[IgniteTheSun]

"So it had to download ~3gb to update the OS, just to wipe itself."

Similarly, if one wants to replace Windows 10S with Linux, have to either have or create a Microsoft account and then have to upgrade to Windows Home via a large download ...

[alsetmusic]

> have to either have or create a Microsoft account

There’s a link near the bottom of the window to skip creating an MS account. Source: I did this last week.

[IgniteTheSun]

I both looked for and searched for a way to do so without a Microsoft account about a month ago - could not upgrade to Windows 10 Home without it and could not remove 10S without upgrading it first. I had downloaded a copy of Windows directly from Microsoft but could not use it because the Windows 10S was preinstalled by the OEM and did not come with a windows key code.

[xodice]

This does not exist in Home versions of Windows 10 unless there is no active network connection.