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School of Computing Science / Support / Guides & Tips / How to use laptop computers

How to use laptop computers

Overview

Laptops and other mobile computing devices are crucial part of our lives; helpdesk is here to help. On this page, we have collected some tips, directions and links to help with user maintained mobile device use.

Please email helpdesk if your questions are not answered here.

Please help us to enrich this page by pointing out errors and suggesting improvements.

About SFU VPN, SFU MFA

To strengthen cyber security, SFU have implemented MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) and VPN (Virtual Private Network) solutions for the community.

SFU VPN is mandatory to all faculty, staff and graduate students and CMPT's undergradaute students. Please set it up on your laptop asap.

SFU MFA is pre-requisite of SFU VPN - and it is available for everyone in SFU to enroll - sign up now!

SFU VPN is currently available to all SFU employees (including faculty and staff), to graduate students and to anyone who is enrolled in any CMPT course.

Other students, volunteers, unpaid interns, visitors, retirees and alumni do not have VPN access; but we might obtain it by request where it is needed in support of our school activities. The supervisors could make the request with us.

Table of Contents

 

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Essentials

 

Basic tips of using a laptop or any other mobile devices

  • Always backup your data to other devices/network.
  • Always secure the device; lock it down when leaving it or keep it with you.  
  • Keep the device software up to date with security related patches.
  • Do not save passwords on the device, e.g. your email password, banking accounts etc.
  • Use only trusted applications.
  • Be careful which wireless network you are connecting to. Do not use unknown wireless networks when travelling.
  • Use a non-administrative user account for daily work; use the administrative account only when intentionally updating the software or re-configuring the system.
  • SFU employees: NEVER store personal data belonging to others on your device or on non SFU servers.
  • Avoid using your mobile device for financial work.

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I would like to purchase a new computer; any recommendations?

We can assist with advice and SFU purchase assistance.  Please email helpdesk with relevant details which may include the following:

Major usage:
The specific make, model and specs if you have already decided.
Device type: e.g. laptop or desktop
OS selection: e.g. Windows, Linux or dualboot
Main user:
Budget:
Research Grant to charge:
Computer Name: (only if this computer will be on SFU wired network)
Campus & Room#:
Applications desired:
Deadline of purchase:
Other special notes: e.g. needs the multi-touch screen

After receiving the email, CSTS will research the options and may ask more questions to make sure this new purchase is suitable for you.

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Are there tasks I should perform regularly on the laptop (aka Maintaining the mobile device)?

Yes, here are some of them:

  • Keep the system up-to-date, check updates of OS and applications once a week. In general, install the critical and security patches asap.
  • Keep the anti-malware tool(s) up-to-date and running all the time.
  • Backup your data on local storage to at least 2 off-site locations, one could be on DVDs.
  • Restart the device once a week.
  • Clean all browsers' history and cache; clean the folders holding the temporary files.

Please set aside about 1 hour for these tasks if you do it once a month.

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I would like to use my laptop for presentation; what should I do?

Although other display technologies evolved a lot for the past decade or so, VGA is still the dominate one used in SFU.

.  All department maintained projectors support VGA and a VGA cable is kept ready for use in the room.   If your device does not support VGA, we recommend having your own VGA adapter and testing it before your event.

For best results, please connect your charger.

We have seen people using laptops do not come with VGA output. At this moment, we do not provide adapters for these laptops. So, please make sure to bring adapter so your laptop could display to a VGA projector.

If the image displayed looks funny, try setting your device to one of these common display resolutions: 

VGA, SVGA (800x600), XGA (1024x768) and SXGA (1280x1024).

If you need assistance, please email helpdesk in advance so proper cable/adapter may be arranged.

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I will use the laptop mainly off-campus; may I have Microsoft Office installed on it?

Yes. SFU has a new license agreement with Microsoft. Click here for more information on Microsoft 365 in SFU.

 

(to be reviewed) No for short if you want to use SFU's site license of Microsoft Office.

The SFU's site license of Microsoft Office (at no cost to the end users) only covers the installation on the devices owned by the university and which will primarily be used on campus.

When the SFU license is installed, the device will have to be returned to a SFU WIRED network every 210 days to renew the license.  If you need assistance on the re-activation, please contact helpdesk in advance to arrange an appointment.

