I do not have an Xbox How do I stop W8 asking me to log in for every simple game I want to play - e.g. solitaire

Anonymous
2012-12-27T10:23:39+00:00

As in the heading I am getting frustrated

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Gaming

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2013-02-09T16:32:30+00:00

Why can't people just answer the question asked!  You didn't ask for an alternative, to avoid your problem, you asked how to fix it!  And then offering suggestions that MIGHT help, but don't, instead of ones that actually do help, are simply misleading.

You CAN get this problem to go away, but you have to jump through a stupid Microsoft hoop to get it to go away.  This problem was plaguing me as well.  I just wanted to SIMPLY PLAY MY GOOD OLD WINDOWS 7 Solitaire, and it lead me through all of this heartache and I ended up here, with this problem too. 

(Microsoft needs to do a lot more research on their "Intuitive Interface" for Windows 8 and learn how to lead people to change properly, without irritating them and taking things away.)

To get rid of this irritating plague, you need to sign-in with your Microsoft Account (a.k.a. (also known as) Windows Live ID, and many other names), creating your XBox games account, using the XBOX games app.

  1. Start the green "Games" app, which should be on your default Metro start screen, if you haven't removed it.  It has a white XBox controller on the green square.
  2. Once that app is running, at the top right, just as in the Microsoft Solitaire Collections app, there should be a sign-in link that you can click on to sign in.  Use your Windows Account to sign-in. 

Once you have your Xbox games account signed-in, it will assign you a generic user name for your Xbox account.  You don't actually have to have an XBox gaming system to have an XBox game account for Windows 8.  (You can create an avatar for your XBox game account while you're signed-in, but don't get tripped up by Microsoft again like I did when you click on your avatar and wonder what to do next.  Once you choose your avatar, you have to (unintuitively) click the check box below the avatar to actually select it.)

  1. From the Metro start screen, click on Microsoft Solitaire Collection app (assuming you added it there.)
  2. Notice that the Microsoft Solitaire Collection has always attempted to automatically sign-in to the XBox games account when started.  Since we didn't have the XBox games account setup, it irritated us with that annoying authentication window every time we simply wanted to play.  Now it should automatically connect and no longer irritate you with that authentication window.

Here is another obscured tip, to "sign-out" of the XBox games account, in case you too were wondering how, but couldn't intuitively determine how from the intuitive interface:

To "sign-out" of Xbox games do this:

a.      Open the Xbox games from start screen.

b.      Press Windows key+C and select Settings.

c.       Select accounts and You will get an option to sign out.

d.      Click on sign out.

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Anonymous
2012-12-28T14:32:35+00:00

I believe that Microsoft is now requiring  an Xbox live account to play games within the Xbox Games app in Windows 8. I'm almost certain that an Xbox device isn't needed in order to use the Xbox live services.

As you play games in the Windows 8 Xbox app, statistics and achievements are recoded to your Xbox live profile. These can be games on a phone, PC, tablet or the Xbox console itself.

If you download and install traditional games via the desktop or install games with a service like Steam, then you would be bypassing the Xbox app altogether and would not need to sign in with an Xbox account.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-04-04T17:17:42+00:00

    MS wants to know every time I touch my computer, do they want to know when I go to the bathroom and how much paper I use?

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-09-13T00:49:14+00:00

    I am sorry, but you did not answer the question in an acceptable way either.  I, like the original poster, do not have an Xbox account and have absolutely no interest in ever having one.  I absolutely do not want it logging in to notify MS every time I play a simple game of solitaire.  So I want it to stop asking me to.  Is a little basic privacy too much to ask??

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-11-10T00:30:23+00:00

    Basically, in order to make your life better, Microsoft is making sure you and your family own an Xbox 360. If you have an Xbox, then Microsoft will stop reminding you that you haven't upgraded your quality of life by making an Xbox a key part of your family's life.

    The ideal (i.e., Microsoft) solution is to just go out and purchase 1 or more Xboxes for your home, registering if with a user ID and password, then simply think of all of your gaming applications and programs, both on Xbox as well as on on your PC, tablet and smartphone as components of the Xbox experience. In order to ensure the highest quality of life for yourself and your family and avoiding the risk of embarrassing yourself and your children, Microsoft probably recommends one of the Xbox S or E 250GB or 320GB models and not one of the older, less equipped models.

    There is an alternate solution, which is probably discouraged by Microsoft and definitely discouraged by your children or nieces and nephews: Rather than buy an Xbox for $400 (along with dozens of games for $15 to $60 each), simply make-believe you own an Xbox 360 by creating an Xbox Live ID even though you don't actually own an Xbox. Make sure you uncheck all the boxes allowing Microsoft to email you and contact you and annoy you.

    Microsoft considers the Windows 8 based games on your desktop, laptop and tablet simply an extension of your Xbox game collection. By having a (sort of fake) Xbox Live ID you can fake out Microsoft into stopping the annoying nagging about logging into Xbox every time you want to play Solitaire or some other PC-based (i.e., non-Xbox) game. Get an ID, even though you don't want or really need one, then log-in to it the first time you open Solitaire. Windows will ask you to access and update your Xbox Live information. Just say yes, otherwise you will not be able to log-in. You have no choice here. Theoretically, logging in will also allow you play some of  your PC games with other folks online -- something that is a common part of actual Xbox gaming. Microsoft simply assumes this is something everybody likes to do, so they just give you this feature automatically.

    Once you sign-up for your Xbox Live ID:

    • You will be assigned some silly user ID ("gamertag") like goofypinkduck. Write this down somewhere in case you are asked for it unexpectedly, months from now, in the middle of doing something else. You can change this ID to something else for free, but only once!
    • You will immediately be asked to buy an upgraded account (not for free). Just ignore this. You aren't actually a real Xbox 360 user or owner.
    • You will be given information on how to buy games for your Xbox 360, even though you don't actually own an Xbox 360.
    • Your privacy settings will, by default, be set to share everything with everybody. You must change this on the next page (see OK button, below).
    • Click the little green OK button to advance to the next page where you will be given the opportunity to purchase all sorts of games and accessories for the Xbox that you don't actually own.
    • On the left side, there will be a green link for privacy settings. Click on it. You will be taken to a new page where you must prove your identity before being allowed to change your privacy settings. You will be emailed a verification code and detailed instructions on how to carry out the multi-step process required to install an app that will keep Microsoft from asking you prove your identity every time you want update your account information or settings. It's up to you whether you want take the time to do this or if you want additional apps on your device(s). You can also lie to them and just click, "I don't own a smartphone", and Microsoft will stop bothering you about this.
    • After all the above steps, you will finally get to a page allowing you to modify your privacy settings. Just check "block" for everything (after all, you are not really an Xbox 360 user, so all of this stuff is part of your act to pretend you are an Xbox user so you can just to ahead and play Solitaire on your PC without being nagged about Xbox stuff).
    • If you consider all of the above a lot of work and rather skip it, you can just follow the ideal (i.e., Microsoft) solution, and go out and buy an Xbox 360 console.

    So these are the two options to solve the problem of having Microsoft slow down your Solitaire playing experience by nagging you for a log-in each time.

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