Activation Required Prompts and Microsoft Software

iSchool owned Windows computers are set up to periodically check-in with a license server on campus to verify the activation of Windows (the operating system itself).

If your computer has been off campus for quite some time and your computer has not connected to the Husky OnNet VPN for quite some time (at least once every 180 days), you can expect to see a prompt or message telling you that you are required to activate Microsoft Windows or your license will expire soon.

If you see a message about needing to activate Windows, connect to the Husky OnNet VPN, then wait. You may continue working. Your computer will automatically “check in” with the on-campus license server, activate Microsoft Windows, the “activation required” message will disappear, and you can disconnect or exit the Husky OnNet VPN application.

More about how activating Microsoft products works at the UW, can be found on UW-IT’s website:

https://itconnect.uw.edu/wares/msinf/software/activating-microsoft-products/

How to share your Outlook (read: Exchange) Calendar with others at the UW and with External Users

How to share your Outlook (read: Exchange) Calendar with others at the UW and with External Users

Before you proceed, note that by default everyone at the iSchool (and everyone else at the UW that uses the UW Microsoft 365/Office 365 service) can already see the default free/busy info of everyone else. This means people can already see when you are free, when you are busy, what your working hours are and when you are out of the office.

“Advanced” sharing options are possible, for example, if you want to give someone access to more details, if you want to give someone outside of the UW a view to your calendar, or if you want to give someone “delegate” (edit) rights to your calendar.

It is recommended that you configure “advanced” sharing options using the Outlook Web App. Detailed directions from Microsoft are available on this web page:

Advanced Microsoft 365 Calendar sharing directions

How to connect to your computer via Remote Desktop using the iSchool Remote Desktop Gateway

How to connect to your computer via Remote Desktop using the iSchool Remote Desktop Gateway

If your iSchool issued work computer is running Windows, it is possible to connect to it and use it remotely, from a separate computer.

If your iSchool issued work computer is a Mac and you are looking to connect to it and use it remotely, see this page.

In order to remote into your iSchool Windows work computer:

a) You need to know your computer’s name.
b) The computer must allow remote connections.
c) The computer must be powered on and not in sleep mode.
d) The computer must be connected to the UW campus network.

After confirming a through d above, follow these instructions to access your Windows work computer from a separate computer.

How to find your iSchool computer name

Windows 10

Windows 10

1) right-click the lower-left Windows icon, click System

your computer’s name is next to “Device name” or “Computer name:” (depending on Windows 10 version) and usually something like “is-YourNetIDx220” or “is-YourNetID450” or “is-YourNetID360” or “is-YourNetIDx1c”

Confirm your iSchool work computer will allow remote connections

Windows 10


Windows 10

1) right-click the lower-left Windows icon, click System, click Remote Desktop, click Select users that can remotely access this PC

2) confirm the following settings:

Enable Remote Desktop should be On
Keep my PC awake for connections when it is plugged in should be checked
in the Remote Desktop Users window, you should see NETID\Your NetID already has access.


Connect to your work computer from a separate computer (follow these steps from your home computer)

connecting from a Windows 10 computer
connecting from a Mac OS X computer


Windows 10

1) start the application Remote Desktop Connection (already installed on any Windows 10 computer)

start_remote_desktop_connection

2) click Show Options, click Advanced, click Settings…

 

3) for Connection settings:

check Use these RD Gateway server settings
Server name: rdp.ischool.uw.edu
Logon method: Allow me to select later
check Bypass RD Gateway server for local addresses

for Logon settings:

check Use my RD Gateway credentials for the remote computer

click OK

 

4) click General

for Computer: use your computer name (usually something like is-yourNetidx220, see this if you need to find your computer name)
for User name: use netid\yourNetID

click Connect, enter your NetID password when prompted

 


Mac OS X

1) download and install the free Microsoft Remote Desktop application from the Apple Store, you will need an Apple ID to download the application

microsoft remote desktop

2) start the Microsoft Remote Desktop application, (settings about improving performance or giving access to your microphone or webcam are up to you; select the settings you prefer), click the gear-looking-icon, click Preferences…, click Gateways

click the + button in the bottom-left, use the following settings:

Gateway name: rdp.ischool.uw.edu
Friendly name: iSchool RDP Gateway

click the drop-down next to User account:, click Add User Account…

use the following settings:

User name: netid\YourNetID
Password: YourNetIDPassword

click Add, click Add

close the Preferences window

3) in the Microsoft Remote Desktop window click Add PC, use the following settings:

PC name: usually something like: is-YourNetIDlc6 or is-YourNetIDly3 or is-YourNetIDl480

User account: select the user account you created in the previous step (netid\YourNetID)

Gateway: select the iSchool RDP Gateway (or whatever name you created in Step 2)

(Other settings are fine to leave as is.  They can be modified later.)

click Add

4) double-click the connection you made in Step 3, if a certificate-verification window appears it is fine to click Continue

How to run Windows (and software that will only run on Windows) on a Mac

This is a high-level overview of running Windows on a macOS device.  This is not intended as a fully detailed walkthrough.  There are fully detailed guides findable via web-searching. If web searching and this article are not enough information, please contact or stop by the iSchool IT Help Desk.