However, if you own the laptop or the laptop won't return to SFU regularly, here are a few options:

For devices not covered by the SFU site license here are a few options:

  • Purchase your own copy of Microsoft Office.  The price is quite reasonable for Continuing students, faculty and staff.  Most major computer retailers are Microsoft Education Resellers and can sell you and education price copy if you have your SFU ID. 
  • you may consider one of the many free, open source Office suites. For example, Apache OpenOffice would be an excellent alternative.
  • Faculty and staff may qualify for a single free license for home use - check here for details.  SFU has NO ability to grant additional licenses, upgrade licenses etc. under this program, it is run entirely by Microsoft.

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Microsoft Office products keep asking me to activate; what should I do?

If you have installed the Office tools by yourself using the Office 365 license, please click here for more information.

If the administrators had installed Office tools for you, please keep reading.

The activation of Microsoft Office must go through SFU wired network - this is the latest agreement between SFU and Microsoft.

So, if you have a laptop running Windows, please follow the instructions here:

Preparations:

  • locate a free Ethernet port on SFU Backbone network
    • WARNING: disconnect any existing device from any SFU network is prohibited.
    • if you don't understand this sentence, stop and contact helpdesk now!
  • sign-in as an administrator of this laptop

Activation:

  • disable the wireless network adapter
  • hook up the laptop to SFU Backbone network by using an Ethernet cable (RJ45 connectors)
  • verify you have network connection
    • if you cannot access internet, two most likely causes:
      • the Ethernet network adapter on your device is disabled, enable it and done!
      • you are hooking to a wrong network, stop and contact helpdesk now!
  • if you are running Office 2016 64bit, please launch "Command Prompt" as the administrator, and run the following command in it:

cscript    "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs"    /act

  • This should keep the Office activated for another 180 days.

Finish up:

  • disconnect the Ethernet cable from the laptop
  • (optional) disable the Ethernet network adapter
  • enable the wireless network adapter.
  • sign-off this administrative account
  • sign-in as usual and verify the WiFi connection

If you don't have an Ethernet (RJ45) port on your laptop and you don't have other means connect this laptop to SFU Backbone network, please contact helpdesk in advance to arrange an appointment for the activation.

For faculty and staff only: The lounge TASC1 9206 has SFU backbone connections on it's north wall - the port with label 05-47 on it. This port off the wall panel provides the connection you need.

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Can I get "free" software for my research on my personal laptop?

Yes for some of the packages.

Through the Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance (MSDNAA) program (aka Microsoft Imagine), Microsoft provides selected software packages to the academic users for free.  The School of Computing Science is a long time member of this MSDNAA program. Any student enrolled in at least one CMPT or DDP course in the current semester is eligible to get selected Microsoft software for free.

Best of all, even after your graduation, you may keep using the software you obtained from CS MSDNAA program - for your non-profit personal use. Just remember: after your graduation, we CANNOT help you regarding your past orders from MSDNAA. So, please keep the media and product keys safe and accessible.

Please purchase any MSDNAA product at $0.00 first and then get the copies. Please visit the "how to get software for CMPT courses" page for more details.

The School of Computing Science is currently partnered with VMware Academic Program (VMAP). This program provides access to licenses for select products for use in instruction and research. Please visit the "how to get software for CMPT courses" page for more details. The full details about this program can be found here.

* Important* IT Services provide some software for researchers as well; you may find more information here.

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I want to use my laptop as a workstation; what should I do?

In general, you could hookup the keyboard, mouse and an extra monitor to your laptop and this should work.

In most of the cases, you will get the external monitor as the 2nd display. If you would like to make this monitor be the main display, please go to the display settings of your laptop and make the adjustments.

For example, on a laptop has integrated Intel graphics, under Windows OS, user could launch the management tool from Intel and make the external monitor the only monitor.

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Work with SFU services and resources

 

I'm having issues with connecting to SFU wireless network; what should I do?

In general, we recommend using SFU-NET SECURE.

There are network interruptions of the wireless service from time to time. When this happens, you may want to try to move to different area of the building or to another building for better results.

And on some laptops, if multiple tools are used to manage wireless network at the same time, the wireless connections become unstable. Please find a stable one on the laptop and stop other tools.

Please click here to find more on SFU Wireless networks and get the tools for your mobile device.

For people travelling around the world, please try to connect to "eduroam" while you are on a member university's campus.

To resolve issues related to the wireless service, please visit the ITS contact page or email them at help AT sfu DOT ca.

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I noticed that the SFU wireless speed is slow; what I could do?

First of all, please make sure you are connecting to authenticate SFU WiFi network.

