New Laptop ~ Turning on and signing-in to Microsoft question

You can still use a regular local account, but Microsoft pushes pretty aggressively to get you to use a Microsoft account when you first set up the laptop.  I think the "I don't want to use a Microsoft account" option is buried inside the "Don't have a Microsoft account? Create one here!" option, for example.  Using a Microsoft account allows some of your preferences to sync across multiple Windows PCs and allows you to recover a forgotten password, but if you would prefer a regular logon and you've already set up your laptop, go to Settings > Accounts.  The option to disconnect from a Microsoft account and use a local account instead will be in one of the subcategories there.

Thank you, I will give this a try.   Appreciate your time and answer.