Windows Autopilot is a functionality that allows you to personalize the OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) phase. For details, I refer you to Microsoft’s website (they are irrelevant to us now), the point is that at the first start, the client may receive, for example, this greeting:

This is because the device has Autopilot enabled and downloads scripts prepared by the previous owner or administrator the first time it is turned on and connected to the Internet. It is a configuration prepared for the specific needs of a given company. If the previous owner forgets to turn off Autopilot then it runs all the time and takes over the first time the software is started after installation.

The scripts are loaded based on the hardware ID of the machine, so erasing the disk won’t help. There are several ways to solve this problem:
– disconnecting the computer from the Internet at the first start,
– changing the hardware so as to significantly change the hardware ID,
– “manually” unregistering from the Autopilot service,
– installation of a new electronic license.

While the first solution is obvious, it is difficult to explain to each customer why they should not connect the equipment to the Internet at the first start. In addition, it limits functionality by, for example, not being able to sign in or create a Microsoft account. When the user goes through the first start-up process in a standard way, then the Autopilot status has no effect on further work.

The second solution seems to make sense, but… it’s not always possible. Our experience shows that in order to significantly modify the so-called Hardware Hash, at least two components need to be changed. It can be, for example, a hard drive and a WLAN card (but note: we need to change the card to a different model, just switching between laptops that have Autopilot enabled will not help). Changing peripherals (sound cards, cameras, keyboards, etc.) does not help.

What can work in larger laptops and desktops will not work in machines where the drive, memory, processor and other components are integrated on the motherboard. Progressive miniaturization makes such solutions more and more common on the market.

As Autopilot is a relatively new solution, the problem does not apply to used equipment on a large scale. In the coming years, however, the number of cases of equipment used with the autopilot on will increase at a rapid pace.

The third solution – manually deregistering the device requires sending the appropriate form and documents confirming ownership of the device to the technical support department. This is a lengthy and troublesome procedure.

Currently, all devices on which a new MAR license is installed are automatically deregistered from Windows Autopilot. Based on the submitted CBR (Computer Build Report), created at the time of installing a new electronic license, Microsoft checks whether a given device has an active Windows Autopilot configuration. If such a configuration exists, it is automatically unlinked to the hardware and deregistered from the service. This way of solving the problem seems optimal and ensures that the end user will not encounter a surprise when the computer is started.