If you are connected to a SFU WiFi network, you may want to perform a network benchmarking (http://sonar.sfu.ca) on your own device. If the benchmarking results are indeed slow, please visit the ITS contact page - please including the precise location where you experience the low speed wireless access.

Latest updates from ITS regarding the benchmarking page: "Unfortunately the NDT speed test hosted at sonar.sfu.ca is no longer a maintained project and due to security concerns will be shutdown today (Friday January 19th, 2018). We are looking into alternative solutions but no ETA."

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May I hookup my laptop to SFU wired network?

It depends.

First of all, the School will provide sufficient computing resources for your research. Your laptop shall be only an entry point to SFU computing resources.

If you do need to hook up your laptop to SFU wired network for your research, please make a request to helpdesk with the MAC address of your laptop; the helpdesk will ask a few questions for the records and register this device.

Once it is registered on SFU wired network, you may hook it up to SFU Backbone network (no other networks).

Just a reminder: once you no longer need this laptop on SFU wired network, please inform us so we could remove it from our registration. TIA!

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I want to print from my wireless device; what should I do?

We strongly recommend printing through a managed/wired computer, e.g. your office/lab computer. Please visit this page for more details.

If the "wired" option is not practical, here are some scenarios (we use Windows system as the example):

(A) For the Faculty and Staff, please try "SFU Print" and get printouts on the MFDs (Ricoh brand) in ASB 9975, TASC1 9206 and TASC1 9401.

the preparation steps:

install the specific papercut client from this page onto your mobile device

add "\\sfuprint-p.mps.sfu.ca\SFU_Print_non_AD_auth" queue to your mobile device.

when print,

authenticate through this Papercut client is required for every single print job.

(B) For all other people who have SFU computing id, please identify the device first and then decide what to do next. You could find the list of printing devices within the School on this page.

If you have access to a printer which is part of the SFU Papercut Service for students -MPS - ("Managed Printing Services"), aka on "cs-papercut-p" print server, you may try the following:

the preparation steps: 

install the specific papercut client from this page onto your mobile device

add "\\cs-papercut-p.dc.sfu.ca\thisprintqueue" to your mobile device

when print,

authenticate through this Papercut client is required for every single print job.

To print to a SFU printing device which is configured on one of many SFU's Papercut servers, you must have the specific latest Papercut client present on your own device and authenticate through this client. Please note: each print server uses different Papercut client to authorize the access.

If you have trouble adding print queues to your own Windows laptop, please check out this Q&A on our site.

One reminder: Please make sure the time on the laptop is properly synchronized; if it is off for a minute or more, the authentication will fail.

Please read through the SFU Print Service page and/or SFU Papercut Service for students page for detailed instructions. Also, you will find more tips in Papercut's official client guide.

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Which SFU servers I could use from my laptop?

Please be sure the SFU VPN is connected while you remote to any SFU system.

For CMPT faculty and staff:

The RCG Linux Terminal Server: rcgs-linux-ts1.dc.sfu.ca.

The RCG Windows Terminal Server: rcga-wints-01.dc.sfu.ca:3389

For CMPT graduate students:

The RCG Linux Terminal Server: rcgs-linux-ts1.dc.sfu.ca.

For all CMPT users:

the remote access to CSIL page

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How to access my SFU Home directory from my laptop?

SFU provides 10GB storage space for each member of the community; we call this space "SFU Home".

SFU VPN is mandatory while you need access your SFU Home from your laptop - if you have access to SFU VPN already.

  • to transfer files, SFTP to rock.its.sfu.ca
  • to run some simple programs: SSH.

for all CMPT users:

please use one of the CSIL Linux CPU servers

for faculty, staff and graduate students:

you may also use RCG Linux Terminal Server: rcga-linux-ts1.dc.sfu.ca

for all CMPT undergraduate students:

please RDP into the CSIL Windows Terminal Server

for faculty, staff and graduate students:

please RDP into your designated Windows workstation

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More Q&As regarding laptops running Windows

Here are some of Q&As for Windows laptops. Please inform us if your question is not answered here.

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What applications will I get on a Windows laptop?

In general, you have the freedom to use all sorts of applications based on your preferences.

For an SFU owned computer, we provide the following application set as the very base of the system:

  • Mozilla Firefox (ESR)
  • Google Chrome Enterprise edition
  • Secure SHell client
  • Filezilla
  • WinRAR : for archiving files, SFU site license
  • GIMP
  • K-Lite Codec Pack - replace the native Windows Media Player from Microsoft
    • the 2nd choice would be: VLC Player
  • Java components (JDK & JRE)
  • Adobe Reader
  • Notepad++ : a good programmers' editor
  • ImgBurn : for burning CD/DVD

For an SFU-owned computer primarily used on an SFU campus, we also include the following application as the very base of the system:

Please note: in general, we will have the latest version of any given application installed. If you need a specific version, please let us know.

