Everything you need to know about using school laptops for the competition team — and why getting your own laptop is one of the best investments you can make in your VRC career.
School laptops require you to sign in with your school credentials before anything works. Without logging in, the laptop cannot create your user profile, and VS Code will not be able to save your settings, extensions, or project files properly.
Make it a habit: when you finish a session, plug the laptop in to charge, close it, and return it to its numbered slot. Your teammates depend on finding it ready to go next time.
Because school laptops are managed by the district, certain websites are blocked by the network filter. This is a known limitation. Getting a personal laptop removes all of these restrictions.
You must be signed in before anything else. Software Center ties installations to your user profile. If you are not logged in, VS Code may install for a different user and not appear when you log in next time.
Click the Start Menu (Windows icon, bottom-left) and search for Software Center. It may also appear as a pinned icon on the taskbar. Open it — it looks like a small app store with district-approved applications.
In the Software Center search bar, type Visual Studio Code or VS Code. It should appear in the results. If it does not appear, see the troubleshooting section below — do not try to download it from the internet.
Click Install. The process may take 2–5 minutes depending on network speed. Do not close Software Center or let the laptop sleep during installation. When it shows "Installed," you are done.
Launch VS Code from the Start Menu. Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (four squares icon), search for PROS, and install the official PROS extension. Then follow the Setup Guide for the full EZ Template walkthrough.
If you see an update notification or VS Code is behaving unexpectedly due to an outdated version:
This occasionally happens if VS Code has not been added to the approved catalog for your school, or the catalog needs to refresh. Try these steps in order:
On your own machine the process is straightforward — no Software Center, no IT approval, no work orders.
Go to code.visualstudio.com and download the installer for your OS (Windows, macOS, or Linux). Run the installer and accept all defaults.
Open VS Code, go to Extensions, search PROS, and install it. On your personal laptop you can update it any time a new version releases — just click Update in the Extensions panel. No permission needed.
Go to github.com and create a free account. This lets you store code online, share it with teammates, and download EZ Template releases directly. Also join the PROS Discord at discord.gg/pros for community support.
Press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (macOS) to bookmark this site. All the async learning content — setup guides, diagnostics, Mission Control — is here and works on any device. Return between practice sessions to keep building your skills.
Documents/VRC/2025-26/. Back it up to GitHub or Google Drive after every practice session. Losing your code the week before a competition is a real and entirely preventable disaster.A PROS EZ Template project is a regular folder containing all your source files. When you back it up, you back up the entire folder — not just the .cpp files. The key folders to preserve are:
The firmware/ and .pros/ folders contain the PROS kernel — these are large and can always be re-downloaded. You do not need to back those up, but backing up the whole folder is always safe.
Most school accounts include OneDrive storage accessible from school laptops. This is the easiest backup method for school machines.
On school Windows laptops, OneDrive appears in the left sidebar of File Explorer (the folder icon). Your files are synced automatically when you are on school Wi-Fi and logged in.
Inside OneDrive, create a folder: OneDrive > VRC > 2025-26 > MyRobotProject. Keep your project folder here directly, or copy it here after each session.
The OneDrive icon in the system tray (bottom-right) should show a checkmark when sync is complete. A spinning icon means it is still uploading. Do not close the laptop until sync finishes.
Google Drive works on any device and is accessible from personal and school accounts. It is the most flexible option.
Sign in with your school Google account (or personal Gmail on your own laptop). Create a folder named VRC / 2025-26.
Right-click your project folder in File Explorer → Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. This creates a .zip file. Drag that zip file into your Google Drive folder in the browser. Rename it with the date: MyRobotProject_2025-10-15.zip.
Go to drive.google.com, find your zip, click Download, extract the zip (right-click → Extract All), open the folder in VS Code. Run pros build to verify everything is intact.
A USB flash drive is the fastest, most reliable method for moving a project between laptops — especially useful at competitions where internet may be slow or unavailable.
Plug the flash drive into your laptop. Open File Explorer. Drag your entire project folder onto the flash drive. Wait for the copy to complete before removing it.
Right-click the flash drive in File Explorer → Eject. Wait for the confirmation. Removing without ejecting can corrupt files mid-copy — a corrupted project file the night before a competition is very bad.
Plug the flash drive into the other laptop. Copy the project folder from the flash drive to the local hard drive — do not open VS Code directly from the flash drive. Working from a flash drive is slow and can cause file access errors with PROS.
GitHub is the professional way to back up and version-control code. With a free GitHub account, you get unlimited private repositories. Every time you push, your full history is saved in the cloud.
Pick one of these habits and make it automatic:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended | Why it matters for VRC |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5 (10th gen+) or AMD Ryzen 5 4000+ | Intel Core i5/i7 (12th gen+) or AMD Ryzen 5/7 5000+ | OnShape's geometry kernel and VS Code IntelliSense are both CPU-bound. Older CPUs cause visible lag when rotating assemblies or using autocomplete. |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | Chrome + OnShape alone can use 2–4 GB. Add VS Code, Discord, and extra tabs and 8 GB becomes tight. 16 GB lets everything run without swapping to disk. |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD | 512 GB SSD | Must be an SSD — not a spinning hard drive. VS Code and PROS toolchain are fast on SSD and painfully slow on HDD. 256 GB works; 512 GB gives room for photos and multiple seasons. |
| Display | 1080p (1920x1080), 13" | 1080p or 1440p, 14"–15" | OnShape's CAD viewport needs real estate. A 14" or larger display lets you see the assembly tree, viewport, and toolbar at the same time without constant scrolling. |
| GPU | Integrated (Intel Iris / AMD Radeon Vega) | Integrated is fine — dedicated GPU not required | OnShape is WebGL-based and runs well on modern integrated graphics. A dedicated GPU helps with very large assemblies but is not necessary for most VRC use. |
| USB | 1x USB-A or USB-C with adapter | 2x USB-A or USB-C hub included | The V5 Brain and V5 controller both use micro-USB cables. You need at least one USB-A port or a reliable USB-C hub with a USB-A pass-through. |
| Battery | 6 hours real-world use | 8–10 hours real-world use | Competition days are long. Outlet access in pits varies. A long battery means you can code and update autonomous all day without hunting for a plug. |
| OS | Windows 10, macOS 12, or Ubuntu 20.04 | Windows 11 or macOS 13+ | PROS and VS Code support all three. Windows is most common. macOS works great. Linux works but requires extra setup effort for the PROS toolchain. |
Specific models change frequently — use these specs to search on Best Buy, Amazon, Costco, or B&H Photo. Manufacturer-certified refurbished laptops (Microsoft Certified Refurbished, Apple Certified Refurbished) are also excellent value.