Windows 11 Enterprise N LTSC installation failure during OOBE setup

Question

I am installing Windows 11 Enterprise N LTSC (evaluation version) on a new PC. When the OOBE starts I cannot get past the first page. After I select the country, etc., and click next, I get a page that says ""Why did my computer restart" and says it thinks an update will fix it. (The computer did not restart)

It asks me to click on the Network icon and then Next. When I click on the Network icon nothing seems to happen. I click Next and it reboots and I end up on the same page, over and over again. The only network available is WIFI.

I entered Audit Mode and installed all of the OEM drivers. In Audit mode everything seems fine, including the WIFI. Then I rebooted to the OOBE, but that did not make any difference.

I am not getting any error codes and there is nothing in the logs under Windows/Panther. I have started over with a clean install, twice, but the results are the same. My installation ISO passes the File/Hash test, so I do not think it is corrupt.

I have searched the internet but there are almost no results related to Windows 11 Enterprise N LTSC installation problems.

It is very difficult to evaluate a product if you cannot even complete the installation. Any ideas as to what the problem might be? Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi Pete,

Thank you for sharing the issue. This is a known but poorly documented issue with Windows 11 Enterprise N LTSC (Evaluation) during OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience), particularly when network connectivity is required but fails silently. You can try the following steps to bypass the internet requirement and continue setup:

When stuck at the "Why did my PC restart?" screen:

Press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.

Type the following command and press Enter: oobe\bypassnro

( This forces Windows to reboot and adds a "I don’t have internet" option )

After reboot:

• Select your region/keyboard layout again.
• Click "I don’t have internet" (bottom-right corner).
• Proceed with a local account setup.

If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.