Unknown Wi-Fi during Windows 11 initial installation?
Hello everyone. I bought a new, sealed Lenovo laptop, but when I set it up, I received unknown Wi-Fi connections as suggested connections. This happened even though I had the laptop in the basement (where there's absolutely no Wi-Fi or mobile network available). (By the way, I did this because I read that you can only set up a local Windows account offline these days, and I thought it would work better if there were no Wi-Fi nearby.)
But these unknown Wi-Fi networks don't exist in my area either. They're City of Vienna Wi-Fi (hotspot, internal and external, according to the name).
Has anyone experienced this before? Has the laptop perhaps been used before?
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These notebooks come with a pre-built Windows OS installed from the factory. If you take a look at the ghost devices in the Device Manager, you might even find a previously connected mouse and keyboard. No need to panic.
Furthermore, you don't need to be in thermonuclear-proof rooms to set up a local account; it's enough to not connect to a network during the initial setup…
Yes, of course I know it's pre-configured. But where do these Wi-Fi suggestions come from? Of course, I live in Vienna and at least know the hotspot. But why are they suggested out of the blue during setup? I suspect the NB was already in use, but that's just speculation.
Thanks for the tip, I can try that.
By the way, you have to connect to a network, otherwise you can't complete the setup. But I've now learned that you can simply enter a nonexistent email address (which, of course, doesn't work) and then you'll be given the option to create a local account.
You can guess three times how many do it. 🤷♂️
Only the manufacturer will be able to answer your actual question.
Guessing is not my thing.
The recovery key can also be backed up externally. But that's not what I'm talking about; I'm talking about those unknown Wi-Fi connections during initial setup 😉
Yes – and you will lose the emergency key for the hard disk encryption.
Your choice!
You said it was sealed.
Does this look like a genuine factory seal? Or was it affixed by a dealer?
And what was it like when you first turned it on? Did Windows launch right away, or did you have to set it up first, create users, choose privacy settings, etc.?
Yes, at least it looked that way. It had the new cardboard-colored/green seal on it, and the laptop itself was in the protective film with the red seal on it (although, as I've noticed, it's generally easy to re-stick to the fabric).
When I first turned it on, the normal setup process started: selecting the country, language, and then setting up the Wi-Fi connection. These three new Wi-Fi networks were displayed (even though they didn't exist in my area and there was no reception—for any network at all). According to the BIOS, the battery was used for the first time today (!), even though I did that yesterday, lol.
Then it sounds like it's just showing you the networks in the area that it's receiving. If the setup was clean, then don't worry.
That wasn't actually possible. Because there were no Wi-Fi networks in the area during setup (because it was in the basement, and there was absolutely no reception there). That's the interesting part.