If you need other applications, please just email helpdesk with a detailed list.

There are some software we will not be able to put on your laptop; most likely due to license restrictions. e.g.

  • SuperAntiSpyware - this can only be used on a home computer.
  • Microsoft Security Essentials - this can only be used on a home computer.

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I'm getting a computer with Windows Home Edition on it; should I upgrade the OS?

Yes! Absolutely!

We highly recommend any CMPT computer to use Windows Professional edition or Enterprise/Ultimate edition.

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The computer runs differently (something is broken) after it was serviced by CSTS; why is that?

The short answer is: CSTS have made changes to the system to make it more stable and secure, yet still functioning.

Here are some of the actions may have been taken by CSTS on a Windows laptop:

  • Remove bloatware
  • Remove trialware
  • Remove auto-runners
  • Install anti-virus software
  • Create a separate administrative account for user to manage the computer
  • Create a regular user account for user's daily tasks

A typical scenario is that we are asked to help with a mobile device that has become slow.  We remove adware, expired trial-ware, programs that start automatically and other software that seems likely to be the culprit, install and update anti virus software and get the machine so it seems to be working better.  When you get it back and try to use some software we did not know was important it fails...maybe it checks for that adware it came with.  {We recommend having a home computer for your kids and any hobbies that may conflict with keeping your SFU work computer running.}  

  • Our # 1 recommendation:  Create separate administrative level and user level accounts.  Only use the administrative account when you deliberately intend to update the computer.  Use an account that cannot change the OS setup for day to day work.

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I will not be the sole user of the laptop; what should I do?

In general, you will be the designated sole administrator of this laptop.

You could logon as "admin" and create regular user accounts for other users. Please note: giving these people administrative privilege is NOT allowed.

We have seen the account isolation blocked malware from damaging the whole system.

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Where should I store files while I'm using my laptop?

In one word: network; in two words, network storage.

Please make sure that you know where all your files and other data are stored and that you make frequent backups on at least one device that is physically separate from your laptop.

When you use a laptop, please do NOT store any files under these folders:

  • Any folder under C:\ (exception: c:\users)
  • "C:\temp"
  • "Desktop" (with the exception of shortcuts)
  • "My Documents" folder, "Documents" folder
  • "Application Data" folder, "AppData" folder
  • Any folder within your profile folder

The only place you could save your data temporarily on your laptop is: c:\users\username

Please always backup your data on your mobile device when you have the chance - at least once a week. And multiple backups on different locations are recommended.

Burn the data to DVDs and store them off site (i.e. not in the laptop bag) would be a good idea too.

The default file location for many applications can be changed, for others please deliberately save your files where you know how to find them and back them up.

Note we said temporarily above:  You should consider anything on your mobile device temporary and transient.  Copy anything important off to a secure, backed up network device like your SFU Home or FAS Home folder.  Don't keep the only copy of your life's work on a fragile, portable device.

Please consider encrypting your device for your own safety.

SFU employees need to take special care not to store any personal data on any computer outside of Canada. This is required by BC Provincial law.   

Faculty: if you are traveling to a country where your intellectual property or your device may be at unusual risk, consider leaving your good laptop at home and traveling with a cheaper device with nothing important stored on it.

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The projector does not work with my mobile device; what should I do?

In general, there are a few possibilities:

Firstly, please make sure you are using proper adapter - VGA port is still accepted globally as of 2018.

Secondly, please always hookup power adapter to the mobile device for the presentation. Sometimes, the battery may not provide strong enough signal to the projector.

Thirdly, please ensure mobile device outputs proper resolution to the projector. The most positive ones are VGA, SVGA(800x600), XGA(1024x768) and SXGA(1280x1024).

If all these methods do not work, please connect helpdesk asap; the CSTS may provide you an alternative laptop on FCFS basis.

A gentle reminder: please book early and test early to avoid any disappointment. If you are using a Macbook, please check out this Q&A.

For more information on using the projectors, please click here.

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The system constantly prompts me upgrade to Windows 10; should I upgrade?

Yes.

But, before the upgrading process begins, please backup all your data to an off-site storage and do a fresh install of Windows 10 with the latest Feature Update - or better, ask us (the helpdesk) to install it for you.

