Setting Up Your New Dell Computer

Owned by Josh Forest
Last updated: Oct 22, 2024 by Ashley Mattingly
6 min read

This article provides instructions for faculty and staff on how to set up their new university-owned Dell computer. Most new Dell computers that are university-owned are configured for Windows Autopilot and managed by Intune. This is applicable to most Dell computers purchased for UConn departments supported by Information Technology Services (ITS).

Windows Autopilot is part of a new device management program that helps the university secure and up-to-date devices. Most users will not notice many changes compared to a computer that is not configured with Intune/Autopilot.

This procedure is applicable only to university-owned computers. If you are student and looking to gain access to Microsoft resources on your personal device, see this article: Installing Microsoft 365 apps

Prerequisites

You do not need to be connected to the UConn network for initial device setup with an Autopilot machine.

  • Make sure you can connect the machine to AC power

  • Stable internet connection

  • About an hour for setup time

  • Active UConn credentials

  • You are the primary user of the machine

Out-of-box setup

If you are not the primary user of the device, do not continue with setup. The initial setup must be done by the primary user.

  1. Plug the included power supply/charger into the USB-C port at the left of your laptop.

  2. Press the power button near the top right of the keyboard to power the device on.

  3. You will be prompted to select the correct country or region. Choose United States, and press the blue Yes button.

  4. You will be prompted to choose the correct keyboard layout. Choose US keyboard layout, and press the blue Yes button.

  5. You will be prompted to connect to the internet. Connect to either your home network if you are remote or to UConn’s network if you are on-campus (UCONN-SECURE). You can use a wireless connection or a wired (ethernet connection) if your new computer supports it. Once successfully connected, press Next.

  1. The device will now take a few minutes to check for updates and will restart.

  2. Sign in with your UConn email, and NetID password, press the blue Next button.

  3. You will be prompted with Duo. Please be sure to have your Duo account tied with your UConn account to allow access. You may click, Yes, this is my device.

  4. The Setting up for work or school window will appear and will advance through Device Preparation, Device Setup, then Account Setup. This step may take a while.

  5. You will then be brought to the Windows 11 login screen. Please use your UConn email address and NetID password to now log into the device.

  6. During first setup, you will be prompted with Windows Hello. This can be used to log into the PC faster, like FaceID on a mobile device. If needed, pictures are in the Expand below

    1. To setup, click Yes, set up. Your laptop camera will turn on and position your face in the center. After a few seconds, it will say That’s it, you’re all set. Click Next.

      1. You will now be prompted to “Create a Pin” in case Windows Hello does not recognize the user. Click Next. A new window will appear with “More Information required”, click Next and you will be prompted for Microsoft Authenticator, which can be downloaded on a mobile device. Once downloaded, click Next and follow the installation instructions to add your profile.

        1. Further instructions and links for Microsoft Authenticator are listed in the “Steps to Activate Windows Hello” expand below.

      2. You will now be back to create a pin. You can just use numbers or click the “Include letters and symbols” to include more characters. After you will be all set and click OK.

    2. To bypass Windows Hello, click Skip for now. You will be prompted with “More information required”. Click the X in the top right and the prompt should be able to be skipped.

12a. Click Yes, set up

  • Click Next

 

12i. Click Next

 

  • You should now be set up with Windows Hello and logged into the desktop.

12b. Click Skip for now

  • You may be prompted with “More information required” or to get an approval request. With this popup, click the “X” in the top right

  • A new screen with appear labeled “Something went wrong”. Click Skip for now

 

  • You should now be logged into the desktop. Note: If you want to skip this feature, these steps will have to be done if the device is restarted.

 

Important information

  • Once you login to the machine, you will be automatically signed into other Microsoft 365 apps, including OneDrive.

    • There is a possibility that Microsoft Teams will not automatically download. Please use the link under “Software Installation” to download the program.

  • Your Desktop and Documents folder will both sync their contents to your OneDrive at regular intervals. This feature can not be disabled.

  • The first signed-in user gains administrator rights on the machine, and has full control of the device. Please ensure the first logged in user is the primary user of the device.

    • If the device is handed to a different user, they will be prompted with needing Admin credentials. If the primary user changes, please bring back to ITS to reformat the device to be set for that user.

Printer Setup

Networked departmental printers connect to Intune-managed computers differently than other Windows computers. These newer Intune-managed computers utilize a technology called Universal Print. All networked printers should be searchable through Universal Print.

Software Installation

Microsoft 365 apps are pre-installed. To install additional applications, such as Google Chrome, follow steps below:

  1. Press the search button at the bottom center of your screen, and type Company Portal. Click to open the Company Portal.

    1. This should also be located on the left side of your Desktop screen.

  2. Click the Apps Button at the left side.

  3. Find the app you’d like to install, click it, then choose Install.

  4. Additional software is available for download here: https://software.uconn.edu/

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