Many admins prefer to use a customized image rather than Microsoft's standard image for deploying Windows 11. This involves creating a reference installation of the OS tailored to their specific needs. After generalizing it with Sysprep, the image is written to a WIM archive using DISM or PowerShell.

The instructions in this post outline how to execute arbitrary code with administrator privileges on the Windows logon screen before the user signs in.

Windows Passkeys, introduced with Windows 11 23H2, is a passwordless sign-in solution that uses your Windows Hello credentials (face, PIN, or linked device) for secure and convenient authentication to websites and apps. This guide will teach you how to create, use, and manage a passkey using Windows Hello.

The Windows setup goes through several phases, with the last one being the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE). It presents users with multiple dialogs for system configuration. Some settings are security-related, while others may be unclear to many users. Using an answer file, they can be automatically customized.

If you want to pin the same program icons to the Start menu of many computers, you can export a reference configuration in JSON format and distribute it to the target PCs on the network. However, in Windows 11, this method no longer works when using Group Policy. If you don't have an MDM solution, two workarounds exist.

Microsoft is known to regularly use its platform to push its software and cloud services onto users. They often provide only little value but tend to bloat the system or siphon off data. The latter applies to a number of Edge browser features. They are active by default but can be disabled via GPO.

Sudo for Windows has been available since Build 26052 and is currently only accessible through the Windows Insiders program as part of preview builds for Windows 11. At this time, it appears that sudo will not come to Windows Server 2025. In this article, I explain how to use sudo in Windows 11 and compare Sudo for Windows with Runas, Gsudo, and Sudo for Linux.

One of the most noticeable innovations of Windows 11 is the redesigned Start menu. This changes not only its appearance but also its technical foundations. However, the settings in the Group Policy have remained mainly the same, so it is unclear which ones still apply.