Entune new pc setup issues

Question

We purchased four PC's from Dell with Win 11 Pro.

We elected initial setup with local user accounts (bypassing the forced email registration option).

After creating a standard user, we used add work or school account to associate the user with her MS365 account. The odd thing was that the "Join to entra ID" we needed at this point was blank--not present. This happened on three of the four PC's but one of them had the "join" option as expected. They all have the same version of windows.

We need remote assist in finding out how to rectify this. My name is Earl Clark, I'm the tech for Polk County Housing Auth, and Dixie Shrader d.shrader@housingpolkar,com is the account holder.

My cell is 501-442-7534 and my email is ******@simplevoicedata.com

asap please. Standing by.

Answer 1

It sounds like you're experiencing issues with joining some of your Windows 11 PCs to Microsoft Entra ID during the setup process. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

1. Check Windows Version: Ensure that all PCs are running the same version of Windows 11 Pro. Sometimes, updates can affect features.
2. Verify Device Registration Service: Make sure that the device registration service is configured correctly on all PCs. This is necessary for joining devices to Microsoft Entra ID. You can refer to the article on how to plan your Microsoft Entra join implementation for more details.
3. Use Settings App: If the option to join Microsoft Entra ID is not available during the initial setup, you can try to add the work or school account through the Settings app:
   • Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
   • Click on Connect and see if the option to join the device to Microsoft Entra ID appears.
4. Check for Enrollment Restrictions: If you have configured enrollment restrictions in Intune, ensure that they are not blocking the devices from joining.
5. Troubleshooting Tools: If the issue persists, you can use the Microsoft Entra admin center to diagnose problems. Sign in as a Reports Reader, navigate to Entra ID > Devices > All devices > Diagnose and solve problems, and follow the prompts to troubleshoot.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

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References:

• Microsoft Entra join a new Windows device during the out of box experience
• MDM enrollment of Windows devices
• Troubleshooting Windows devices in Microsoft Entra ID
• Automatic Intune enrollment via Microsoft Entra join
• Connect personally owned devices

Answer 2

Hello POLK COUNTY HOUSING AUTH,

Regarding the deployment of your Dell workstations, the behavior you are observing on the three problematic units is almost certainly caused by the permission level of the local account you are currently using. You specifically mentioned creating a "standard user" during the setup; by design, Windows 11 suppresses the "Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID" link in the provisioning dialog if the currently logged-in local profile does not have Administrative privileges. A standard user account lacks the security token required to modify the computer object's domain membership or Entra ID registration state at the device level, so the OS simply removes the option from the UI to prevent authorization errors.

To resolve this, you must sign out of the standard user profile and log in with the local Administrator account that was established during the initial OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience). Once authenticated as a local Administrator, navigate back to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school > Connect, and the "Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID" link should be visible at the bottom of the authentication window. If you inadvertently made the primary user a standard user without retaining a separate admin account, you will need to reboot the machine into Safe Mode or use a tool like netplwiz via an elevated command prompt to promote that user to the Administrators group before attempting the join.

In the unlikely event that you are already logged in as a full Administrator and the link remains absent, this suggests a registry block often found in specific OEM-imaged versions of Windows Pro or caused by residual provisioning packages. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkplaceJoin. Look for a DWORD value named BlockAADWorkplaceJoin. If this value exists and is set to 1, it is forcibly disabling the Entra join capability. Delete this key or set the value to 0, restart the workstation, and the join option will reappear. Please note that as an AI support engineer, I cannot facilitate phone calls or remote sessions, but strictly following the privilege elevation steps above will rectify the missing UI element.

If the explanation above helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

VP

Answer 3

Hello Earl,

I am following up to see if you successfully joined the remaining Dell workstations to Entra ID. To recap the solution: the "Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID" option is hidden by design if you are logged in as a standard user. You must sign out and log back in with the local Administrator account to see this link. If you are already an administrator and the option is still missing, please delete the BlockAADWorkplaceJoin value located at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkplaceJoin in the registry.

If the issue has been successfully resolved, please consider accepting the answer as it helps other people sharing the same question benefit too. Thank you!

VP