In Microsoft’s eyes, I’m my own parent
First, a relevant musical interlude:
You might recall that recently I purchased a new computer. Transitions like that are not my forte. It takes some time for me to get familiar with a new system, and I often find it very frustrating for a while.
This go-round was no different. I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say that during the process I got to know a few members of the local Geek Squad.
And no, please don’t tell me to get a Mac. Been there, done that, kept it for four years and never got used to it. My new computer is a Lenovo PC and it required me to register with Microsoft, something my old Lenovo PC (circa 2012) never made me do. Progress.
It seemed that the registration would be a fairly easy task. But no, it wasn’t. For some unknown reason, when I was signing up, Microsoft was eager to know about the minor child in my home. I don’t have a minor child in my home. But it would not let me take that option. It insisted on knowing said child’s name and age. And so finally I made one up. That couldn’t hurt, right?
Big mistake. Microsoft would not let me register after that as an adult. It assumed there was an adult in the home, and I was the child, and that I needed that adult’s permission to do anything with that computer.
So off I went back to the Geek Squad, although the nice young man who helped me was somewhat stumped by the whole thing. But he kept trying different approaches and finally, somehow, he came up with a solution and made another account for an adult, which he very creatively named “test.” However, for some reason I no longer remember, I would be forced to use the child account and not the adult one whenever I worked on the computer. It seemed to me that would be okay. And at first, after I took it home and turned it on, it was.
But then, after an hour or so of work, it cut me off and informed me that as a minor child I had to get my parent’s permission to use it any longer than that. Okay, I could fix that, right? But when I signed in as the adult, this is the little note I got from Microsoft.
Hi test,
Jean wants more screen time on PC today.
How much extra time would you like to give them?
15 minutes
30 minutes
1 hour
2 hours
8 hours
Custom time
I don’t want to give more time todayJean asked on June 3 at 9:28 AM. The screen time you allow can be used on any PC they use. We sent this request to all adults in the family. If nobody responds, the current screen time schedule stays in effect.
To learn more, visit https://account.microsoft.com/family
Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, read our privacy and cookies statement.
Nice to know.
Note that it does not give the option of letting child “Jean” have unlimited time on the computer, although the choice “custom time” seemed promising. And that’s how I finally solved the problem, allowing little Jean to be on the computer as much as she likes.
So everything I’ve been doing on this new computer since June 3 has been with my pretend parent’s permission.
Ah, Microsoft. I do use Word and Excel. I downloaded the software to my computer and do not use any subscription with them.
Our AI Insect Overlords.
99.9% of the time — Windows is not the issue. It’s either the person sitting in front of the PC or THE or some hardware.
Maybe you could go back to the original setup? PC’s used to come with a full backup to the original on it—maybe that would ‘kill‘ little Jean for you.
I build my own PC’s — except for the Dell XPS 13, which I wiped clean after the year warranty, and added bigger drive plus reinstalled a clean Windows (10 pro at the time). OEM’s were always the issues for me when I bought PC’s…their added software was often the problem.
Clean installs and Ask Claude AI for any technical issues, IMHO.
NOTE: at 80 I am less interested in building a new PC since — Budget PC Build: How Cascading Components Make Each New PC Cheaper. It’s my 3rd PC right now (finished in Nov 2025) — like behind my main one (finished in June of 2023) and my old main one.
In the past it wasn’t too hard to bypass Microsoft’s demands that one register with a Microsoft account, while setting up a new computer.
However, Microsoft has been making that more and more difficult. Nonetheless, there are still ways to do it. Google:
oobe windows 11 bypass
OOBE is an acronym for “Out of Box Experience,” not “Out of Body Experience.” Though the latter is a possibility too from the frustration.
Of course, if your workaround is working for you, that’s fine too.
Neo;
Have you considered a Chrome laptop?
I’ve had this computer for roughly two years and the big hassle I had when I bought it was the Microsoft Office authorization/activation. Not an Office subscription. The whole story was rather complicated, but eventually I went round and round with a Dell support person and a Microsoft support person.