There are two ways to run Windows on a macOS device:

  1. Apple Boot Camp
  2. Virtual Machine (VM) software

Either method requires a full Windows operating system installation file before proceeding. Either method can be done for zero-cost, assuming you already have access to a macOS device. If you are a University of Washington student, you can download a full Windows installation file, compatible with either method, for zero-cost, from the Microsoft Azure for Education website:

Microsoft Azure for Education software downloads

Visit this web page for much more information:

University of Washington information about Microsoft Azure for Education

In general, you will want to download and use the most recent, 64-bit version of Windows Education.

METHOD 1
Apple Boot Camp

The advantage of this method is you get to use all of your CPU and RAM for Windows allowing it to run as fast as possible on your computer.  The disadvantage is that you will have to reboot your computer in order to switch between operating systems.

Apple’s Boot Camp Support website has more information and detailed instructions:

https://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

METHOD 2
Virtual Machine

The advantage of this method is you can use Windows in addition to your default macOS environment.

You will need to install one of the software options below.  The software options below, allow you to run a Virtual Machine.

Parallels costs money to obtain. Parallels is relatively easy to use, fully featured, and has detailed online support.  Parallels can be obtained at a discount by faculty, students, and staff, by searching this website: https://onthehub.com/

Detailed instructions for creating a Parallels Virtual Machine, and installing Windows onto it, can be found by searching the Parallels Knowledge Base:

https://kb.parallels.com/

 

VirtualBox is zero-cost.  It is also arguably the most complicated to use.

Detailed instructions for creating a VirtualBox Virtual Machine, and installing Windows onto it, can be found by searching the VirtualBox documentation:

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Documentation

 

UTM is zero-cost.

Detailed instructions for creating a UTM Virtual Machine, and installing Windows onto it, can be found by searching the UTM documentation:

https://docs.getutm.app/

 

Tips for working with Virtual Machines:

  • Consult the Virtual Machine-software-maker’s documentation.
  • For the best performance, your macOS device should have a Solid State Drive (SSD).
  • Check for updates to your VM software and install them all.
  • There may be some VM settings you need to configure to get Windows to run optimally.  Check the documentation for the software you are using for recommendations.
Guidance for spam and phishing protections

Guidance for spam and phishing protections

UW-IT’s information about how to enable and maintain spam protections for UW Office 365 Exchange Online email accounts is on this web page:

https://itconnect.uw.edu/connect/productivity-platforms/microsoft-productivity-platform/exchange-online/email-protection-enhancements/early-adopter-access/#how_to

iSchool IT recommends following the steps in the “Enable” and “Maintain” sections of the web page linked above.

Even after configuring settings as recommended on the web page linked above, it is still possible for spam and phishing emails to make it to your inbox. When you do receive suspicious emails, follow the guidance in the “What you can do” section of this web page:

https://itconnect.uw.edu/connect/email/resources/protecting-your-email/

How to use VoiceThread for presentations

VoiceThread is a web-based presentation tool that offers both free and fee-based services.

A VoiceThread is “a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in 5 ways – using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam).”

To learn how to upload, comment (record), and share your presentation using VoiceThread, view our complete VoiceThread guide on the iSchool Online Learning Support site, or follow the tutorials on the VoiceThread website.

How to Export (to PST) or Import (from PST) a folder in Outlook

This article is designed specifically to assist people who are involved in a Records Request but is helpful for anyone who wants to save or transfer any amount of Outlook email (or any other Outlook folders).

If a Records Request asks for email, it must be saved as a PST (Personal Storage) file. We recommend that you create a unique Folder for the Records Request and then copy (not move) all the messages that were requested to this Folder. Then you can export just this Folder to a PST.

