University Issued PCs - New Computer Guide

Whether you are a new employee, getting an upgrade to an old computer, or switching from Mac to Windows, this guide will help you get started with your new PC on the CU Network.

Preparing to Transfer

If you are a current employee moving from an old computer, there are some things you can do ahead of time that will make the new computer setup quicker and easier.

• Export your bookmarks or use Chrome sync to save your bookmarks to the cloud
  • Similarly you can sync your bookmarks on all major browsers by signing-in to the browser itself.
• Backup your files to a shared drive, personal drive, OneDrive, or flash drive.
  • Make sure to copy everything important from your desktop, documents, and other locations that you use frequently.

First-Time Login

The first time you log into a University Windows computer, your profile is built from information on the network. For this reason, you need to connect to the ucdenver.pvt network before logging in. 

On campus:

• Plug into an active ethernet port. You should see the globe icon in the lower-right change to a computer monitor icon.
• Connect to the "CU Anschutz" Wi-Fi network. Guest networks and the CUMedicine networks do not connect properly.

Off-campus:

• Follow these instructions to connect to the VPN before your login. Your computer needs to have been specifically setup for this, so contact IT support if this option doesn't appear on your computer.
  
• Once you've connected, you can click "Other User" in the lower-left and then login with your University credentials. After this first time, the profile is saved on the computer and you no longer need to connect first.

Automatic Sign-Ins

Several programs and features will automatically sign-in based on your Windows profile. Doublecheck that each of these programs synced correctly:

• Microsoft Office Apps, including Outlook
• Microsoft Teams (if your lab/team uses it)
• Microsoft Edge bookmarks (if you use Edge)
• Microsoft OneDrive (if you backed your files up to OneDrive)
• Shared Drives should show up automatically in File Explorer. If not, you may need to manually connect following these instructions.

For Outlook, it is a good idea to open it and wait for all the loading to complete. This process can take a while on the first login if you have a lot of emails. It is complete when it says "All folders are up to date." on the bottom of Outlook.

If you use a browser's "sign-in to sync" feature, open the browser and sign in now to confirm that you have your bookmarks, extensions, and settings synced.

Transfer Data

Copy data from the "Preparing to Transfer" step above onto the new computer. If you used OneDrive, sign in and the files should immediately sync and become available. If you used an external flash drive or hard drive, plug it in and copy/paste the files over. If you used a network drive, copy/paste the files from the network drive (see "Shared Drives" above).

Manual Sign-ins

Depending on your needs, you may other software to install and/or sign-in to. If you have questions or need assistance with this, contact IT.

Other Steps

Here are links to some other guides that are useful when setting up a new computer: