Step reference
OOBE configuration
Auto-answer the out-of-box screens (region, keyboard, device name, EULA, optional Wi-Fi) and optionally skip the account screen so the device lands ready, with no duplicate admin.
What it does
The out-of-box experience (OOBE) is the sequence of setup screens Windows shows on first boot. This step writes an answer file that Windows reads during OOBE and auto-answers the machine screens for you: region, keyboard, licence terms, device name, and optionally Wi-Fi. Nobody has to click through them.
Use it for non-Autopilot deployments, meaning clients that aren't Azure AD / Autopilot joined. It's the answer-file equivalent of what Autopilot does from its deployment profile.
Cannot be combined with Autopilot registration
Both decide what happens at first boot, so a profile picks one or the other. Add Autopilot registration for cloud-joined clients, or this step for everyone else.
Options
| Option | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Region | Date, number and currency format (e.g. English UK, Dutch NL, German DE). |
| Keyboard layout | The keyboard applied at first boot. |
| Device name | The computer name. Use %SERIAL% as a placeholder for the hardware serial (e.g. ACME-%SERIAL%). Truncated to 15 characters (Windows' NetBIOS limit). |
| Wi-Fi SSID | Optional. Set it and the device auto-connects on first boot, handy when there's no ethernet. |
| Wi-Fi password | The vault secret holding the Wi-Fi key (required if an SSID is set). |
| Skip the account screen | Optional local admin username to pre-create. |
| Password for that account | The vault secret for that account. |
Two ways to handle the user account
- Default: end user makes their own account. By default this step does not create a user; the person receiving the laptop creates their own account at first boot. Pair it with a Local administrator step (required) for the underlying MSP management account.
- Optional: skip the account screen. Fill in the Skip the account screen username and password and StageReady pre-creates that single local admin, so Windows skips the "Who's going to use this device?" screen entirely. The machine lands on the sign-in screen ready to use, with no duplicate second account.
The skip option writes the password in plaintext
When you use skip-the-account-screen, the password is written in plaintext into the answer file on the device, where it stays until OOBE finishes and Windows removes it. No auto-logon is configured. If that trade-off isn't acceptable, leave those two fields blank and keep the normal account screen.
Part of the step catalogue.
Related
Install Windows 11
True bare-metal Windows 11 install with the right OEM driver pack injected automatically. Wipes the target disk; runs only on the USB entry point.
Language & region
Set the display language, keyboard layout, regional format, home location and timezone for the installed Windows and every new user. Autopilot-compatible.
Autopilot registration
Capture the hardware hash and register the device into the client's Windows Autopilot via Microsoft Graph, with no manual CSV imports.