The deeper I get into Windows 10 the more it does some things that irk me. One of them is how you add new users to the PC.

The latest beta is version 10162. No, I haven’t installed it on my desktop PC. That was too much of an ordeal. The beta is still running on my laptop.

The issue that concerns me, of course, is adding another user to the PC. This is a task I don’t believe anyone really does. That’s because one computer, one person. If someone else needs a computer, they either use the only account on the sole PC or they have their own computer. I seriously don’t know anyone who has a single computer with multiple accounts.

In an office environment, you can have multiple people on a PC. You log in and the server copies all your settings and local files. That’s because it’s a server situation. At home or in a small office, you probably don’t have a server. So one PC, one person.

Under Windows 7, you added new users through the Control Panel. Type the user account name, then that person can customize things, add a password, and so on. You can set their access level to Administrator or Standard, plus you could easily apply Family Controls.

Not so in Windows 10.

To add a new user in Windows 10, that user must have an email account. Yes, even your 7-year-old niece who only wants to play Hello Kitty Island Adventure, must have an email account.

If you click the link, “This account doesn’t have an email address,” then Microsoft slap-happily gives you an Outlook.com address. Yes, even for a toddler.

So in Windows 10, you can’t configure a kid’s account without also assigning Junior an email address.

Oh, and if you’re not careful, you’re also signing up for Microsoft spam and “offers” from their most valued partners.

What Ta Gah?

This whole process stinks. It’s none of Microsoft’s business to know my email account so that I can use their software. I’m sure that legions of hackers will provide pass-through email addresses for adding accounts to Windows 10. They’ll let you specify a bogus account and then have the verification PIN forwarded to your legitimate email account so that you can use the beast that is Windows 10. At least I hope the White Hats create such a thing.

Thank the gods that Apple hasn’t yet figured out this scam. I can install OS X and use it on a computer that never sees an Internet connection. At least for now I can.

My Windows 10 exploration continues. This account-email annoyance is actually the only thing I’ve found thus far that kind of ticks me off. I’d never add another account to my system unless I’m testing something for my books — which I’m doing. But adding new user accounts has always been something I’ve dreaded. Not because it’s tough to explain, but because I really don’t think anyone uses this feature.