I just installed Windows 11 in a virtual machine for software development purposes.

• This machine has a valid Windows 11 Pro license, but it didn’t recognize it because it’s running in a VM.
• It installed a bunch of stuff I didn’t need and had to uninstall, because Microsoft assumed my use case.
• I had to log into a Microsoft account that I use for nothing else, using my phone’s two-factor authentication.
• I had to flip a bunch of switches NO to opt (as far as possible) out of Microsoft’s tracking.
• I had to do the updates overnight.
• When it was done, then began the process of clearing all the crap off the computer and out of the taskbar.

Simple!