To upgrade your current computer from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and make the most out of new Windows 11 features, please follow these steps: Install Windows 11 1. Choose a time to run the update. It may take a couple hours to run, so we recommend starting it at the end of your workday and letting it run overnight. 2. If updating a laptop, make sure it's plugged in and charging. If possible, connect your laptop to ethernet so that the updates will run faster. Ethernet adapters are available at the helpdesk if you need to borrow one. 3. When you are ready, go to the start menu and type "run" (⊞ + R). Select the Run application, and type in the following file path:  X:\GoWin11.cmd  4. After clicking "OK", two black windows will pop up on your screen. Don't close these! Just let them run. 5. After awhile, your computer will restart to install Windows 11. Make sure to keep it plugged in and connected to internet!   6. When the install finishes, it will bring you back to the login page.  BUT WAIT! We're not done yet! 7. Once you have signed into your computer, you'll need to enable Bitlocker. To do this, go to the Windows search bar and type enablebitlocker and click to run the installer 8.  Click YES when prompted on screen, and then follow the instructions in the the black command window to turn on Bitlocker.  9. After restarting your computer to enable Bitlocker, you'll need to update your Office applications to Microsoft 365. To do this, go back to the run application and type in X:\GoMS365.cmd 10. Finally, to complete the setup of Windows 11, Sign into OneDrive. To do this, open OneDrive by searching in the start menu, and click sign in at the prompt   11. After signing in using your Oxy account, select ALL folders to sync to your PC, and click next to sync your files Congratulations! You have now finished setting up Windows 11 on your computer! To learn more about your new OS, click HERE.  If you run into any issues completing any of the above steps, please stop by the helpdesk, email us at helpdesk@oxy.edu, or give us a call at (323) 259-2880 (x2880).

Bitlocker helps protect your data against offline attacks by encrypting your hard drive. To enable Bitlocker on your Windows 11 computer, follow the steps below. Before you start, make sure to save any of your unsaved work, as your computer will restart during this process.   1. In the Windows search bar, type enablebitlocker and click to run the installer 2. Click YES when prompted on screen, then hit enter when prompted in the command window. 3. Once Bitlocker is enabled, hit enter again to restart your computer.  Once your computer has restarted, Bitlocker will be turned on for your computer!

The current version of Office on your computer is either Office 2016 or Office 2019. These versions will soon be end of life (October 14, 2025) and Microsoft is moving to Microsoft 365, an online version of its Office suite of products, which integrates with OneDrive cloud storage, much like Google Drive. The most up to date Microsoft 365 Office apps can also be installed locally on your computer.  To install the latest version of Office applications, go to the start menu, open the Run application, and type X:\GoMS365.cmd  Click OK to install.

One Drive allows you to automatically sync your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures to the cloud. Saving to this location automatically syncs, and makes your files accessible anywhere on any device with an internet connection. One Drive can be set up on Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers, and will be used during the computer replacement process to transfer your files to a new computer. 1. To set up One Drive, open the app by searching in the start menu, and click sign in at the prompt   2. Sign into One Drive using your Oxy credentials  2.  Select ALL folders to sync to your PC, and click next to sync your files NOTE: This process will change your file paths. If this is an issue for you, please contact the helpdesk (helpdesk@oxy.edu) to discuss your options.

I'm sure you've noticed that Windows 11 looks a bit different from Windows 10. Here are some tips to familiarize yourself with the new look and take advantage of all that Windows 11 has to offer! You’ll notice the Start Menu has moved to the center bottom of your screen and widgets are now the left hand side. If you would like to change it back, go to: Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Behaviors > Alignment Windows 11 emphasizes the use of search rather than menus and folders. The layout of Windows 11 menu looks more like a mobile phone, with most commonly used apps displayed as a grid rather than a list. Start menu customizations carried over from Windows 10 will now appear as “Windows 10 apps” and can be dragged out of that app folder or removed if desired. The right click menu now has condensed options. To see all the options you are used to seeing, at the bottom click “Show More Options” or hold Shift when right clicking. Windows 11 allows you to quickly switch between multiple desktop views to separate roles or projects or simply clear space between tasks. (Windows + Tab for keyboard shortcut.) Read more about desktop views: Stay Organized by Using Multiple Desktops | Windows Learning Center (microsoft.com) Notice anything else confusing? Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@oxy.edu!