart the system as you want/need, you'll back in this temporary account. Make sure everything is good.
    
3. Once everything is good, simply hit the "OK" button on the dialog box (System Preparation Tool) that showed up, everything in that desktop will be wiped. All traces will be gone (this includes web browser activity and downloaded file (assuming not placed in C:\ or some shared directory)) and you'll be back at the Windows first time setup screen (OOBE).

Fun fact: This is how Dell, HP, Acer, and so on, prepare a computer.

Fun fact 2: This is how you are supposed to prepare Windows installation since the longest time in WIndows history. It never changed.  
I forgot which version of WIndows it was introduced, but Audit Mode existed back with Windows NT 4.0 (1996)

Tips: If you shut down your computer normally under this Audit Mode, you'll be at the login screen, where Windows is asking you for a password. This is because Audit Mode doesn't go hand in hand with Fast Startup feature introduced with Windows 8. Just restart the system, and you'll be back to the desktop.