DavR

Oof, bad luck. Not seeing anything on ours yet - Win 11 Enterprise 24H2 - it's staying shut off. Mind if ask which version you're seeing it on?

Do we mean the Copilot chatbot built into Microsoft Edge browser? I've just been reading around, and it looks like with recent versions of Edge, they've changed which settings control that. However, there are new GP templates that allow you to turn it off in Edge browser. You need to update your ADMX files for Edge, then the new setting is Admin Templates | Microsoft Edge "Control whether Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat shows in the Microsoft Edge for Business toolbar". This takes effect from Edge version 139. It replaces "Show Hubs Sidebar" which is now deprecated as of Edge version 141. I can't find a good GPO reference, but this one covers the InTune settings, which are basically the same controls - https://blog-en.topedia.com/2025/09/new-intune-policy-to-disable-the-copilot-chat-button-in-edge-for-business/

Just had a quick look, and it looks like there is a migrate MDM option..... but only if you're on iOS 26 or later 😕 https://documentation.meraki.com/Platform_Management/SM_-_Endpoint_Management/Product_Information/Meraki_Systems_Manager_EOL_Migration I might just take the chance to gather everything in one holiday and start from scratch, we haven't got a huge estate.

What are the device restrictions like in InTune versus Meraki? I set up all my device rules in Meraki years ago, it'll be fun transferring those over. Like @Cat_Jam148 we're on LGfL licensing, it'll be interesting to see what they'll come up with as an alternative. I suspect they'll do a bulk license deal with someone else.

@psydii is right that there is a certain amount of management and careful working to be done around how you achieve what the new teacher has requested. However, on a purely practical note, we achieved similar to what your teacher was asking for using an app called Feem. It has an iOS app, and a Windows app. To collect files from the class, the teacher opens their app on the Windows device. The students then open the iOS app and send their files to the teacher. This can only be done whilst the relevant apps are opened by both parties, reducing the risk safeguarding concern. It can be a bit fiddly, but it does what we need it to do. No Air Drop, no cables. The main restriction is that it does need to be on the same VLAN, I don't think it crosses LANs nicely.

Take advice from your electrician and/or site manager, but, you may be able to resolve this by switching the breaker for that circuit from a Type B to a Type C. The Type C allows for a far greater inrush current, taking account of that initial power-on surge, whilst also still allowing a decent protection for the circuit from shorts etc. I had to get this done when commissioning a new IT suite once. There were isolators for the suite, but, every time you switched those isolators on, the surge of 30 PCs taking initial power tripped the breaker.

Do you have a desktop or laptop connected to the Interactive Display? We used to screen share to Windows desktops from iPads using AirServer Universal software, which I think is still available. I don't think anyone really uses it any more, but I keep it available just in case. It may be you can use either Samsung Screenshare from the tablet, or get a third party app such as Chrome browser to cast from there.

I tend to go to three suppliers and ask for three different technologies when I'm in that scenario. Which is annoying when you've already chosen the brand you want, or you're brand loyal for a reason, e.g., interoperability. I'll be honest, if I want a certain brand or model, sometimes I'll get the supplier who has historically been the cheapest to quote for that, and then treat the other two quotes as box ticking. It's gaming the system, but in the face of uncompetitive behaviour from the other side, what can you do.

It wouldn't be the first time 😂 Looking at the adapters we have for our Chromebooks, they're rated 45W. Even assuming they're running at full power, 45W on 230V should only be 0.2A per charger, so 6A total for a trolley of 30. If you were using 65W chargers, almost 0.3A each, so closer to 9A per trolley. Not a huge amount, but more than I'd trust multiples of on a 13 amp four way extension lead. Hypothetically not a big problem for a fixed mains circuit at 30A or similar. But I defer to @Andrew_C's point on earth leakage, though.

My understanding is that this is recommendation for older technologies, which would continue to draw power even what batteries were full. It was to prevent overcharging, as well as present some economies. With more intelligent charging these days, devices should stop drawing power when the battery is full. Should, being the operative word. Either way, I leave ours available all day and night, charge on demand, because then things can charge between lessons. No point having the things if a device dies at lunchtime and you can't recharge it. EDIT - misread your question, sorry. I was replying about putting two trolleys on one 4-way extension (now deleted). Two trolleys of four plugs total, into one four gang wall socket? That would depend on what else is on that mains circuit, and what the breaker is rated to. Theoretical maximum of the trolleys is 13A x 4 = 52A, but even with trolleys, it's rare they'll be drawing the full 13A. I'd take my chances and plug in all four using the sockets available. If it's too much, the breaker will trip, and you'll know why. Another consideration could be power-on surge, depending on how well designed the trolleys are. When powering on that circuit from the breaker, four high-draw devices could cause a power-on surge and trip the breaker again. To prevent this, a lot of trolleys are designed to power up in stages.

