SCLS Technology News

Windows 11 News

SCLS has been installing Windows 11 on new staff PCs for several months.  We have also started upgrading existing Windows 10 staff PCs to Windows 11.  The Windows 11 upgrades take place at night while the library is closed.  We will reach out to the technology contact at each library to work out a good time to upgrade your staff PCs to Windows 11.

We are also ready to begin installing Windows 11 on new public PCs.  The public Windows 11 configuration is very similar to the Windows 10 configuration, so patrons can expect a consistence experience.  You can see images of the Windows 11 Desktop and Start Menu on the SCLS Technology site.

Windows 11 on Staff PCs

SCLS is ready to start deploying Windows 11.  We will begin by deploying Windows 11 on new staff PCs and eligible staff PCs that come in for repair.  Microsoft has set October 14, 2025 as the end-of-life date for Windows 10, so we will eventually deploy Windows 11 to existing staff PCs as well.  This can be done over the network when the library is closed.

Windows 11 Start Menu

We will also begin developing a Windows 11 configuration for public computers in February and start deploying it as soon as possible.

Windows 11 is very similar to Windows 10 under the hood, but end users will notice differences in the taskbar, start menu, folders, Windows Explorer, Notepad and Media player.  If you would like to read about some of the new features included in Windows 11, check out these links!

• PCMag (Windows 11: Biggest Changes and New Features)
• Computerworld (Windows 11 Cheat Sheet)
• PCWorld (Windows 11’s first big update arrives: 6 new features to try)
• Windows Central (Windows 11 review: The start of a new era)

End of year ordering and Windows 8 reminders

I'd like to remind you not to wait too much longer to place your end of the year order for PCs. If you are required to have an invoice before December 31st please be sure leave enough time to request your quote and finalize your order with me before Friday, November 5th, 2021. If you are able to receive an invoice in late January with a 2021 date, then you have until Friday, December 3rd, 2021 to place an order with me. If you order after those dates I can't guarantee a timely invoice for you. The Order Forms have recently been updated with the current models and prices so you should have a good idea of what your totals will be before you receive the quote.

I would also like to mention that we are experiencing long shipping delays with some items from Dell, especially laptops, docking stations and monitors. As of today Oct. 12th I'm seeing estimated ship dates of mid to late January for those items. Most of our standard PCs are shipping within 2 weeks.

Lastly, I want to remind you too that Microsoft is ending support for Windows 8 on January 10th, 2023, about 15 months from now. Check out your Workstation Status Report to see where you are in your rotation cycle, it’s updated at the beginning of every month. If you notice anything that needs to be updated on your status report please contact Emily to notify her.

 

Photo by Brooke Lark - Unplash

The end of Windows 8

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 8 in January, 2023. This means in 22 months Microsoft will discontinue all support and all updates, including security updates.

If you've been keeping up with your PC rotation plan (replacing 1/5 of your PCs each year), you should be prepared and all of your PCs should already be running Windows 10 by then. If you've fallen a bit behind or you're not sure where your library stands, the rest of this post is for you!

What you can do

Check your library's Workstation Status Report and confirm that your library's PCs are up-to-date (in terms of both age and "installed OS"). If they're not, please start planning your replacements now! This notice should give you two budget cycles to complete your replacements. If you find an error with your Status Report, please contact Emily to report any issues or ask her any questions you might have about your report.

SCLS plans for SCLS-supported Windows 8 PCs

SCLS-supported Windows 8 PCs will be disconnected from the SCLS network on January 31st, 2023.

Windows 8 PCs not supported by SCLS

SCLS-as-ISP computers - If your library has Windows 8 computers that have SCLS-as-ISP network connections, you should plan to replace these PCs. The library is responsible for any security issues introduced by computers on SCLS-as-ISP connections.

 

Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Windows 10 Feature Update 20H2

We are in the process of updating Windows 10 staff PCs and laptops to the latest feature update, 20H2.  This update will replace the legacy version of Edge with a chromium-based version.  The Start Menu will also attempt to group program tiles based upon common themes.  This article does a good job of explaining the major changes.

The first time you login after the upgrade, you will notice a delay of up to 5 minutes.  Please be patient.  Do not power down the PC when you see the "Preparing Windows" screen.

Most of the computers should be updated by the end of the month.  To check your version of Windows 10, right-click the Start button > Click Run > Enter winver > Click OK.

You do not need to contact SCLS if you are not at version 20H2 yet.  We have access to that information already.  Thanks.

Social Distancing and PCs

As libraries are starting to provide curbside service and planning for the future, we have received a couple questions and inquires about patron and staff PCs.  More specifically about moving PCs to help with social distancing once allowed to open up again.  If your library has the space to move PCs we can help plan what to move and where, as well as making sure there is an internet connection. For libraries with limited space we can also make some recommendations too. 

For libraries that already have a plan about PCs that’s great!  Please submit a help desk ticket and let us know what you are moving just so we can keep our records up to date and accurate.

For more information and help please submit a help desk ticket or email Craig Ellefson, or Emily Waring.

The end of Windows 7

As you may have already heard, Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. This means Microsoft will discontinue all support and all updates, including security updates.

