Microsoft

Windows 10 Fall Creator’s Update (a.k.a. 1709) Coming Soon!

On March 27, 2018 Information Technology Services will be approving the Windows 10 Fall Creator’s Update (a.k.a. Windows 10 1709) for installation via our internal Windows Update Server. If your computer is running a version of Windows 10 which is older than 1709 it will be updated to this latest version. Computers running any version of Windows older than Windows 10, such as Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will NOT be affected by this.

You will not have to do anything to receive this update as it will be applied in the background like any other update to Windows. The main difference you will notice with this feature update is that when you restart your computer after being prompted that there are updates to be applied, the restart will take longer than normal; usually about 20-30 minutes, give or take.

NOTE: Your files, settings, and data will be unchanged by this update however we do remind you that we recommend you frequently back up your important files and data to a network drive, OneDrive, USB thumb drive, external hard drive, or some other medium.
If you would like to see what to expect during the upgrade process read on below!

Should you open the Update & Settings section of your Settings application and look under Windows Update you might see something like this as the update is being downloaded from our update server and is installed to your system:

Once the update has been downloaded and applied to your system you would see this:

Note that if you like, you can choose to schedule the restart at a later time here:

However if you aren’t checking the Settings application and you just attempt to restart your computer the dialog may look slightly different:

You may also receive other prompts to restart that can come as a pop up window or notification toast.

Note once more that if you receive this notice you may choose to restart and install now or pick a different time:

Once you choose to restart or your system restarts at the time you chose you will see this:

Your computer will restart and then you will see this:

Finally, once your computer has likely restarted a few more times you will see your normal login screen:

Once logging on with your normal credentials Windows will have a few more items to take care of and you will see the following screens:

Finally, you will be back at your normal desktop.

At this point the update has been applied and you can use your computer as you normally do. If you would like to know what some of the changes are in this update Microsoft has a blog post on that very subject:
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/10/17/whats-new-windows-10-fall-creators-update/#teYsWj4XmI1iH127.97
If you have any questions, problems, or concerns please contact the ITS Solutions Centre at (403)329-2490.

Microsoft Support for Older Versions of Internet Explorer Ended

ielogo1Microsoft will no longer be supporting any version of Internet Explorer other than the most current version (version 11).

Beginning January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical supports and security updates. Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. For more information, go to Microsoft’s announcement.

Any University computer system running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 that is joined to the domain (you sign-in to the computer using your U of L username/password) has already been updated to Internet Explorer 11. Any Windows 7 or 8.1 computer not joined to the university domain or professional supplement devices may not have the latest version of Internet Explorer installed and action will be required on your part. Windows 10 computers running Edge or Internet Explorer browsers will already have the most updated version.

What should you do? To check the version you are currently running, open Internet Explorer and click on the gear icon gear_icon in the top right corner of the page and select “About Internet Explorer”. If your version is anything other than Internet Explorer 11, you will want to install the latest version.

To install the latest version, go to Windows Update windows_updatelocated in the Control Panel and select “Check for Update”. Internet Explorer will be one of the programs available to update. Select it and click “Install Updates”.

Why should you update? Without critical web browser updates, your PC may become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware and other malicious software which can steal or damage you data and information. Also many software vendors and websites, such as Office 365, no longer support older versions of Internet Explorer.

Please contact the ITS Solution Centre at help@uleth.ca or 403-329-2490 if you require additional information or assistance.

Microsoft issues with El Capitan (Mac OS X 10.11) resolved

On October 2, 2015, IT Services posted a notice discouraging Mac users from upgrading to Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), a version that was released by Apple on September 30, 2015.

We are pleased to announce that the issues identified in the notice regarding Microsoft Office 2011 & 2016  have been resolved.El Capitan1

Here are recommendations if you choose to upgrade:

  • If you use SMART Notebook software, please contact SMART Technologies for an update that supports OS X El Capitan.
  • If you are running Microsoft Office 2011, please install the 14.5.6 update for OS X El Capitan compatibility.
  • If you are running Microsoft Office 2016, please install the 15.16 update as well as the OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 update. These updates are available to download through the Microsoft AutoUpdate and Apple Software Update tools respectively.

…for other OS X versions, you may be required to re-install the drivers after you upgrade.

IT Services tested Follow-you printing after upgrading from Yosemite (only) to El Capitan, and the printing drivers appear to be working.  However, for other OS X versions, you may be required to re-install the drivers after you upgrade.  If you have any issues with printing after your upgrade, please contact the Solutions Centre.

