Viewpoint School
Virtual Desktop on any
computer (incl. Desktop Bar
Guide)
Accessing Your Viewpoint Virtual Desktop
on any Computer
We are pleased to announce the availability of Viewpoint’s new virtual desktop Interface (VDI). It operates very
similarly to your existing physical computer but without many of the limitations traditional computers have.
With your Viewpoint virtual desktop you can access your data and applications from anywhere at any time on
any device.
If you are connecting from a Windows or Mac computer, you can follow the steps below to get connected into Citrix
based Virtual Desktop. There are separate documents for configuring other devices such as tablets or smartphones.
Launching a session:
In your internet browser open the website:
desktop.viewpoint.org
(first time only) Follow the prompts to download and install a small application called “Citrix
Receiver.”
Once installed enter your Viewpoint login and password.
Click on the virtual desktop button, “Windows 7 Student Desktop,” to launch your virtual desktop.
Your desktop environment will appear in a window. Please note: the login process takes a few minutes
the first time you login as the servers must create a new profile and prepare your virtual desktop for use.
Subsequent logins however will be much faster.
Once your desktop opens, you’ll find it’s very similar to your physical desktop. Here’s a few things to note:
VPFavorites is now opened through a shortcut saved to the desktop. It is no longer found in the bottom
right of the taskbar.
You can run your virtual desktop in windowed or full screen mode. Use the XenDesktop toolbar (black
dropdown menu at the top middle of your screen) to switch between modes.
Your personal home drive (N:\) will be automatically connected whenever you log into your VDI. As with
your physical computer, continue to save all your work to your N: drive. Do not save anything you wish to
keep on the C: or D: drives on school computers only your own.
Citrix allows you to use the same peripherals you use with your physical computer, such as
USB drives, printers, sound/touch features.
Exiting out of Your Virtual Desktop Session:
When you are finished using your virtual desktop, we generally recommend that you log off of the virtual
desktop to save resources on the servers. To logoff, go to Start > press “Log Off” button.
Citrix will also allow you to “
disconnect”
your session. This is particularly useful if you plan to reconnect within a short
period of time. When you disconnect, your session stays just as you left it. To disconnect, use the black XenDesktop
toolbar menu at the top middle and select “Disconnect”.
Please keep in mind that virtual desktops with disconnected sessions are automatically rebooted after 8 hours of
inactivity. Anything left unsaved would be lost, so be sure to save your work before disconnecting.
Getting Support:
Anyone can get support from one of our IT Department members in the Fletcher Family Library, go to the ‘Downloads’
or IT Support section of the Viewpoint website. Students can email
StudentSupport@Viewpoint.org
Tips for Using the Desktop Bar
At the top of your virtual desktop session, you’ll see the desktop bar.Click the down arrow to show it.
To hide it click the up arrow.
The first and most important part to know is the Disconnect.
Disconnect:
Your virtual desktop will be disconnected, and exactly as you left it as you sign back on.Disconnect is similar to “Locking” your computer or putting it into “Sleep” or “Hibernation” mode on a Physical Computer where applications aren’t closed. Remember, your desktop will only last 48 hours in a disconnected state, after which it automatically Shuts Down” closing everything you left open. Therefore, save your work if you aren’t returning shortly.
If you are done using your desktop “Shut Down” is best and it will close all your open windows and programs.
Let’s go through each tab quickly and how to use it. We’ll go from left to right:
Home
CTRL + ALT + DEL
Exactly as your physical desktop. It sends that command to your virtual desktop. Please remember, there is no need to lock your virtual computer.
Preferences
There are a few preferences and let’s set those up quickly.
Display: Leave set at “Best resolution”.
File Access: Select read and write. Select checkbox to not prompt you about this physical computer again.
Flash: Set to “Optimize content.” improves performance when watching streamed media (YouTube, etc).
If the option is grayed out as in my example, you first need to install/update the Flash Player on your physical computer. You may use the link they provide (blue arrow) or simply go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ to download the latest version. You may need a special version of Flash “Flash for other browsers”; this can be installed via link: http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/current/support/install_flash_player.exe
And those are your preferences and now for the Full Screen:
Full Screen: Depending on your monitor setup and location of the virtual desktop window, it will either span both
monitors, be snapped to one monitor, or be in a window.
How to use the Full-screen icon:
I have my desktop in a window as you can see, and when I click the full screen icon it resizes to the full screen on the monitor it is on.
Display the desktop bar again, and click the Window icon, and it will re-size the screen back to the window size it was before.
Disconnect:
Your virtual desktop will be disconnected, and exactly as you left it as you sign back on. Disconnect is similar to “Locking” your computer or putting it into “Sleep” or “Hibernation” mode on a Physical Computer where applications aren’t closed. Remember, your desktop will only last 48 hours in a disconnected state, after which it automatically Shuts Down” closing everything you left open. Therefore, save your work if you aren’t returning shortly.If you are done using your desktop Shut Down is best and it will close all your open windows and programs.
Getting Support:
Anyone can get support from one of our IT Department members in the Fletcher Family Library, go to the ‘Downloads’ or IT Support section of the Viewpoint website. Students can email
