Installing university licensed software on LSA-managed Windows computers

Summary

LSA-managed Windows computers have the 'Software Center' application installed, which gives access to licensed and tested application packages that can be installed by any user logged in to the device.

Environment

LSA-Managed Windows 10/11 devices

Accessing Software Center

There are several ways to access the Software Center application

Start Menu

1. Click on the Start Menu
2. Locate and click on 'Software Center'
   • Software Center may appear as a pinned application on the Start Menu
   • You can search for Software Center by typing 'Software Center' into the search bar within the Start Menu and selecting it from the search results.

'Block M App' (WLMS Notify)

1. Click on the 'Block M App' (WLMS Notify)
   • WLMS Notify is accessed from the system tray, found in the Windows taskbar, usually by the system clock
   • The system tray can hide lesser-used icons, so you may need to click the upward-facing arrow to expand these hidden icons to find it
2. Select 'Software Center'

Directions

Installing Available Software

1. Open Software Center (see above)
2. Select "Applications" from the left-hand menu
3. Find the application you wish to install either by locating it in the listing, or searching for it
4. Click on the application you wish to install
5. Click 'Install'
6. Status will be provided on the specific application's page, or by clicking 'Installation Status'

Notes on Installing Available Software

• Software installations done by Software Center do not require administrative rights on the machine to install
  • Occasionally, certain functions within certain applications may still require administrative rights.
• Software installations done by Software Center are expected to be licensed, unless otherwise specified
  • Licensed software is expected to receive license updates as needed, as long as LSA retains access to site licensing for the title
• Software will download and install in the background.  During this time, you may continue to use your device.
• You may select and install multiple applications at the same time.  Software Center will queue all selected titles to be installed.
• Many software titles will 'upgrade in place' if you have previous versions installed.  eg, SPSS Statistics 29 will remove SPSS 28 as part of installation.
• While most applications will function immediately some may either request a reboot, or may not fully function until a reboot takes place.  If you have issues with software immediately after install please reboot and try again.
• It is advised to perform software installations on a fast network connection, ideally on-campus, as Software Center is downloading installation files from on-campus resources.
• It is advised to be aware when using metered data connections, as software installations can be very large.

 

Installing Software Updates

Updates for some titles are scheduled and installed automatically. If you wish to see the upcoming updates and when they will be installed. The information is available on the, "Installation Status" tab.

1. Open Software Center (see above)
2. Select "Installation Status" from the left-hand menu
   • Selecting 'All' from the top of this window will display all currently installed software on the device, and any pending updates.
   • Selecting 'Upcoming' will only show software and updates that are in some sort of pending status.
3. You may select applications and updates from this list and install them on-demand.

Installing Windows OS Updates

Windows OS updates are also deployed via the Software Center after being reviewed by LSA Technology Services.

1. Open Software Center (see above)
2. Select "Updates" from the left-hand menu
3. Required operating system updates and certain application updates will be listed here. Ideally this list should be blank, indicating all required updates have been installed.
4. After installing updates, it is usually the case that a reboot is required, which will be displayed on this list.  Performing this reboot will complete the installation. 
   • The reboot will take longer than normal, please leave your device powered on during this process

Common Issues

I Don't See The Program I Want To Install

The program might not be available for self-install. Please check the ITAM Software Licensing site for software availability and then contact LSA Technology Services to request assistance installing.

The Program Finished Installing But I Can't Find The Program to Run

The computer might need a restart to finish the install.

I Can't Find Software Center On My Personal Computer

Software Center is only installed on LSA-built and managed computers. Please check the ITAM Software Catalog to see if there's a personal computing license available for the software you wish to have installed.