When we finally went past the Microsoft know-nothing dweeb support person, and actually got a Microsoft support person with knowledge and authority, he discovered that they had screwed up and failed to activate in spite of Dell doing everything correctly. Naturally, the dweeb initially assured me that the problem was with Dell.
neo,
With your description, I was waiting for you to encounter the following problem: You try to access or modify something a little more advanced or out-of-the-ordinary on your computer, only to be blocked because you do not have administrator privileges. Most of my experience is quite dated now, so maybe it’s not an issue.
Odd you should put it like that. Or maybe not. Large corporations tend the think of themselves as the parent. Only the technicians are allowed to feel this way… the abiding leadership? Not so much. But alas, here we now are – asking permission to use the things we thought we had purchased rather than bought into. Something profoundly broken about such notions even surviving the first meeting.
EVERONE ONE HATES MICROSOFT!!
I use a free software called Libre for word processing and spreadsheets. Works for me, doesn’t cost anything. However, when ever there is a up date to Windows (every other day), something goes wrong.
And that’s exactly why I switched to Apple and MACS years ago and never looked back!
Assuming all else fails (see below), I would save all work you’ve done to thumb drives. Then Reset the PC. Then put your work back. Of course, you will have to reinstall all your programs/apps.
Of course, first Google/check AI for how to do this, pros and cons, what exactly you need to know (eg, Microsoft account name and password), alternative solutions for your situation to try first. I don’t know why the tech guy didn’t just try this.
Here are two sites from AI relevant to your situation (but not necessarily covering your precise permutation). Maybe they’ll work such that you won’t have to Reset after all.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/family-safety/managing-parental-consent
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/family-safety/family-safety-settings-enforced-on-adults
Good luck!
Neo, looks like you are facing the dreaded Microsoft versus local account problem. Microsoft mightily wants you to create Microsoft accounts on your computer so they can spy on you but you want to create what’s called a local account to preserve your privacy.
Point your geeks to this website for why to create local accounts and ways to do it.
Note the settings app method does not work for me but the command line did
https://www.pctips.com/create-local-user-account/
Good luck. It Is a struggle but worth it for your freedom. And it can be done. I just went through this hassle with a new computer.
The birthday you entered during registration may be making Microsoft think little “Jean” is a minor. You should be able to change that on your account and/or delete any extra family members that have been created. Searching for “during activation windows thinks I have a minor child but I don’t” led to at least a couple links that might be helpful. Bypassing as Huxley suggested is also a great idea, but Microsoft keeps blocking the workarounds as soon as they become popular.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5653677/computer-thinks-im-a-child
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-change-a-birth-date-on-a-microsoft-account#im-an-adult-but-microsoft-thinks-im-a-child
You’re a braver soul than I am, Neo. I gave up on Microsoft long ago, and it’s only Macs for me.
And now I have “Dance, Little Jean” stuck in my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsFvhb5_b7Y&list=RDXsFvhb5_b7Y&start_radio=1
“99.9% of the time — Windows is not the issue. It’s either the person sitting in front of the PC or THE or some hardware.”
The whole point of Windows is that it’s supposed to be easy for anyone to use. The fact that so many people have so many problems with it — especially after decades of new versions and hundreds of updates — means it isn’t doing its job right. You can’t blame “the person sitting in front of the PC” when that’s practically everybody.
Whenever I have a new problem with Windows, I Google the solution (often on my phone, because my PC isn’t working). The first result is often a Microsoft- or Windows-hosted forum where someone else asked about the issue years ago, other users chime in saying it’s happened to them too, and no one offers a workable solution. Eventually someone suggests re-installing Windows from scratch and trying to re-create everything you had on your computer, an hours-long process that seems to be the go-to answer for any problem. If this is the best Microsoft can do more than four decades after Windows was first created, it’s a pretty bad system.
