Microsoft has reopened the Beta program to test new features for Windows 10. While the new features coming in version 22H2 are good news for Windows 10 users, it seems that it will be difficult to cleanly install the operating system without an internet connection.
New findings show that Microsoft is making the internet requirement mandatory
Microsoft decided to make internet connection mandatory for Windows 11 installations in 2021, and this decision caused great controversy. The company has still not lifted this restriction. In fact, the software giant seems to have made things even more difficult by extending this requirement to Windows 10 installations.
As first noticed by Reddit user u/wokeaspie, the Windows 10 22H2 installation screen no longer has a “I don’t have internet” button at the bottom of the network page. A month ago, the Reddit user downloaded the Windows 22H2 ISO file and burned it to a USB stick with Rufus. The problem occurred when the user added the latest June security update to the ISO using NTLite software.
The user claims that he has done the same thing before and cleanly installed Windows 10, but has never encountered this kind of issue. This is enough evidence to assume that Microsoft quietly made the internet requirement mandatory in the June cumulative update. If this is intentional and not a bug, the Windows 10 22H2 ISO file that came with the June security patch makes it difficult to complete the installation without internet and a Microsoft account. But difficult doesn’t mean impossible.
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Fortunately, there is a way around this requirement. To bring back the “I don’t have internet” option, you can open the Command Prompt by pressing Shift + F10 on your keyboard. Then type “oobe/bypassnro” (without the quotes) and press Enter. This will reboot the system and allow you to continue with the installation without requiring internet and Microsoft account.
Microsoft’s silent move to make the internet requirement for Windows 10 installations mandatory has caused some discomfort among users. This is a big problem, especially for users with no internet connection or limited internet access. However, as long as there is a way to bypass this requirement, users will be able to complete their installations. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will make an official statement on this issue.