NOTE

  • Prior to starting this process, we recommend that you use the Search feature in Outlook to narrow/refine the results as much as possible. Here are instructions for searching in Outlook.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-search-in-outlook-d824d1e9-a255-4c8a-8553-276fb895a8da

  • This process can only be done on Windows. If you are using Outlook on a Mac, please export your email to an OLM file following these instructions and then contact iSchool IT so we can convert the OLM file to a PST file.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/export-items-to-an-archive-file-in-outlook-for-mac-281a62bf-cc42-46b1-9ad5-6bda80ca3106

  • If you are using Windows but are not using Outlook and are using Outlook on the web instead, you will need to install Outlook and then follow these steps.

To export (archive) a folder using Outlook on Windows do the following.

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Click File -> Open & Export.
  3. Choose Import/Export, select Export to a file and click Next.
  4. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
  5. Select the folder you created for this Records Request and check the Include subfolders box and click Next.
  6. Decide where to save the exported file using the Browse button if that makes it easier to find or just accept the default location and click Finish.
  7. We usually do not recommend adding a password to the data file. You can just leave the password fields blank and click OK.

If you saved the data file to the default location it is here:

\Documents\Outlook Files\backup.pst

To import a data file using Outlook on Windows do the following.

  1. Save the Data File to your computer.
  2. Open Outlook.
  3. Click File -> Open & Export.
  4. Click Import/Export, select Import from another program or file, and click Next.
  5. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
  6. Click the Browse button to select the data file and click Next.
  7. Make sure the Include subfolders box is checked, select Import items into the same folder in and click Finish.

You should now see this data file connected to Outlook in the left-hand pane of Outlook.

Mailbox best practices when using Microsoft Outlook – how to keep your Mailbox small

NOTE – this process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete (depending on the size of your Mailbox), so please allow enough time.

Microsoft Outlook stores data (E-mail, Calendar items, Contacts, etc.) in a file.  If you use Outlook at home and like many users are not connected to an Exchange server, the file is called a PST (Personal Storage) file and is stored on your computer.  If you are faculty or staff at the iSchool or some other business and do connect to an Exchange server, the file is called an OST (Offline Storage) file and contains copies of all the data which is actually stored on the server.

Regardless of what type of file you have, the size of this file is limited if you want good performance and reliability. Although the absolute maximum size of OST files keeps growing (at the UW the limit is currently 100GB), for optimal performance we recommend you keep your OST file much smaller, less than 10GB is ideal

These instructions will explain some best practices so that your mail store (read: Mailbox size) never grows too much and shows you how to determine the size of your mail store.

General Best Practices

  • Regularly empty your Junk E-Mail and Deleted Items folders.
  • Don’t save attachments in Outlook. Instead, save the files to your cloud storage, your computer (or some other media), and then delete the message.  At the iSchool your computer is backed up so all the files saved locally will be safe.
  • Do not send messages to yourself.
  • Do not send large (read: bigger than a couple of MB) attachments via email, instead put the file in the cloud and send a link to the location so the recipient can view or download it.
  • If you do forward a message with a large attachment, delete the item from your Sent Items. There is no need to keep the file in your Inbox and your Sent Items folder.

Outlook Microsoft 365

1) Check to see how big your mail store is.

– In the left pane of Outlook, right-click your account and select Data File Properties.

– Under the General tab click Folder Size.

2) Sort mail by size.

– In the left pane of Outlook expand Search Folders.

– Click on Large Mail to activate it. By default, your large mail items will be sorted by size with the largest on top. Since large items always contain attachments now you can easily save the files and delete the messages.

3) Using the Mailbox Cleanup tool.

– Click the File menu > Tools > Mailbox Cleanup

– We recommend all the options in the Mailbox Cleanup tool except AutoArchive. We do not ever recommend archiving your email and instead always recommend keeping all of it in your Exchange Mailbox.

– The Cleanup tool can remove redundant messages in any folder or any conversation. Cleaning up redundant items in conversations is a great way to free up space. Here is a video demo of the Cleanup tool, the “Clean Up Conversation” feature is mentioned at 5:12:

Outlook on the web

1) Check to see how big your mail store is.

– Click the gear icon (Settings) > View all Outlook settings > General > Storage

2) Clean up your Mailbox.

– While in Storage, empty your Deleted Items folder.

3) Apply Retention Policies.

– Right click every top level/parent folder and select Assign policy. We recommend choosing 6 Month or 1 Year.

How to schedule/reserve a room in Outlook

How to schedule/reserve a room in Outlook

iSchool faculty, staff, and PhD students have access to several, physical rooms, for meeting purposes. Some rooms have Exchange Mailboxes and Calendars. Said rooms can be scheduled/reserved directly via an Outlook Meeting Request, similar to scheduling a meeting with a person.

.

A list of rooms and information about the rooms can be found on this webpage:

https://uwnetid.sharepoint.com/sites/ischoolnew/sites/ServicesSupport/DropInSpacesReservations

.

