On Windows XP, I was able to install software myself. How do I do that on Windows 7

This is not possible anymore. With the migration from Windows XP to Windows 7, a lot of things changed. For you, the user, this is one of the biggest changes. Before migrating your workstation from Windows XP to Windows 7 or when you receive a new workstation, you are added to one of several groups based on your functionality with ETH. At the moment, these groups are "science staff" and "secretary" and have software assigned to it. These programs are installed when we set up your pc. If you strongly feel you lack a piece of software to work productively, please contact us so that we can update these profile groups if deemed appropriate.

Where has my data gone?

Your data should still be in your homedirectory, based on a server and connected to your pc as the H: drive.

What happened to my desktop background?

Unfortunately, a migration of these personal settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 is not possible. Rather than trying to migrate some settings, we prefer to start with a blank slate which will guarantee a working state.

I still liked my old desktop background, how do I get it back?

Right-click the desktop, select "Personalize" and in the next window, click on "Desktop Background". In the following window, you can select a picture as your desktop background.

I don't like Windows 7, can I have Windows XP back?

We're sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, once your institute switches to Windows 7, we no longer provide Windows XP or support thereof. You can still use Windows XP on your private laptop though.