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Mini update refreshes UWindsor Drupal 7 website
Aug 18th, 2021
screen grab of uwindsor.ca homepage

Visitors to uwindsor.ca may notice a subtle change starting Thursday. The primary corporate brand typeface, DIN, will replace the current Tahoma font and it will now feature a UWindsor blue overlay on the left-most part of the image with white text. This change better aligns the site with the University’s branding and makes the site more accessible.

“Our IT Services Web Services group has worked collaboratively with the Public Affairs and Communications team and the web governance committee to improve the user experience, enhance accessibility for persons with disabilities, ameliorate mobile navigation, and modernize the look,” says Mike Fisher, manager of web services and systems support. “These changes will also see us through to the planned Drupal 9 migration.”

Bradd Bezaire, team leader in web services, points to a slight change in the size of banner images.

“Our campus website content editors will see the carousel image aspect ratio slightly change,” he says. “They will be able to fit more text over top of the image and make use of the sub-headers both of which will help with accessibility.”

Another feature will be added to the image carousel in the coming weeks; visitors will be able to play and pause the carousel on the UWindsor and faculty homepages.

“Our homepage is our virtual front door. Whether you are visiting from a desktop or mobile device, we want the experience as welcoming as possible,” Fisher says. “It is essential that our users can navigate our site and get the most vital information easily.”

Campus content editors can receive support by opening a ticket with ITS Web Services Group.

Enhancement to UWinsite Student reaches testing stage
Aug 16th, 2021
computer screen displaying UWinsite Student system

The UWinsite Student Update Project has reached the initial testing phase earlier than expected with most of the retrofit now complete. The update includes the latest security-related features, functionality, and fixes, ensuring the agility to meet ever-changing campus needs.

“The updates are behind the scenes and most users will not notice a major difference,” says acting registrar Lorraine Grondin. “At the same time, the update puts us in a better position to address issues as they arise.”

This is also in line with the University’s commitment at the onset of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) project for UWinsite Student to be sustainable, scalable, best-practice driven, and student-centric.

A core group of staff from the Student Accounts Office, Student Awards and Financial Aid, Information Technology Services, and the Office of the Registrar have been working on the project. Employees from these offices have dedicated part of their workdays to test the new environment, leaving less time to respond to issues and provide reports.

“We appreciate the campus community’s patience as we continue with this project,” Grondin says.

In the coming weeks, as the project moves to the final implementation phase, more individuals from across campus will be asked to test. This update is expected to launch on Nov. 22.

Questions regarding the UWinsite Student Update Project can be sent to UWinsite@uwindsor.ca.

Video introduces webinar feature for MS Teams
Aug 4th, 2021
Tech Talk logo

Interested in hosting a webinar for a large audience and collecting registration information? Microsoft Teams now offers the capabilities to do just that and more. Leverage functionality that is similar to scheduling a Teams meeting and minimize the need to use another platform.

When using the webinar function, you can invite presenters separately, provide details about your interactive event, and create a registration form with a unique link. You can customize the form with a graphic and add the necessary attendee fields to deliver an engaging presentation.

Watch Information Technology Services team member Craig Brown demonstrate how to set up Teams Webinar in this 164-second Tech Talk video. If you want more information about using the Teams webinar feature, click on the links in the Comments section below the video.

Tech Talk is a presentation of IT Services. More Tech Talks are available at www.uwindsor.ca/its/tech-talk.

Workstations running Windows 7 blocked as part of security enhancements
Jul 29th, 2021
computer running Windows 7 shown behind bars

Anyone running an undocumented workstation with the Windows 7 operating system may, as of today, be experiencing difficulty accessing the University network. A block to the network has been implemented as part of the planned security enhancements under the Y2K20 Project to modernize computer workstations.

“Any device running an out-of-date operating system increases the vulnerability of our University network and all our users’ data,” says Marcin Pulcer, assistant director of Information Technology Services. “Microsoft has not provided support for Windows 7 since January 2020.”

Anyone using an unregistered Windows 7 workstation will not be able to remote desktop to a device from home, or access the internet, OneDrive files, or other internet-dependent University applications.

If you find that your device is blocked, a temporary exception is possible. Contact the IT Service Desk via live chat from the bottom right corner of www.uwindsor.ca/its or www.uwindsor.ca/itshelp, or call 519-253-3000, ext. 4440, for help and to have your device added to the Windows 10 upgrade worklist.

A Knowledge Base Article is available with more information on device management basics.

Action needed to prepare campus to print again
Jul 8th, 2021
Computer giving thumbs-up

A security update needs to be installed on all campus computers to safely re-enable printing. Due to the risk of this vulnerability, it is not safe to re-enable printing until enough computers have received this update.

Users can help expedite the return of printing by making sure their computers receive the update as soon as possible.

For Windows 10 devices enrolled in Intune Device Management or UWin Active Directory - the update will be applied automatically. All that needs to be done is to reboot when prompted.

For all other Windows 7 devices and Windows 10 devices not enrolled in Intune or UWin Active Directory - a patch is available and must be manually installed by the user by following these steps:

  1. Open Windows Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update.
  2. Click Check for updates.
  3. A new July patch will automatically start downloading on your device. Make sure that the patch with KB5004945 in the name is one of the patches being installed.
  4. Click on Restart now after the patch is downloaded.

If you have not installed updates on your Windows 7 or unmanaged Windows 10 device in a while, your device may be several patches behind and the install process may take some time. You may have to apply updates and reboot multiple times. Using device management is a way to make this process less painful in the future. Contact IT Services for more information.

If you are still unable to print by the end of the day, contact IT Services as there may be additional steps on your machine that you need to take to be able to print.

Should you have further questions or concerns regarding these update processes, contact the IT Service Desk at 519-253-3000, ext. 4440.