To Upgrade or Not?.. I have been getting more and more questions about whether or not we should be upgrading our computers to the latest software (here in the office and at home), so I thought now would be a good time to send out some information about each new upgrade that has come out recently.
This e-mail is going to be a bit lengthy, okay REALLY lengthy, so here is my short answer (and if/when you have time, you can come back and read the rest!):
Windows 8 and Office 2013 are not currently supported by Cornell IT so we will not be upgrading to it at this time. A timeline for support has not yet been announced.
Kronos does not work with Internet Explorer 10, it is recommended that you not allow Windows to update to it. If you already upgraded to IE 10, you can work with your local IT contact to downgrade back to IE9 or install Firefox, which does work with Kronos.
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“Computer Basics” Review
The following is a quick “Computer Basics” review to help you out when I or anyone else starts going on and on about Windows this and Office that. J (I’ve included short videos too that I’ve found online, which tend to be a lot more fun than reading about this stuff.)
- What is an “Operating System” (OS)? The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling devices such as disk drives and printers. YouTube Video “Understanding Operating Sytems”
- The two most popular operating systems are Microsoft Windows and Apple’s Mac OS X. * *The majority of our computers in the region have Microsoft’s Windows 7 installed. (Curious about what version of Windows you have installed? Click here to find out: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-za/windows/which-operating-system)
- What is Microsoft Office? It is a suite of products developed by Microsoft that includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Each program serves a different purpose and is compatible with other programs included in the package.
- Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 is the version of Office we are currently using at work.
- The latest versions of Microsoft Office are Office 2013 and Office 365. I won’t go into a lengthy explanation of each, but I want to cover how they are different and I’ve provided links for more information.
- Office 2010 and 2013 are programs that need to be installed on your computer to run.
- Office 365 is an online service where users pay a subscription fee that allows them to use the Office programs.
- You may have also heard people say that our e-mail “moved to the cloud”, which is true… Cornell moved all of our e‑mail from computers on campus to Microsoft’s Office 365 online service. YouTube Video “What is the Cloud?”
- We are not using Office 365 for office programs, just e-mail.
- When we do upgrade our Microsoft Office software, it will be to Office Professional Plus 2013 (NOT 365).
- Looking for free online courses on how to utilize these programs more efficiently? There are many free resources out there, here are a few: Click here for a listing of Office 2010 training, Microsoft also has 15-minute weekly online trainings, and GCL’s free online tutorials: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
- If you want to read more about the differences in 2010, 2013 and 365, click here:http://blog.lablearning.com/featured/understanding-the-differences-between-microsoft-office-2010-2013-and-365/ and here: http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-57566504-12/how-and-where-to-buy-office-365-and-office-2013/
- What is Internet Explorer (IE)? It is the default web browser that comes pre-installed with Windows (look for the big blue e). “Surfing the web” is made possible by Web browsers. YouTube Video: What is a web browser?
- In my travels from office to office, I have found that many of you use third-party web browsers for various reasons, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are the two most popular alternatives for Windows. (For example, 4-H ACCESS works best in Google Chrome and Firefox is a good alternative to IE when needing to access Cornell webpages, such as Kronos.)
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Okay, lesson over… 🙂 Now, here are the FAQs about these recent upgrades.
Q: Are we/should we be upgrading our computers in the office to Windows 8?
A: No, and not for a while yet. Windows 8 is being sold with new computers, but until Cornell supports it and we can be certain that there are no compatibility issues with the other software we use, all of our new computers should have Windows 7 Enterprise* installed on them.
Q: Are we upgrading to Office 2013?
A: No, not yet and for the same reasons. We want to make sure that Cornell supports it and that there are no compatibility issues with other software we use.
Q: I want to use Microsoft Office at home, where do I buy it?
A: If you have Windows 7 or Windows 8 on your home computer, as a Cornell employee, you can purchase one license of Microsoft Office 2013 through the Home Use Program. It’s $9.95 for the license. Once you buy the license, Microsoft will give you a link to download the software. If you pay an extra $13.99, they will ship you the install DVD (so you don’t have to download the large file).
http://www.microsofthup.com/hupus/home.aspx?culture=en-US (Make sure to enter your Cornell e-mail.)
Q: Can I still purchase Office 2010 from the Home Use Program?
A: No, only Microsoft Office 2013 is available.
Q: If I install Office 2013 at home will I have any issues opening documents that were created at work in Office 2010 and vice versa?
A: No, you shouldn’t have any issues. Office 2010 and 2013 use the same file formats so whether the document is created in 2010 or 2013, it will open on both. (If it’s an Access file, make a copy first and test it out. In the past I’ve had issues where it opened okay in the new version, but then wouldn’t open back up in the old version of Access.)
Q: I want to install Windows 8 at home, is there anything like the Home Use Program for Windows?
A: No, unfortunately. The information for upgrading your home computer to Windows 8 is here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/buy?ocid=GA8_O_WOL_Dis_Meet_FPP_Null_02
Q: I don’t know what version of Internet Explorer I’m running, how do I find out?
A: This website will tell you what version you are using, it also provides directions on how to find the version yourself: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/which-version-am-i-using
(Please note: If you open this link in a web browser other than Internet Explorer, the web page isn’t smart enough to tell you that you aren’t currently in Internet Explorer… it will probably tell you are using IE10.)
Q: I have Internet Explorer 9 installed (or Internet Explorer 8). Do I need to do anything to block Internet Explorer 10 (IE10)?
A: It depends.
- Is your computer running Windows XP or Vista? IE10 will not install on your computer, you do not have to do anything. (FYI: IE9 & IE10 won’t install on Windows XP.)
- If your computer is running Windows 7, Internet Explorer 10 will be pushed through the Automatic Update feature UNLESS you have been migrated to the new server, which is on the Cornell domain.
- Genesee, Monroe, Wyoming: Our new regional server is set up to block the IE10 update, so there is nothing you need to do.
- Orleans: You will be on the Cornell domain next week, if a Window pops up to install IE10, just cancel out of it for now.
- Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara: Please work with your local IT contact to install Microsoft’s IE10 block tool http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36512.
(If you are one of the handful with new computers that I set up and are logging in with your netID and password, you are on the Cornell domain, you don’t need to do anything.)
Q: I’ve already upgraded to Internet Explorer 10, what do I do now?
A: There are a few Cornell sites that don’t work with Internet Explorer 10 yet, this is why we don’t recommend upgrading to IE10. (Kronos, Taleo, ACCPAC and possibly the new HR system WorkDay are the major ones that are known not to work with IE10 right now.) If you’ve already allowed IE10 to install, you have a couple options.
- Please work with your local IT contact to downgrade back to Internet Explorer 9 and use the IE10 block toolkit to stop Windows from upgrading to it again.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36512 - OR If you have Mozilla Firefox installed, you can use this as an alternative for those websites that will not work with IE10. If you don’t have Firefox installed and would like to have it, please see your local IT contact.
*If your association is not using your local IT contact for purchasing and you have been asked to purchase a new computer for your association, PLEASE e-mail me before making that purchase. We are trying to standardize all computer equipment across the region to help alleviate issues and cut down on support time needed to troubleshoot problems. (If a computer needs Windows re–installed, Windows 7 Enterprise should be installed.)
Side Note: When looking for the videos I linked to, I came across a cool organization called Goodwill Community Foundation. They have many online tutorials on a variety of topics, including computer and internet basics and Office tutorials. http://www.gcflearnfree.org/