1. Get an extended warranty wherever possible, but otherwise, repair in house. Chromebooks are very repairable, if you can get the parts, although with CPU, RAM, storage and external ports all on the motherboard, if any of those go, the unit is pretty much dead. 2. No specific stock level, but we have 120 Chromebooks in the school, and I try to always have some replacements in stock for when something is unrepairable. 3. We are not 1:1. We're primary and have a trolley per year group in KS2, which puts us at something like 1:4. 4. Not 1:1 5. Not 1:1 6. We did run a scheme where selected disadvantaged students were offered a Chromebook for home use, but that was based on a specific batch of devices the DfE provided during COVID. It's an offer we're rolling back on these days, I think we've only got maybe three or four still out there. Primary I don't think warrants 1:1 devices just yet (IMO) but I think when you hit secondary, it's the ideal if the budget can stomach it, and if every department is amenable / can be made amenable to providing work in Google Classroom / Workspace.

If it helps @synaesthesia, your suffering has achieved something - I was meaning to go back and test this and see if it's an issue, it obviously is, so you've saved me a job 😂 Not very encouraging about a fix time, though, if this is still a fault four months later. I don't know how well this would fit your processes, but if you've got Apple Configurator, you can setup a blueprint in that to answer all the silly little questions, and save yourself that hassle at least. That's what I did when I had to reset a batch of iPad Air Mk1s over the summer.

I can't comment on Unifi kit specifically, but, we've just done a new wifi network with Cambium, which is a similar level. I did compare a lot of other kit in the process, and regarding your PoE question, most WiFi6/7 APs I saw will run happily at full power on PoE+ (and, anecdotally, CAT5 and above legacy cabling). The PoE++ requirement is for if they'll be powering downlevel devices on a second ethernet or USB port, ie, doing PoE passthrough. Obviously, it varies per manufacturer, but that was the general rule.

I wonder if the setting "Configure whether a user always has a default profile automatically signed in with their work or school account" makes a difference? We don't have that set, might be something to play with.

If you're using InTune, there's a custom detection script available on the MS deployment page. I'm not sure whether it can discriminate between different versions, though. If you're installing with a startup script, we use the following if exist command to check for a specific version: If exist "%PROGRAMFILES%\WindowsApps\MSTeams_25212.2204.3869.2204_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\ms-teams.exe"

Yup, +1.

Moving on from ActivInspire is a huge challenge. Staff have got years, sometimes decades, of material and experience on ActivInspire, and frankly, none of the web based packages I've seen come anywhere close to competing. Promethean bought out Explain Everything just a bit too late, after people had already been too underwhelmed by ClassFlow. If you were starting from scratch, you'd maybe use PowerPoint or Google Slides, but I think we'll be supporting ActivInspire for a long while yet. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has moved on, though!

Probably not much help, but can confirm that it's the same behaviour trying to open flipchart files using the SharePoint web UI for us, too. Open, opens it as if were a folder. Open in app, opens a second instance of OneDrive that does nothing helpful. Pretty much all of our lot are using CDM to open flipcharts, it's another factor in our keeping to use it, and I can't see another way of working with flipcharts that live on SharePoint.

They did this with the Office 365 Android app a while back..... I'm using it to access and open office docs, it's got F-All to do with MS CoPilot, surely, that's a separate product.

I had (I think) this error on one workstation doing the September CU. The thing that fixed it for me was to uninstall and reinstall Dot Net 3.5 through "Turn Windows Features on and off". It was a suggestion I found on this thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/ZephyrusG14/comments/1cwnrse/windows_update_failed_install_error_0x800f081f/

If you pay for your Office licensing annually, e.g. via an OVS agreement, you can ask your reseller for "Microsoft 365 Apps" licenses. If you combine these with Office A1 standard licensing, you'll get the equivalent of the old A1 Plus entitlement - i.e., web apps and install rights. If you don't see A1 licenses at all in your tenant, hunt around, you should be able to "buy" these for free. Or at least, I did once to up my license count, and I'm assuming that route is still there somewhere.... I was surprised Microsoft have only now actioned this, they were threatening it a few years back, with a deadline of August 2024. As of today, my A1 Plus licenses are still there.

Thanks for sharing that update @DDR5 Good to hear that it's being recognised more widely as an issue, but not very encouraging that Jamf users were talking about this two months back, and it's still not resolved. I've done everything I needed to manually with the devices temporarily unenrolled from DEP, and then put them back in for later. So, I'm just waiting for a call back now from Apple.... at some point.... with any developments.

Good news. Just in time to rollback the manual fix, before I do a wider rollout.

I'll run with the registry fix for now, then. If I'm rebuilding my workstations, I want them fully patched for a clean start in September.

I wonder if they'll re-release August CU with the fix, or if we'll have to wait until September? I'm rebuilding workstations over the holiday, would be kinda nice if we had all updates installed before I sign off on the job.