How do I get past Checking the connection to Microsoft

Question

On a fresh install, my system will not go past 'Checking connection to Microsoft, This might take a while. How to I get the system to complete the reinstall?

Answer 1

Hello,

I also stumbled in to this issue when trying to clean install windows autopilot enrolled computers.

This is caused when a tenant improperly retired there devices by deleting it from autopilot & intune, and just installing windows home / pro from a installation medium. This creates a windows installation that cannot get past setup. Once getting to the internet part of the setup it will Force you to connect to the internet. ( There is no "I dont have internet" button ) then it will try to reach microsoft unsuccessful might I add. On a wired connection it will be stuck until you poweroff, or on wifi it will just backout to the network section again.

This might be because windows 10 home / pro cannot connect to microsoft but windows 10 enterprise can.

How I fixed it. This guide will explain how to upgrade to windows enterprise.

I suggest not to use windows enterprise on you home computer

1. During setup press Shift + F10 a command prompt should appear.
2. Type slui enter, should open a prompt for a license key.
3. Put in a windows enterprise kms key. Here is for windows 10/11 enterprise kms key: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43 Additional info here
4. It might give you a error like "Unable to connect to licensing server" but this can be dismissed by pressing continue.
5. You computer will restart and it should now be enterprise.
6. Get to the internet part of the setup. Connect to internet. it should let you past. and the "I don't have internet" should also be available
7. Now we can clean install windows once again.

Answer 2

Make sure the chipset was installed. The pc manufacturer chipset allows the operating system to find and use devices integrated into the mother board.

--please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--

Answer 3

Hi @Christopher Strange (Student)

1. Check your internet connection and make sure it is stable. I recommend that you run troubleshooter to check if the problem is related to your Internet: Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Troubleshooting\Network and Internet. Run the Internet Connection Troubleshooter and the Network Adapter Troubleshooter.
2. You can try to install the system offline by downloading the installation files from Microsoft's website and installing them manually.
3. Update the network adapter driver in Device Manager.
4. This is probably related to your laptop, possibly caused by a certain hardware or incompatibility. It is recommended that you send the computer back to the supplier .

Hope the information is helpful.

Best Regards,

Hania Lian

============================================
If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.