Summer 2008 Technology Updates for Faculty & Staff

There are a number of important technology updates on the horizon for 2008!  Windows users will be updating to Office 2007, and Macintosh users will update to Office 2008, with Entourage replacing Outlook as the Mac email application.  This year all Macintosh users will receive new 20-inch iMacs with 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 2 GB memory, 250 GB hard drives, Super drives, and OS 10.5 (Leopard).  Most faculty and staff running three year old PCs will be getting new machines with 2.33 GHz dual-core processors, 3 GB memory, 160 GB hard drives, and CD/DVD rewritable combo drives.  In addition, we will be re-imaging all other campus PCs and refreshing faculty and staff network profiles.

The other big news for Windows users is that UW-Green Bay will be switching from Gateway to Hewlett Packard as our campus PC vendor.  CIT has done an extensive evaluation of several vendors, and HP came out the winner!  They offer an excellent machine and we look forward to working with them in the future.

The obvious question that’s probably lurking in your mind is – what about Vista?  The update to Windows Vista is being delayed until summer 2009.  This will allow us to better address compatibility, reliability, and performance issues.  More information to follow at a later date…..

Please review the following information carefully based on whether you’re a Windows or Macintosh user.

Windows Users

Please remember that all Windows PCs will be recloned this summer, whether or not you’re receiving a new workstation!!  The following are the major changes you’ll see with your new or updated PC.

• Office 2007 replaces Office 2003.

• FrontPage will no longer be available.  Expression Web is the new web authoring application that will replace it on all campus PCs.  This may also be the time to consider switching to Dreamweaver, which is preferred by the Web Development Office.  Your department must purchase a license for Dreamweaver through the WISC site. 

• Your local hard drive will have only one partition – drive C.  We have eliminated the D drive, so you should now install all software to drive C.

• Your network profile will be refreshed.  We will preserve your network printers connections, drive mappings, Internet Explorer Favorites, Outlook signature, and Office custom dictionaries.  The person performing your update will also install any local printers.  However, you will have to re-establish desktop icons, wallpapers, and other customized settings. 

• PhotoDraw will no longer be available.  You can use Microsoft Picture Manager for basic photo editing and Microsoft Publisher for posters, banners, etc.

• WS-FTP will no longer be available to transfer files via FTP.  Later this  year, CIT will eliminate FTP capabilities on campus file and web network drives due to the insecure nature of this file transfer protocol.  WebDAV or VPN are more secure alternatives.

• A special note about Outlook 2007:  Once you’ve been updated to Outlook 2007, you should not use the Outlook 2003 application on campus machines.  This will corrupt your Outlook profile so that Outlook 2007 will not work correctly for you.  You can use Outlook Web at any time on any machine.  Faculty using technology classrooms this summer will need to use Outlook Web for email. 

How to Prepare for Windows Updates

All Windows users will need to prepare for this summer’s updates.  Please review the instructions on How to Prepare before your scheduled installation date. 

Training Resources for Windows Users

Office 2007 brings significant changes in appearance and functionality.  The following resources will assist you with the conversion to Office 2007 and other configuration changes you’ll find on your new or updated PC. 

• We will be scheduling one hour training sessions throughout the summer.  This will include an overview of the most significant changes on your PC and a brief introduction to Outlook, Word, and Excel 2007.  It is highly recommended that you register for one of these sessions shortly before or immediately following your scheduled update.

• Office 2007 Interactive Guides -- The old Office 2003 command menus have been replaced with “ribbons”, which are graphical representations of the commands that appear across the top of the screen.  Locating the new commands seems to be the biggest challenge in adjusting to Office 2007.  To assist with this, we are providing Interactive Guides for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access that will be found in a folder on your desktop.  These guides are interactive videos that allow you to select a command on the old Office 2003 menu, and then show you the location of the command on the new corresponding ribbon.

• CIT has licensed online training for Word 2007, Excel 2007, and Expression Web through lynda.com so you can learn at your own pace. .

• Much useful information has been compiled on CIT’s eHelp site under Office 2007 Resources.  Please take a look!

• On the day of your update, CIT staff will be present in your department to assist with any issues or questions you may have with your updated PC.  We will be offering you additional information on re-establishing desktop shortcuts, your Quick Launch pad, default file locations, etc. once your update has occurred.

Windows Rollout Schedule

Over the past few weeks, our summer rollout manager Mark Roe has been coordinating with various administrative departments to create a Rollout Schedule for Windows machines.  We are asking each department to note their conversion date and plan accordingly.  We also ask that you not request changes unless absolutely necessary.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mark Roe at 465 - 2590 or roem@uwgb.edu.

Please note that student labs and technology classrooms will be updated in May immediately after spring semester finals.

Macintosh Users

Josh Goldman will be scheduling individual appointments with Mac users to deliver their new machines this summer.   Please keep an eye out for an email that will be sent in April.  Individuals should be present for the configuration of their Entourage email, but if this is not possible other arrangements can be made.  The other benefit of being there is that Josh will give you a personal overview of the most significant changes. 

The following are the major changes you’ll see with your new iMacs this year.

• Office 2008 replaces Office 2004.

• Entourage 2008 replaces Outlook 2001 for email.

• The operating system will be updated from OS 10.4 (Tiger) to OS 10.5 (Leopard).

• Classic mode (OS 9) will no longer be available with the switch to Intel powered Macs.

How to Prepare for your new Mac

The good news is that Mac users have little or no preparation to do!  During the update process, all of your local files will be transferred to your new workstation.  Your network drive mappings, network printers, Favorites, and custom settings are stored in your network profile and will be preserved.  You will need to have media handy for any specialty software you want to install on your new machine.

Training Resources for Macintosh Users

Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) is very similar to previous versions of the Mac OS.  Aside from some changes which are documented on eHelp, you should not have any problem adapting to the new system.  

Office 2008 is also very similar to Office 2004.  If you were comfortable using Office 2004, you will have no problem using Office 2008.  While the interface has not changed, new features are now available which you can review on Microsoft’s Mac help page.

As the time for Mac updates draws near, we will create documentation on the use of Entourage within eHelp.  Information about using Macintosh computers on campus can be always be found at:  http://www.uwgb.edu/compserv/ehelp/macos/index_macos.htm

If you have any questions or concerns about Macintosh updates, please contact Josh at 465 - 2186 or goldmanj@uwgb.edu.