Detailed instructions for scheduling rooms via Outlook/Exchange are below.

Windows, Outlook

macOS, Outlook

Outlook Web App


Windows, Outlook

01) Click the arrow button next to New Email, click Meeting. (“1” in the screenshot below)

02) Click Meeting. (“2” in the screenshot below)

03) Click Required. (“3” in the screenshot below)

04) Search for the room you want to reserve/schedule. The most accurate way to search for a room is by using either the email address or the “display name” from the list above. (“4” in the screenshot below)

05) Add the room you wish to schedule/reserve to “Required“; double-click the room from the list or click “Required”. Click OK. (“5” in the screenshot below)

06) Click Scheduling Assistant to see when the room is available, add other attendees’ NetIDs as necessary, and adjust meeting times.

07) Click Appointment, add meeting information as necessary, click Send.

All attendees will receive the meeting request including the room itself. The request for the room will be accepted or rejected based on room availability.


macOS, Outlook

01) Click New Items, click Meeting.

02) In To: field, the most accurate way to search for a room is using either the email address or the “display name” from the list above. Select the desired room.

03) Click Scheduling to see when the room is available and adjust meeting times.

04) Click Appointment, add other attendees’ NetIDs in the To: field as necessary, click Send.

All attendees will receive the meeting request including the room itself. The request for the room will be accepted or rejected based on room availability.


Outlook Web App

1) Sign into the Outlook Web App, use your @uw.edu email address and UW NetID credentials when prompted.

2) Click the Calendar icon in the bottom-left corner.

3) Click New event.

4) In the Invite attendees field, add desired room using email address from the list above. Add other @uw.edu email addresses as necessary. Use the Scheduling Assistant to confirm all attendees, including the room itself, are available. Click Send once all other meeting details are finalized.

All attendees will receive the meeting request including the room itself. The request for the room will be accepted or rejected based on room availability.

How do I add iSchool printers to my personal computer?

How do I add iSchool printers to my personal computer?

Directions for adding an iSchool printer to a personal computer:

Windows 11

macOS

 

Windows 11

1. Find the following information about the printer you would like to use: a) IP address – IP addresses should be labeled in plain sight on each printer b) Make and model – printer should indicate make and model in plain sight If you are unable to determine a printer’s IP address or make or model, contact the iSchool IT Help Desk.

 

2. Download and install the latest printer driver for the make and model printer you identified in step 1. In general, you will be looking download a Ricoh printer driver: https://www.ricoh-usa.com/en/support-and-download named “PCL6 Driver for Universal Print”:

 

Save the file to your computer. Double-click the file (a)), click Unzip (b)), find then right-click the file named oemsetup.inf (c)), click Install (d)), click Yes. You should receive a “The operation completed successfully.” message.

 

3. Click the Windows icon (a). Click Settings (b). Click Bluetooth & devices (c). Click Printers & scanners (d).

Click Add device (e). The computer will look for available printers. After a few seconds, it will likely fail to find any printers. Click the button that appears: Add manually (f).

 

4. Select Add a printer using an IP address or hostname option. Click Next.

 

5. Change the Device type: to TCP/IP Device. Type in the IP address you found in step 1 into the Hostname or IP address field. Click Next.

 

6. Select the “RICOH PCL6 UniversalDriver” printer driver. Click Next.

 

7. Type in a name for the printer. Click Next.

 

8. Select the Do not share this printer option. Click Next.

 

9. You should receive a “success” message. Click Finish. You should be able to print to the printer you just added.

 


 

macOS

1. Find the IP address and the make and model of the printer you would like to use. IP addresses should be labeled in plain sight on each printer. If you are unable to determine a printer’s IP address or make or model, contact the iSchool IT Help Desk.

 

2. Download and install the latest printer driver for the make and model printer you identified in step 1. In general, you will be looking for a Ricoh printer driver: https://www.ricoh-usa.com/en/support-and-download If you are printing to a different make or model printer, you will need to web-search for the correct printer driver to install on your computer. If you need help with this step, contact the iSchool IT Help Desk.

 

3. Click the top-left Apple icon. Click System Settings….

 

4. Click Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax….

5. Click the IP button. Use the following settings:

Address: enter the IP address you found from step 1.

Protocol: Line Printer Daemon – LPD

Queue: leave blank

Name: can be anything you want, use something that makes it clear what it is

Location: gets filled in automatically

Use: *should* get selected automatically, if not, select the make and model of the printer

Click Add.

 

6. You should see the printer added with a green light indicating it is ready to print to.