Shirehome
I agree that Libreoffice is great software, but I’ve had it installed for years and it has no problems with Windows updates.
Libreoffice is a free open source alternative to Microsoft office with text editor, spreadsheet, and drawing program.
Back in the ‘90s, I used Apples at the university, but they kept crashing, so I changed to PCs. What I have read about Apple since then has not prompted me to change my mind. I liked being able to add hardware on a PC.
Three years ago I decided it was time to upgrade from my 11 year old Dell Inspiron w Windows 7. I purchased a used Zotac mini w Windows 11 Pro for $100. It worked fine for 2.5 years, until it went into cycles of crashes/reinstalls. I concluded that the Zotac mini, manufactured in 2018, was crashing because it was not hardware-compatible w Windows 111—and was too small to install any new hardware.
I purchased a used Dell Optiplex w Widows 11 Pro. It worked fine until it crashed when I was fiddling with the RAM, so I went to new computers. I purchased an HP and an Acer, both w Windows Home. Returned both. Both did not initially connect with the Internet, though I eventually found a workaround. (Windows is supposed to be easy to operate? Yeah, right.) As they were Windows Home, didn’t have the easy local account possibilities that Windows Pro had. That and the difficulty to achieve Internet connection made them returnable.
Before I returned the new Acer, I was able to get the Dell Optiplex going again. How I did that, I am not sure. At least w Windows 11 Pro, it has the local account option.
Last year I purchased an Office Pro key from the Internet. Not from MS. I was able to get it installed and MS activated it. But on a new computer, MS didn’t accept it.
Some months ago I had seen some YouTube videos—most like AI generated—-about how HP was now using Linux as the default OS on its inexpensive laptops. But that didn’t match with what HP was selling on the Internet.
Some suggestions for,software for Neo,and other windows users like me.
Libreoffice mentioned above. (Free)
Pdf24 merge, split, edit pdf documents. (Free)
Freefilesync lightning fast tool to backup files on your pc to flash drives. (Free)
StandardNote secure notes program that can make your notes available on multiple computers. ($) Alternatives Evernote ($) , Obsidian (free) and many others.
Freetaxusa free online program to compute your tax return. Free efile of federal returns. Charges $16 for state return.
You probably don’t want to hear it, but Linux Mint (free, works like Windows – no subscription, no registration) and LibreOffice (free, works like and compatible with MS Office) may be your solution. Not difficult to transition but someone more knowledgeable than you seem to be comfortable with can help you install it. Not Geek Squad; they have ulterior incentives.
I think Bob Wilson might have the right idea. I would have the Geek Squad do a full wipe, reformat, and reinstall your windows software. The other thing is, buy an Office Professional package and stay away from the 365 subscription plan. Actually own the software rather than subscribing to it, renting it. That way you will have the capability of always doing a reinstall.
I also stay well away from the cloud nonsense, even though Microsoft is always hectoring me to backup on One Drive. No thank you. Buy a peripheral drive and back up everything 3 or 4 times annually and keep it in a safe place, and you’re better covered.
There is a constant pressure now to use somebody else’s stuff, for a rental price. Nope. I’ll own, thanks. All of it, thanks. Go away, rent-seeker.
The only other thing, for laptop users at their desk: Consider getting a cooling fan platform that you sit your laptop on top of. These things make a terrific difference, and they’re pretty cheap on Amazon. I use only high-end machines, and parking them on a base that forces cool air up into the laptop from beneath definitely gives astonishing improvements, by efficiently cooling your electronics. Chips make a lot of heat, and it destroys performance. Once in a while I’ll get back home, get set up at my desk, and forget to turn the fans on, and will start to wonder why my machine is having such trouble after an hour or so. It affects the speed, the internet performance, everything.
Now I worry that the police will come after me for posting on “little Jean’s” account.
‘practically everybody’ … really? Windows 11 alone passed 1 billion users in early 2026. People still use Windows 98, Windows 7, Widows 8, etc.
