So, you have a new laptop or desktop .. read on ..

The first thing to note is that your desktop or laptop may be a refurbished model rather than a brand new one. But, old or new, it will be running Windows 10 Pro and it will be joined to Reading Mencap’s directory of devices in the cloud (called Azure Active Directory). This allows us to keep your sign-in at an appropriately secure level and it means that, having initially signed in to the laptop or desktop with your Microsoft 365 account, you have automatic access to the cloud versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, etc, without the need for a further sign-in barrier.

Some users will also have access to local desktop (non-cloud) versions of Word, Excel and Outlook but, as this is a more expensive option for Reading Mencap, this will not generally be the case. Those users will be offered the option to download these desktop versions of these applications.

First, connect to the internet

When the laptop or desktop boots up it will try to connect to the internet using the last valid connection that it had working. If it is now in a location that it has not been in before it will need to be attached to a new valid internet connection, typically WiFi. Look at the bottom right of the start-up screen. If there is a picture of a globe then it’s NOT connected to the internet. Click on the globe icon and it will prompt for a WiFi connection. Once connected, it will remember that connection and use it whenever the device is in that location.

Sign in

You should always sign-in with your Microsoft 365 account: the username for that is your Reading Mencap email address and the password is your email password. However, you will need that password only for your first sign-in for this device. After that, you will be prompted for a 6-digit PIN of your choice. Some devices may permit fingerprint sign in. This is called the Windows HELLO system. In setting up HELLO for the first time on this device you will normally be asked to verify your identity by typing in a short code sent by Microsoft to your phone. This is called Two-Factor Authorisation (2FA).

Very first sign in

When the sign in screen appears after booting up the device, click on Other User from the options listed at the bottom left of the screen. Then type your Reading Mencap email address in the username slot in the middle of the screen and your Reading Mencap email password in the password slot immediately below it. Hit the Enter key. You should then see a message ‘Hi’, followed a process of guiding through the establishing of your preferences and choosing a PIN and/or a fingerprint. This process happens only for the first sign in and it requires you to be connected to the internet in order to verify your credentials. When signing in thereafter, just choose your name from the options listed in the bottom left and enter your PIN or fingerprint, as asked for.

OneDrive for Business

Each Reading Mencap user has access to 1 TB of their own cloud storage on OneDrive for Business (that is 1000 GB). Straight away, we need something to be clarified: there are two types of OneDrive offered by Microsoft. They are very different and Microsoft would have served its community a lot better if they had given them entirely different names, but they didn’t: they called the personal OneDrive just OneDrive and they called the business version OneDrive for Business, or sometimes (in our case) OneDrive — Reading Mencap, or sometimes workplace OneDrive or just OneDrive. It leads to massive confusion.

Use this OneDrive storage for documents that you create that do not normally need to be widely shared. Of course, you can still share documents in OneDrive with other Reading Mencap users if you choose, and the process is quite simple, but OneDrive documents are private by default. You can sync all or part of your OneDrive cloud storage to the local disk drive on your laptop or desktop device. This allows you to work on documents that are normally kept on the cloud when you temporarily have no internet access. Different symbols are used to indicate documents that are only on the cloud, documents that have been temporarily downloaded to your device for you to work on, and documents that have been downloaded to your device and will remain accessible even if there is no internet.

Setting up OneDrive for Business

When you complete the first sign-in process on your new device you are not yet automatically connected to OneDrive. If you look among the icons at the bottom right of the screen (you might need to click on Show hidden icons) you might see a grey cloud, perhaps with a line through it. Click on this to start the OneDrive sign-in process. As you go through the various dialogue windows make sure you offer your Reading Mencap email address and, if offered, be sure you click on the option for Work or school and not Personal, otherwise you’ll be setting up the wrong type of OneDrive. When you’ve finished, the little cloud con in the bottom right of your screen should now be blue. And, if you hover over it, you should see OneDrive — Reading Mencap.

You will also see OneDrive – Reading Mencap when you look in File Explorer, as shown below. Your OneDrive will only be populated with files if you have already saved stuff in it (perhaps using another machine).

The little icons in the Status column are giving you useful information about the sync status each file (that is, whether it is only on the cloud, or on both the cloud and your laptop, etc). Remember, every file is on the cloud. A blue cloud means this file is only on the cloud; a green tick in a green circle means it is on the cloud and on your laptop; a white tick in a green disc means this file will always be kept on your laptop; a little person means this file is shared with somebody. You can click on these icons to change the status of any file (to make it cloud only, or cloud and laptop, etc).

SharePoint

Reading Mencap collectively has access to (currently) 1.5 TB of SharePoint cloud storage, but that is shared with all RM’s users. SharePoint is designed for sharing and SharePoint documents are shared by default. This sharing is normally carried out by means of Groups and Teams. The idea is that, when you have a number of people working simultaneously on the same project, they should form a SharePoint group or team (via Teams) and communicate and share documents through the Team or Group associated with that project. When you use the Teams app, you are working via SharePoint. SharePoint does not show up directly in File Explorer.

Other accounts on your device

There are three local accounts on your new device. You should not normally need these, but it might useful in an emergency to know that they’re there. The three local users are visitor, RMuser and admin. You would sign in to visitor, for example, by choosing Other user and typing local\visitor in the username slot. The character between local and visitor is a backslash. The visitor account is unique because you don’t need a password. This user has limited access to the device, but it can be useful if an outsider wants to check something in a browser, for example, with minimised risk to your own security.

MS Office

If your MS365 licence is of a category (Business Standard) that permits the free downloading of the MS Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) the you should download this software next. Go to  www.office.com in your browser, log in, and click on the Install Office button that you can see on the home page. When prompted for a username, type your Reading Mencap email address in the username slot in the middle of the screen and your Reading Mencap email password in the password slot. This ensures that the installed software will be registered to your name. Note that this software installation can take some time.

However, because of the additional costs involved, only some RM users have a licence that permits the use of downloaded versions of the Office suite. Others will have the Business Basic licence. This does not prevent them from using the various Office apps (Word, Excel, etc), but they must be used in their online modes. This means they are not available when you are not connected to the internet and that some features are restricted.

Last, but not least …

For auditing and accounting purposes, we need to know who in Reading Mencap currently has which PC or laptop. Every Windows machine is assigned a PC Name or Computer Name or Device name. You need to confirm what it is for the PC/laptop that has just come into your possession and email Chaz with that information. To discover the PC name of your device, proceed as follows …

1. Click on the Search icon near the bottom left of your screen and type PC name.
2. Hit the Enter key when the suggestion View your PC name pops up. This opens the appropriate section of the Settings app.

3. Make a note of the Device name that is displayed in your case, and email Chaz with it. (Yes, Microsoft sometimes calls it the Device name, and sometimes the PC name, and sometimes the Computer name — go figure …)

Many thanks.

Any problems?

That should be enough to get you started with your new device. Good luck! Any problems, just email Chaz.