Warning: we have received reports that the system becomes unusable after the "upgrade".

One example is: the local account "administrator" is disabled and no other account has administrative privileges on the system. The only way to revive this computer is re-build it from scratch: which means wipe out everything on the local storage!

So, before Microsoft provides a reasonable solution, please leave this to the professionals.

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Special Topic: the administrative access for laptops running Windows

 

I can no longer install software after my Windows computer was serviced by CSTS; what should I do?

The short answer is: you could & should use a dedicated/different administrative account for all administration tasks on your laptop.

There are typically 3 levels of access on computers once we have configured them:

Your regular user account can't install software or modify OS settings.

The account named "Administrator".   You will be provided with the initial password. You could & should change this password once you logon this account so it could be secure yet you could easily remember.  Use this account when you need to install software or change the OS configuration.

The account "csts" is only for CS tech staff and we don't share the password.  Please do not alter any aspect of this account "csts".

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I tried to change the password for account "administrator" but it won't allow me; what should I do?

In general, you should be able to change the password for "administrator" after you log on as "administrator".

The most likely cause of failure to change password is: the password does not meet the security complexity requirements.

  • Please use a phrase containing letters, numbers and special characters
  • Please do not re-use a password within 6 month
  • Please do not re-use the past 12 passwords
  • Please make sure the password is at least 20 characters long

If you have done all of the above and still cannot change the password, please contact helpdesk ASAP.

It is OK to synchronize the password of "administrator" as your regular user password. This may reduce the chance of a lost password since you will be using it every day. Please ensure you keep your password private and do not share it with anyone.

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How to remove an account from the Administrators group?

For certain tasks, you may have to add certain user to the Administrators group. Upon the completion of the task, you should move this account out of the Administrators group and reboot the computer. Here are the step by step instructions:

1. logon to local computer as "administrator"

2. launch program "compmgmt.msc"

3. navigate on the left pane: Computer Management (Local) -> System Tools -> Local Users and Groups -> Groups

4. double click "Administrators" on the right pane

5. click the account to be removed

6. click "Remove" button to remove the account from the Administrators group

7. click OK a few times to save the settings.

8. reboot

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How to add an account to the Administrators group?

For certain tasks, you may have to add your own account to the Administrators group. Here are the step by step instructions:

1. logon to local computer as "administrator"

2. launch program "compmgmt.msc"

3. navigate on the left pane: Computer Management (Local) -> System Tools -> Local Users and Groups -> Groups

4. double click "Administrators" on the right pane

5. click "Add..." button to add your account to the system

6. click OK a few times to save the settings.

7. logoff "administrator"

8. logon as yourself, finish the administrative tasks

IMPORTANT: Upon the completion of the special task(s), you should move this account out of the Administrators group and reboot the computer. See the previous Q&A.

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I have an administrative account, how to install software while logging on as regular user?

Please make sure you know the password for local account "administrator" and the name of the computer; follow these steps:

. put the installation package on local SSD (or hard disk). (This method won't work if the package is on network space.)

. use Windows Explorer, navigate to find the installer, e.g. a setup.exe file

. left-click the installer file

. hold the "Shift" key, right-click the installer file

. from the newly appeared context menu, select "Run as different user"

. type in the username in this format: ".\administrator" . type in the password

. click OK and the installation will start...

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I get a prompt to upgrade some of the applications (Adobe Flash Player for one); what should I do?

As a regular user, you may not be able to upgrade the applications on the spot. But there are ways to proceed:

  • workaround #1: If the application popup a credential window ask for administrator's permission, please key in the user name "administrator" and the corresponding password to continue.
  • workaround #2: Locate the application, and launch it with account "administrator". Please check out this Q&A for details.
  • workaround #3: Simply logon to the computer using account "administrator", this may trigger the installation of some application updates. Please proceed.
  • workaround #4: If the application is an add-on of a browser, please logon as the "administrator" and launch the browser in question, navigate to the proper web page so the upgrade will be triggered. This time, the process will go on without permission issues.

Please logoff as the "administrator" once the updates are done.

We understand the complexity and inconvenience of this process. We still insist on this process due to its great improvement on computing safety and security.

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I need to run system tools all the time for my research. What is the best way to do this?

Here are some facts:

  • Most system tools require administrative privileges to run properly
  • Run as administrator for regular tasks like browsing may jeopardize the security
  • Constantly switch between accounts is impractical.

So, let's use the "runas" command.