We recommend following Apple’s guidance on upgrading OS X.

Please contact the ITS Solutions Centre at help@uleth.ca or 403-329-2490 if you require additional information or require assistance.

Faculty & Staff: Office 365 is now FREE

 

Information Technology Services is pleased to announce Microsoft’s latest offer of Office 365 ProPlus free of charge to current faculty and staff at the University of Lethbridge.

“Earlier in the fall, Microsoft offered the Office 365 Student Advantage Program free to currently registered students, and now they are also extending the offer to current employees of the University,” says Terry Kirkvold, Infrastructure Manager. “Microsoft has re-branded the product as Office 365 ProPlus to include employees’ personal use. This is a significant offer from Microsoft.”Office 365 ProPlus

Kirkvold adds the offer is solely meant for home or personal use since the University currently provides Office products to all employees for work purposes via a site license. Employees will no longer need to purchase it with Professional Supplement and personal funds.

This offer is identical to the Student Advantage plan, and permits installation of all Office products on up to five different Windows and Apple devices including laptops, desktops, smart phones and tablets.

“We would also like to advise those who choose to download the product during the Christmas break that should they have any difficulties with the installation, we will not have staff working to assist them with troubleshooting.”

Those who download and install on devices that currently do not have any Office products on them should not experience any issues, he says. But those who have old copies of Office software on their machines could run into difficulties if they do not carefully read and follow the instructions on the Microsoft website.

“We wanted to get the information out now to make faculty and staff aware of the offer in the event they receive a new device for Christmas and decide to purchase Office 365. It will save them a bit of frustration when they find out it’s free after the fact.”

In summary:

  • Students have been offered Office 365 for free since September through the Student Advantage Program.
  • Microsoft is now extending the same offer, Office 365 ProPlus for free to faculty and staff for home/personal use
  • Office 365 can be installed on up to five (5) personal devices
  • Downloading on devices that do not currently have Office products installed should result in a smooth installation
  • Downloading on devices that already have Office products may cause issues if instructions are not followed closely
  • Do not purchase Office 365 products when you can get them for free

For more detailed information on this Microsoft offer, visit the IT Services website.

Click here to download the Office 365 ProPlus package.

Here are some sites that may assist:
Getting Started with Office 365

Online Community Support and troubleshooting page

For more information:

Please contact the Solutions Centre at (403) 329-2490, help@uleth.ca, or drop in to E610 in University Hall.

Students – download Office 365 free!

 

Recently Microsoft announced the Student Advantage Program which provides a free copy of Office 365 Pro for students.

This includes the full version of Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, and more) which can be installed on up to five PCs and Macs, and includes Office for iPad and other mobile devices.Student Adv. logo

If you already use the free portion of Office for iPad for reading, viewing and presenting, once you have a valid Office 365 ProPlus license, you can also create and edit Office documents on your iPad with Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

You can download the software here using your U of L username and password. For step-by-step instructions, visit our site.

For more information, contact the IT Solutions Centre at (403) 329-2490 or help@uleth.ca.

Right Answers

An increasing number of University users (students, faculty & staff) are experiencing difficulties using applications and searching for solutions to their issues.  On average 30% of all calls to the IT Solutions Centre are concerning the use of applications.

The Solutions Centre (SC) is near or at capacity with its workload.  Automation of some knowledge requests will help ease the load on the SC staff, letting them provide more solutions in a more timely manner.

The University of Lethbridge has entered a partnership with RightAnswers for self-service support. RightAnswers is the industry leader in Knowledge Management and providing self-service solutions.  Currently it provides more than 150,000 solutions for  approximately 300 common applications.  The University community will be able to gain access to the RightAnswers knowledge base through the web.  Users can use their iPhone, iPad, Windows laptop or almost any device with an internet connection to search for answers to software issues.  The University of Lethbridge can customize the content on the knowledge base to suit the University’s needs or settings.  This service has solutions from Microsoft office and Internet Explorer to iPad and iPhone.

On-site training

IT Services recently initiated on-site Microsoft Excel training to 25 staff members in Arts and Science. ITS was able to find a partner to deliver onsite, instructor-lead training.  Feedback has been very positive. ITS is working toward online training for all Microsoft applications as well for students who want to work at their own pace.  This training can lead to Microsoft certifications.