Virtual Computer Services (VCS) Windows 11 Profile Setup Guide
Introduction
This guide can be used to configure profile settings in VCS for a user profile.
Applicability
This article applies to anyone who uses or administrates VCS, and needs to configure user settings for Windows 11.
Details
A user profile is a section of operating system where your personalized settings are stored. Things like what mapped drives and printers you connect to, application specific settings, what wallpaper you set, etc are stored in your user profile. The steps below do not have to all be done, nor in order, but rather you can pick and choose what settings you want to apply so that Windows works for you. This list is also not a comprehensive list, but rather the most common items that clients request from IST.
Steps:
1. Sign into Google Chrome
2. Change default browser
3. Change default Applications (PDF, Image, etc)
4. Set a desktop wallpaper
5. Map a Network drive
6. Map a Network printer
7. Move Start menu to the left side
8. Set default printer
9. Change to dark mode
10. Pin Apps to the Taskbar
11. Advanced Tools & Resources
Sign into Google Chrome
To sign into Google Chrome and synchronize your bookmarks follow the steps below.
Open Google Chrome
Enter your ccid@ualberta.ca email address.
Enter your CCID and password into the University of Alberta authentication page.
Complete the login with the multifactor authentication
When asked to Turn on sync, click Yes, I'm in.
Change Default Browser
Windows 11 defaults to Microsoft Edge as the default web browser. If you wish to use a different browser as your default, then you can follow the steps below to change your default. In this case we'll use Google Chrome as an example. When you open a non-default web browser, you'll be notified if it isn't set as the default browser, with a button to set it as the default.
After a few moments, you'll see the next screen. Scroll down until you see the two entries HTTP and HTTPS, click on one of them.
Select your browser of choice, then click on Set Default. Note: by changing either HTTP or HTTPS settings, it will automatically change the default for the other.
This window can now be closed.
Change Default Applications (such as PDF, images,etc)
*The following instructions can apply to any file type, but this example, we'll be setting the default application for PDF files.*
By default PDF files are set to open within Microsoft Edge (can be changed to another browser of choice). The advantages of this is that using a browser to view PDF files is much faster than using a full PDF viewer/editor like Adobe Acrobat. However, if you need to fill out PDF forms, then you may need the functionality of purpose built PDF reader like Foxit PDF Reader, or if you need to create/edit PDF files you may need a full PDF Editor such as Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Find any existing PDF file, right click on it, hover over Open With, then select Choose another app. (Note: selecting an app from this screen will work, but only for opening this one file, and the default will not change)
Next, choose your preferred PDF application, then click on Always. Which sets it as the default.
Set a Desktop Wallpaper
Find the picture file (.jpg, .png, etc) right click on it, and select Set as desktop background.
Mapping a Network Drive
Open File Explorer on the taskbar. Once in File Explorer. Right click on This PC on the left side, then select Map network drive...
On the next window, select a drive letter you want to use, then enter the network folder you want to connect to. Reconnect at sign-in is enabled by default, Once the info is added, click Finish.
Note: If you need to map an AHS drive, a couple extra steps are required, shown below.
If you are connecting to an AHS network drive, be sure to click on Connect using different credentials. Then click on Finish.
A new window comes up asking for your username and password.
For AHS drives, be sure to start your username with "healthy\". This tells the computer to use your AHS username instead of your UofA account. And lastly, put a checkmark in Remember my credentials. Then click Ok.
Map a Network Printer
If you want to add a network printer from the print server, open File Explorer, and browse to \\med-print01
Browse for the printer you want to add, right click on it, and then select Connect.
While the printer is being added, you'll see. When that window closes, the printer should be available to print to.
Move the Start menu to the left side
Right click on the taskbar, then choose Taskbar settings.
Next, click on Taskbar Behaviors.
Lastly, click on Center, under the Taskbar alignment setting to toggle to the left.
Setting a default Printer
Click on the Start Menu, then click on Settings.
On the left side, click on Bluetooth & devices.
Then click on Printers & scanners.
Then click on the printer you'd like to use as the default.
Lastly, click on Set as default.
Change to Dark mode
Right click on the desktop, then click on Personalize
Then click on Colors
Lastly, click on where it says Light, this option will show a drop down menu to change it to Dark.
Pin Apps to the Taskbar
Start by opening the application you want to pin. The running application will show on the Taskbar, right click on the application's icon, and click on Pin to Taskbar.
Advanced Tools & Resources
Finding previous mapped drives and printers:
Open File Explorer and browse to \\med-vcs-profile\xendesktop
Then double click on the folder labelled as your username
The following two files contain a history of the mapped drives and printers you've used in the past. Using this info, you have the details of how to map a network drive, or map a network printer.
This can be handy for getting the network paths and printer names if you need to re-map network drives or printers.