If you've been keeping up with your PC rotation plan (replacing 1/5 of your PCs each year), you should be prepared and all of your PCs should already be running Windows 8.1 or 10. If you've fallen a bit behind or you're not sure where your library stands, the rest of this post is for you!

What you can do

Check your library's Workstation Status Report and confirm that your library's PCs are up-to-date (in terms of both age and "installed OS"). If they're not, plan your replacements now! You can consult this recent blog post for ordering deadlines.

SCLS plans for SCLS-supported Windows 7 PCs

SCLS-supported Windows 7 PCs will be turned off on March 31st, 2020. If a major vulnerability is found between January 14th, 2020 (end-of-life) and March 31st, 2020, SCLS reserves the right to remove Windows 7 PCs immediately.

Windows 7 PCs not supported by SCLS

• Self checks and sorters - ILS staff will communicate with libraries about plans for Windows 7 self checks and sorters.
• SCLS-as-ISP computers - If your library has Windows 7 computers that have SCLS-as-ISP network connections, you should plan to replace these PCs. The library is responsible for any security issues introduced by computers on SCLS-as-ISP connections.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

End of year ordering and Windows 7

The end of the year is quickly approaching and it’s time to start thinking about your end of year PC orders. This is a reminder not to wait too long to place those orders. Friday November 8th will be the final day to place an order through SCLS that will guarantee an invoice in your hands before the end of the year. If you are able to receive an invoice in mid to late January with a 2019 date, then you can place an order all the way up to December 13th.

Also, take a look at your Workstation Status Reports to see if you have any Windows 7 PCs at your library. This would be a good time to think about replacing as many as you can. Microsoft will end support on Windows 7 January 14th, which means we will no longer be pushing out Microsoft updates to Windows 7 PCs after January 14th. When you have a system that’s no longer supported by Microsoft on our network you not only risk compromising your PC, but you also put the whole network at a much greater risk of being compromised.

 

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Problem with upcoming Firefox update

Recently a new version of Firefox was released and ILS staff along with four test libraries have been testing it to make sure that it works with Koha.  REE discovered a problem that may or may not be of concern for all libraries.  What they discovered was that after Firefox was updated the sounds that Koha makes, like when you check in an item and it's trapped for a hold, were no longer working.  Cindy discovered that there is an option within the settings of Firefox that allow you to turn these sounds back on.  She wrote up documentation on two different ways to fix the problem.  One way unblocks sound for all websites and one way unblocks sound only for Koha and Bibliovation websites.  You can choose which way you want to fix the problem if you want to fix the problem at all.  Our three other test libraries don't even have sound turned on at their Circulation desks so this problem was of no concern for them.

Because some libraries find the Koha sounds very beneficial we have decided to delay sending out version 68 of Firefox by one week so that you may have time to review this documentation.  So instead of getting the Firefox update in the evening of Tuesday, July 23, you will all now receive it in the evening of Tuesday, July 30.  After the update you will need to follow the directions in the documentation to turn the Koha sounds back on if you need them.  If you have any questions or concerns about any of this please don’t hesitate to give Brian a call at the Help Desk.

Desktop and Start Menu Changes on Public Stations

On April 3^rd, the Technology Committee decided to make some changes to Desktop and Start Menu on public stations.  The Desktop has seen some minor changes over the years, but this is the first time the Technology Committee discussed all of its contents at one time.  The changes will occur on Windows 10 public stations that allow full internet access and will be completed Sunday, June 16th after libraries are closed.  Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 public stations will not be reconfigured as they continue to be replaced by newer computers.

Changes to the Desktop

• Calculator will be added.
• Resources for Job Seekers website shortcut will be added. This collection of resources for local job seekers is maintained by the Workforce Development Specialist at SCLS, Mark Jochem.  The shortcut will be labeled “Job Resources.”
• Internet Explorer will be removed. Internet Explorer will still be available on the computer, but will only be accessible from the Start Menu.  The committee decided that Internet Explorer is rarely used and should not be taking up space on the Desktop.  That said, it is a good idea to keep it available from the Start Menu in case a certain website does not display properly with Chrome or Edge.
• Windows Media Player will be removed. VLC is the more versatile and popular media player.  Windows Media Player will remain installed on the PCs, so that any file that requires it will still open.
• Computer will be renamed to "This PC."  "This PC" is the default name for this shortcut on Windows 10 PCs.
• My Documents will be renamed to “Documents.”
• My Pictures will be renamed to “Pictures.”
• My Videos will be removed. This folder is rarely used.  The "Videos" folder can still be accessed by opening “This PC” on the Desktop.
• My Music will be removed. This folder is rarely used.  The "Music" folder can still be accessed by opening "This PC" on the Desktop.
• Google Earth will be removed from the Desktop and uninstalled. The committee decided that this program is rarely used.  Google Earth can still be loaded from the Chrome web browser.

   

New Start Menu

The Start Menu will be simplified to only include shortcuts to the web browsers and to the Microsoft Office programs.  Other applications, like iTunes and VLC, will be removed from the Start Menu because frequent updates would break the shortcuts.