Thank you for being a lab rat beta tester!

There are more comprehensive instructions coming, but the biggies are below. We’re trying to get the teacher laptops we deploy this fall to be as close to what students will have next fall, and I appreciate your help!

 

  • These are set up to be cloud managed instead of managed onsite – so if we ever have to go into a lockdown again, it will be a smoother transition. It’s also easier for us to tweak settings and configurations and deploy software. As part of this, the computer as it currently is, isn’t completely set up. It needs you to log in and let it sit for a little while to finish pulling software specific to your user account. So, when you have a chance, go ahead and log in, plug it in to power, and let it sit for a little while.  Three indicator apps that it’s done are an app called “Share X” (an excellent tool for screen shots and making gifs), Word, and VLC player. It should also auto-login to OneDrive.  
  • The computer has 2 charging ports – we’re using the USB-C charging port on the left hand side.
  • The power button and the volume buttons are on the right-hand side of the laptop, on the side of the machine.
  • It’s running Windows 11 instead of Windows 10 – most of the changes you’ll notice are cosmetic… the taskbar is centered on the bottom, and the menus are more rounded and a little reorganized, but inside of Chrome/Word/etc. everything should still look and feel the same.
  • Edge is now an available browser choice. There are some neat integrations with onedrive, so it may be worth experimenting with.
  • We’re still working on getting admin rights working correctly, so for now if you need specific software installed, submit it through a ticket.
  • There is a known quirk that’s a result of us being in the process of making the transition to cloud management that will be sorted out sometime this winter/spring, but currently, the MCS wifi is supposed to autoconnect when you log in to Windows. We’re seeing it autoconnect about 75% of the time in our tests, but not autoconnecting the rest of the time. In these scenarios, you can click on the wifi/network icon in the lower right hand corner of windows and click on MCS to reconnect manually. Notes for this are below.
  • If a user has never logged on to the computer before, the first login will need to be from either home wifi or from a wired connection on campus. You all don’t have to worry about this, but if someone else logs on to your computer they will likely need to be hardwired or use a non-MCS wifi for their first login. 


Known Issues and Fixes:

SNIPPING TOOL:

There is a known issue with the first Windows 11 release where Snipping Tool and other Windows apps like Photos may not work. They have released a fix. To get it, go to the search bar and type in Windows Updates and select "Check for Updates" and then "Check online for updates from Microsoft Update. Follow any prompts (it may have you restart), and it should walk you through installing updates.


OFFICE:

There is a known user error issue on my part - I pushed the wrong version of Office initially and gave you the version without Outlook and OneNote. I've sent a command for your device to remove the wrong version and install the correct version, so if you suddenly find you are either missing OneNote/Outlook or Office has disappeared, your computer hasn't finished yet. To help with this, restart your computer, sign back in, make sure you're online, and let the computer wait for the uninstall and reinstall to happen. Office is a big download, so it will take it a while to happen. 


ActivInspire:

The first batch of testers got computers without ActivInspire. If you have admin rights, you can install it from here:

https://inspire.activsoftware.co.uk/activinspire/ActivInspire_en_US_windows.exe

I can't post the activation key on this page since it's publicly accessible, but you can check with your TC or open a ticket and we'll send you your activation key. If you don't have admin rights, check with your TC.


Admin Rights:

We're in the process of adding these to the new system. They have to be added one at a time and there are about 400 people with rights, so it's taking a little while. 


Classlink in Edge: 

Edge won't let us make the default homepage go to our classlink page, so it's currently going to the classlink page where you have to pick the school then sign in. I'm working on a fix - should be soon (fingers crossed)


Please fill out this survey after a few days with the device:

https://forms.office.com/r/VpaEgqm0L3

 


Wifi Reconnect:

Click on the "Globe" icon in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Next ot the wifi icon, click the right arrow to pull up a list of available networks. Click on MCS --> Connect. If it asks for credentials, check the "Use my Windows user account"