Microsoft have said that Windows 10 will never be replaced by another operating system, but simply updated forever. Obviously this will put a dent in their sales, so how are they going to replace the lost income? By using your personal details to deliver targetted advertising. How are they going to collect these details? Using various mechanisms built in to Windows 10 of course. Is there anything you can do to stop Microsoft in their tracks? Yes, there is.
When using Windows 10 for the first time, you have the option to set up a local account rather than a Microsoft account. Although you do have this choice, Microsoft tries hard to ‘de-emphasise’ the fact. Once you’ve started using Windows 10 in the way that Microsoft prefer, you can still switch from using a Microsoft account to a local account. However, by that time you’ll already have been suckered into creating a Microsoft account and revealing everything they need. If you don’t want Microsoft to have a lot of information about you, the trick is to insist on using a local account right from the start, and the easiest way to do this is to say during the setup process that you don’t have an Internet connection.
You can thwart Microsoft’s attempt to force you to set up an account with them by refusing to connect to the Internet during the Windows 10 setup process. If your computer is connected to your hub / router using an Ethernet cable, then unplug it before setting up Windows 10. If you are asked for the Wi-Fi password to connect to the Internet wirelessly, skip that step. If Windows 10 still asks you to create a Microsoft account, you can play along with it, knowing that it will fail because there is no Internet connection. After setting up a Microsoft account fails, you will eventually be given the chance to set up a local account. By the way, you can always create a Microsoft account later if you decide that it would be a good idea after all.