While logon as your self on the system,

launch program "cmd"

within the newly opened command prompt window, key in :

   runas /user:computername\administrator cmd

(please replace the computername with the name of the system.)

after hit "Enter" key, you will be prompted for the password

key-in the password for "administrator" and hit "Enter"

now, there is a new command prompt window open which has titled as "Administrator:cmd (running as computername\administrator)"

within this new command prompt window, you could launch most of the system tools.

(the exceptions: Printers and scanners, Windows Explorer)

e.g. run the computer management console (to add /remove user of local groups, check security log etc.):

compmgmt.msc

WARNING: execute commands within this command prompt window could have disastrous results (i.e. render the computer useless.)

So, we have this important tip from you: make this window visually distinctive. Here is how:

right click the title bar of this command prompt window

select "Properties" from the popup menu

click tab "Colors"

select a special color for "Screen Background", we recommend "Blue"

you may want to select a color for "Screen Text" as well to best suit you.

Click OK to save the settings.

Now, every time you see this color combination, you know you are working with administrative privileges, be extra careful!

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More Q&As regarding tablets running Windows

Here are some of Q&As for Tablets running Windows. Please inform us if your question is not answered here.

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Is Microsoft "Surface" a good replacement for traditional laptop/desktop?

It depends.

The "Surface" tablets most likely are configured in "Windows S Mode" by default - which means you could only install software packages from Microsoft Store. Thus if the specific software package you need is not in Microsoft Store, there is NO WAY to get it installed while the system is running "S Mode".

So, if you need to use certain specific software package, you have to "switch out of S Mmode" - and you cannot get back in to "S mode" afterwards.

For example. the year 2022 version of the Microsoft "Surface" devices came with "Home edition" of Windows only. We strongly suggest upgrading such to "Educational edition" or "Professional edition".

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More Q&As regarding Windows 10/11 systems

Here are some of Q&As for systems running Windows 10 and the new Windows 11. Please inform us if your question is not answered here.

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How come the remote desktop connection is not working?!

Well, we don't quite understand either... but we do have a workaround for you:

Please launch "mstsc" and make the connection - you will see the familiar interface.

The app "Microsoft Remote Desktop" from the Microsoft Store is NOT working. Please contact the vendor and demand a fix.

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I cannot get SFU VPN working on my Windows 11 laptop; what should I do?

Windows 11 has introduced quite some changes around VPN setup. The traditional/old way of installing Forticlient does not work any more.

Here are the steps if you use Windows 11 to connect to SFU VPN:

. please remove the current Forticlient if it is installed but not working.

. please install FortiClient from Microsoft Store (any other method won't work)

. Please navigate to "Settings -> Network and Internet settings -> VPN" and set it up:

click button "Add VPN"

for VPN Provider, select FortiClient

for Server name or address, key in the following:

https://vpn.its.sfu.ca:10443?ice=1

Save it and try to connect to SFU VPN.

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More Q&As regarding laptops running macOS

Here are some of Q&As for Macbooks (macOS) and iPads (iPadOS). Please inform us if your question is not answered here.

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The projector could not detect my Macbook; what should I do?

From time to time, Macbook users experience the difficulty connecting to the projectors in SFU.

Here are some steps you may try.

Firstly, please make sure you are using proper adapter - the Thunderbolt to VGA adapter, aka Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter.

Secondly, please always hookup power adapter to the Macbook for the presentation. Sometimes, the battery may not provide strong enough signal to the projector.

Thirdly, please ensure the adapter has the proper version of firmware.

If all these methods do not work, please connect helpdesk asap; the CSTS may provide you an alternative laptop on FCFS basis.

A gentle reminder: please book early and test early to avoid any disappointment. If you bought a new Macbook, please try it out well before the presentation.

For more information on using the projectors, please click here.

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I cannot get SFU VPN working on my Mac; what I should do?

One possible cause would be: the FortiClient VPN tool you downloaded has compatibility issue with the macOS on your Mac.

If the macOS on your Mac is more than 1 year old, please upgrade it to latest stable version ASAP. Click here for the official upgrade guide on Apple site.

Another possibility is: your Mac is equiped with Apple M1/M2 chip (ARM architecture) which might need a newer/specific version of FortiClient VPN.

- firstly, be sure to try the specific package for the specific macOS version on this ITS site.

- only if this method does not work, you may try the latest stable version from Fortinet.

And, please note: there is no guarantee it will work with latest ARM chips.

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Got more questions? contact helpdesk!

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Last updated @ 2024.11.26