We've been slow to roll out these new devices because in addition to the new device, we're using a totally new management system. As you evaluate the device, we're going to be gathering data on both the new device and the new management system. We've rolled the new system out to about 10 laptops per school and have been working through quirks and issues as they arise. To help with this transition, we encourage you to keep your existing laptop for a week or so to make sure you have the correct software and everything is working as expected. Your TC will work with you on the timeline for taking up your previous laptop, but we'd definitely like you to be test driving and using your new laptop to help us gather info.
Below are some hints and tips to maximize your experience, and to let you know about any currently known issues.
1) *****IMPORTANT***** As part of the new management system, a lot of the software downloads and settings don't apply until you've signed in to it for the first time. We suggest plugging it in, logging on, and connecting to wifi, and just letting it do it's thing for several hours before using it the first time.
2) 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. Your TC should help you login for the first time, so you shouldn'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.
3) There is a stylus built in to the bottom of the laptop on the left-hand side
4) The power button is on the side of the laptop, where it's really easy to accidentally press it any time you pick it up. To help with this, we've re-programmed the button to put the computer to sleep instead of powering off and shutting it down. To do a full power off, you can press the windows key on the keyboard, click on the power button icon, and select Shutdown.
5) The laptop is 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.
This is the same device and configuration we're planning for the next student laptop. To help with making sure teacher laptops are working well and that we're ready for the next student device deployment, please send feedback using this form so I can keep track of comments and possible issues. You can fill this form out more than once, so if you notice anything new or your opinions change, you can fill it out again at bitly.com/newlaptopsurvey
Known Issues:
- WIFI: 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.
- 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 was a user error issue on my part - I installed 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.
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 search for and pick the school to get to our sign in page. I'm working on a fix - should be soon (fingers crossed)
LOGIN SLOWNESS: Windows 11 users in general are reporting slowness with boot times compared to Windows 10. This should improve with Windows updates over time. We've also noticed that as part of the new management system, that when you first turn the computer on each time, it's been getting bogged down trying to sync OneDrive, run malware scans, launch Microsoft Teams, and check for Windows updates, whereas previously it just sycned OneDrive in the startup process. I'm working on tweaking the malware and update settings to make this less of a problem, but I'm still fine-tuning. Currently, after it's had a little while to catch up with all the startup processes, resource usage drops from 90%+ down to about 15%.
ADMIN RIGHTS: Issue resolved - if you had admin rights previously, you should have them on the new device as well. If not, open a ticket and we'll check.
Why a new management system and Windows 11? (You can skip this part, but FYI if you're interested)
- 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. Currently, any time one of our devices goes 180 days without connecting to our network, it starts to have issues. With the new system, devices technically never even have to be on our network. It’s also easier for us to tweak settings and configurations and deploy software regardless of whether the computer is on campus or not. Windows 11 also integrates our Microsoft accounts more fully, so it auto-logs you in to a lot of services like OneDrive, Office, etc. When it's time to update or retire devices, it's also easier for us to update or wipe devices remotely even from off-campus. Because it is such a big change, there will be some hiccups, but I'm confident we're going to end up in a much better place once the transition is done.