COLI: Windows 11 Notes

Owned by Mark Gallimore
Last updated: Sept 26, 2023
4 min read

COLI's Favorite New Features

Window Management

Windows 11 has better window management features.  Typically the middle rectangle icon in the upper right window controls simply toggles between a full-screen and floating (smaller-than-full-screen) window.  Now, if the user hovers over it, it displays a menu of window configurations: split screens, tiles, etc.  This is excellent for large display use.  Once the user chooses a location and size for the current window, the feature allows the user to choose another window to be added in another space on the same screen, or the user can click around the options to ignore that option.  

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Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool was a free app available in the Microsoft Store in prior versions of Windows, and a COLI favorite.  For Windows 11, it received an update, with new features.  This includes better delay options for screenshots, as well as a screencast recorder.  Every user should have this handy for ticketing helpdesk, demonstrating features to colleagues or students, and so on.

New Start Menu

The Start Menu works similar to previous versions of Windows, but appears simplified.  Here's how it works:  

  • The start button (windows icon) is no longer fixed to the lefthand corner.  Now, it is grouped, but on the lefthand side with the taskbar icons (that center bottom). 
     
  • When the user first clicks the icon, the start menu is essentially an auxiliary to the taskbar. 
     
  • Presumably you can pin apps there that are less often used than those you have on the task bar.  Click "All apps" to see every app available on the PC:


  • With any app available on All Apps, you can use the right-click menu to choose to either pin it to the taskbar or start menu: 


Multiple Desktops

Windows 10 emulated MacOS in offering multiple desktops per monitor.  But that seems more explicit in our default Windows 11 configuration.  Not sure how useful vs. confusing this is.


Features of Interest or Concern

Duplicate @canisius.edu accounts

If the user has created a Microsoft account using their @canisius.edu email address, this can cause confusion.  They can authenticate with it, and then not see their Canisius OneDrive, and other apps.  Also, Bing Chat then works:

Bing Chat is available via an icon in the Search menu.  Click the Search bar or icon to bring up the menu.  The Chat icon is in the upper right, and by default opens in Edge. 


Outlook Issue: Needs Repair?

Opening MS Outlook this AM, every time issued warning that it must repair or will not remain open.  This problem seemed to resolve with a cold restart, which suggests it might occur after waking up (lid up after a long time shut, but not cold shutdown).


However, after Cold Restart, Outlook appears to "stall," for several sections after a click/operation.  Users may think (if they do not wait it out) that it has crashed, in the traditional sense that it is only recoverable via CTRL-ALT-DEL


Update Failed

Windows update failed to complete.  After it appeared (hour) that the update was cycling but not completing, cold reboot.  


IC28341 subsequently suffered an irrecoverable loss of HD.  Sent to HD for repair.  


Fleet image should not include Teams personal, or whatever the non-Work and School version is.  This will cause confusion for users.  

Outlook Desktop lost my credentials.  Forced to reconstruct profile.