I set up Home windows 11 loads. Be it for a clear slate on a PC that’s performing up or a model new PC, anybody who tinkers with computer systems will discover themselves interacting with the Home windows installer fairly a bit. And it’s removed from good.
Over the previous 12 months, it’s gotten worse, too. It’s because Home windows 11 now requires you to hook up with the web earlier than continuing with set up. For those who don’t have a connection (or one other points happens, as I’ll get to in a second), you’re out of luck. You’re caught. Fortunately, there’s a Home windows 11 shortcut that may crack open the installer and offer you much more energy: Shift + F10.
This isn’t a brand new shortcut. It’s been round within the Home windows installer for years, however you might have by no means identified it existed. This shortcut pulls up the Command Immediate throughout set up, permitting you to do issues like entry the Job Supervisor.
You’ll have to know some instructions to get any use out of the Command Immediate, or have one other PC useful to lookup what you want. However this keyboard shortcut solved an enormous headache for me whereas attempting to arrange for Home windows 11 for the umpteenth time.
In my case, the Home windows 11 installer didn’t seize drivers for my community connection throughout its preliminary setup. That wasn’t an enormous deal up to now, because the Home windows installer included a useful I don’t have web button that allowed you to proceed with a restricted setup and seize updates later. For some cause, Microsoft determined to take away that button with the Home windows 11 22H2 replace that launched in the midst of final 12 months.
I hope you see the issue right here. Home windows didn’t seize the essential networking driver, so I wasn’t ready to hook up with the web. And with out an web connection, I couldn’t proceed with the set up. A reboot doesn’t assist right here, both. Regardless of what number of instances I pressured the PC to close down, created new Home windows set up media, and banged my head towards the wall, I obtained caught on the identical web page asking me to hook up with the web.
However, we do have Shift+F10. I’ll stroll you thru a sequence of steps I needed to take to finally get the Home windows 11 prepare again on its tracks, so that you hopefully don’t should undergo by the troubleshooting I did.
Job Supervisor to the rescue
The only factor you are able to do is finish the community course of in Job Supervisor. It should power Home windows 11’s community test to fail and offer you one other probability to attempt. It’s like restarting your router when your web is performing up.
Press Shift+F10 to drag up Command Immediate and click on into it. Be aware that you’ll want to really click on into Command Immediate. It gained’t choose up your keyboard routinely. As soon as there, kind in taskmgr and hit Enter. This can pull up a Job Supervisor window.
Choose Present particulars and go all the way down to the NetworkFlow course of. Proper-click and finish it earlier than closing each home windows. Try to be at a failure web page. Hit Retry and hope your web reveals up.
Doing drivers the arduous manner
If that doesn’t do the trick, you’ll want to put in your drivers manually. It’s annoying, however not too tough. Seize a second USB drive and obtain the community drivers from both your PC or motherboard producer on a separate PC. Unzip the folder and drag the information into the foundation of a formatted USB drive. You’ll most likely see a number of subfolders within the driver bundle. Poke round till you discover the realm with all of the .inf information. That’s what you’re in search of.
Drag them over, eject the drive, and insert it into the PC you’re putting in Home windows on. Pull up Command Immediate with our buddy Shift+F10 and enter Diskpart earlier than hitting Enter. This can checklist all of the drives related. Be aware the letter of the USB drive together with your drivers and shut the window.
Pull up one other Command Immediate window with Shift+F10, and enter pnputil /add-driver [drive letter]:*.inf. Exchange the drive letter with the one you famous. The ultimate code ought to look one thing like this: pnputil /add-driver E:*.inf.
The driving force ought to routinely set up. After that, attempt closing NetworkFlow to power the method to shut and connect with the web. If even that doesn’t work, there’s fortunately a kill swap you’ll be able to hit.
The kill swap
For those who’re fed up and simply wish to nuke the Home windows set up, you’ll be able to. Pull up Command Immediate with Shift+F10 and enter OOBEBYPASSNO. Hit Enter and the Home windows 11 set up will restart from the start.
This time, nevertheless, if you get to the web page to arrange your web, you’ll see the acquainted I don’t have web button on the backside, permitting you to proceed with setup and set up your community drivers later. Now, if solely Microsoft may simply have issues this fashion from the start!
You’re nonetheless in management
Over the previous a number of variations of Home windows, Microsoft has wrestled management away from customers in an try and make Home windows extra accessible. That’s not a foul factor inherently, however it might probably result in conditions the place you’re feeling such as you’re caught with out a lot recourse. Fortunately, there are nonetheless methods to troubleshoot Home windows, even when they’re buried behind a sequence of shortcuts and console instructions.
Regardless, Shift+F10 is a good useful resource to maintain in your again pocket if you end up putting in or reinstalling Home windows 11 regularly. Let’s simply hope that future variations of the installer make it so that you don’t should resort to the Command Immediate.
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