Apple Mac desktop/laptop users: approximately 200 million worldwide.
Linux has like 600+ versions of ‘Their’ OS. About 100 million Linux desktop/laptop users worldwide is a reasonable single-number estimate. Sorry Linux users — ‘The Year of the Linux Desktop’ is never going to happen… 😉 (poor people have been waiting for over thirty years for that to happen)
Run a simple search for any issues on Apple Mac or Linux desktop/laptop users and you will find a host of problems with those OSes…especially when compared to their small user bases.
If I had all the issues you apparently have with Windows I would certainly switch to something else…Chromebook or Chromebox???
Yeah. Age restriction laws are spreading. The reason is porn, but social media will catch up.
I have tried to register using my passport. But the software to match it to a new live in person pic from bu Apple iPad fails. And so do Android phone pics! Two or three times, no less.
The workaround is to use my phone as a hotspot. My phone is an android and I use a VPN. A virtual private network. I set it to bounce two other places before finding me.
The only difficulties are when needing an uber or food delivery and my location cannot be found. And sometimes slow internet connections prevent the VPN from establishing a good enough connection to a web site.
So, mostly good, but with hiccups.
The idea of “desktop” varies. For me it is a browser, file manager, editor, and terminals. I am a simple man. The advantage of Linux is that it’s all mine, at least until I am hacked. The downside is spotty support for attached devices, games, and other such stuff.
Neo, you might find this website useful:
https://www.askwoody.com/
I used it before I switched to Mac two years ago, mainly for advice on when to update Windows (usually not right after the updates come out). It had lots of info about using a local account instead of a Micro$oft account.
I try to follow the KISS Principle with computers and other aspects of life.
“I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that”.
I had to update my Quicken program. To do that I had to set up a login account. I’ve had the same computer and Quicken account for over 20 years so I’m not eager to switch. But I previously just fired up the computer and had a default account with no login. Now I have to log in. Good thing I have various dog names for passwords.
LibreOffice works, but not as well as Office. Which is necessary for my job search. And I own Office, not subscribe. Which is why I’m not getting a new computer.
Apple requires an Apple ID. It’s nice the that my Apple Watch logs me in automagically on my Mac. I already had a Microsoft account for years so adding a new Windows 11 (two Asus NUC) was painless. I use MS office by subscription because I use seven different Windows machines and it is far cheaper BUT one has a full owned copy. I recently got StarLink up and running. That threw a few curves. I also have 6 or 8 Raspberry Pi in use.
(I can run Windows 2.0 through XP with the relevant Office versions in VMs on Windows 7 if I feel retro or fire up the old hardware, yes complete computer nerd here)
(This being typed on an IPad Pro).
I started out using Windows when it first came out, and continued using it through Windows 7. It seemed to get more and more difficult, and give me more and more problems. I eventually decided to try using a Mac, and think I am a confirmed Apple user.
The examples of problems given by commenters here make me think I did the right thing. But I have to ask: why do we have these problems? Our financial institutions would collapse outright if they had these constant failures. Can you imagine your Master Card telling you it can’t complete this purchase, try again? After the third try you can be sure people would switch banks or start carrying cash.
Why does Microsoft have problems when banks don’t? Could it be that the problems are, as Glenn Reynolds likes to say, a feature, not a bug? Is the Microsoft business plan to keep throwing problems at you so you buy more advanced programs? (Which eventually do the same thing too?)
That’s some business plan. And it seems to be working quite well.
Hey F: You know that Bill Gates became an expert on viruses when he developed Windows 🙂
Every Windows update kills my Lenovo fingerprint reader. I figured out the workaround to get it working again:
Terminate the Service \svchost.exe -k WbioSvcGroup with Resource Monitor.
Using services.msc command from WinKey-R run window, Set Windows BioMetric Service to Manual
Open Settings/Accounts/Sign-in options and click on fingerprint reader. Minimize setting window.
Hope this helps someone!