Return to Tipsheets

Tipsheets

A guide to Windows

Cannot logon to computer

If the username, password and domain are correct and the PC still refuses to login, try these steps:

  1. If this is a lab computer just re-image with a floppy disk.
  2. If this persists after re-imaging then report this machine and issue to the Image manager (presently Chris Caesar, x3072) and your Lab Manager. Also, confirm if anyone is having this issue in other labs via AIM.
  3. If this is a classroom computer then call the dispatcher at x4959 to get assistance for access to the machine

If no domain can be chosen:

  1. If this is a lab computer then re-image another computer. See if this persists. If so, immediately report to the Image Manager (currently Vince Spiars) and your Lab Manager. This means the machines are not auto- authenticating to the domain during the initialization process after Ghosting is complete.
  2. If this is a classroom computer then call the dispatcher at x4959 to get assistance for access to the machine

Broken or incorrectly pointed shortcuts:

  1. Right click on the shortcut and select properties.
  2. Click on the Start button. Select Search and Files and Folders.
  3. Type the name of the application you really want
  4. Follow that path and retype that location in to the location box.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Retry the shortcut. If it fails to work then retry steps 1-5.

Creating shortcuts

  1. Find the application you want to create
  2. Right click on it and select Create Shortcut.
  3. Highlight the newly created shortcut and right click.
  4. Select Cut.
  5. Navigate to the location where you want the shortcut to reside. Right click in a blank area of the screen and select Paste.

Canceling Print Jobs

From time to time errant print jobs will back everything up. You must get rid of these immediately, otherwise no one else can print. Make it your habit to check the status of all your lab's printers, just to see that jobs are entering and leaving the queue as they should. If there is a backlog of many files, with some jobs still there that were initiated hours ago, delete them!

  1. Go to: http://falcon.wesleyan.edu/printers
  2. Logon with your network credentials
  3. From the new web page to which you have been authenticated select the printer you wish to manage.
  4. If there are job waiting in queue or there is a jam you will see all jobs waiting.
  5. Delete the job from the print queue (Document Actions).
  6. To return to the list of printers available for control click the All Printer link in the View group on the left side of the page.

Finding Apps or Files

Occasionally, users will not pay attention where they store/save their work on the local station. If the user saved their work on the desktop and logged out the only way to save the data is as follows

  1. The computer must not have been accessed by another user after the originator's logoff
  2. Log back on with the originator's credentials
  3. The file should be on the desktop

If the user logged off, and another user logs on, then the original user's data will be gone.

Mapping/Mounting Drives

The main reason why a consultant would map a drive on a PC is so that the proper network resources are available for the program Timeclock. Here is an example of mapping the server bigbird.

  1. Right-click My Computer
  2. Choose Map Network Drive from the pop-up menu
  3. For drive letter, choose N: and for folder name type \\bigbird\ts
  4. Click on the link for connecting under a different user name
  5. Type in the user name and password you have been given

Imaging (aka Ghosting)

When PCs are ghosted, their primary disks are completely wiped clean and filled with all of the standardized data of what's called an image. The image is the cleanest, most up-to-date version of what should be on every computer in the labs. It is your task to make sure that whenever lab machines exhibit problems of a serious nature you ghost them. Also, ghosting ensures that certain software programs that professors request for their classes are in the labs and working. Often when the desktop is cluttered, or lots of applications are making the machine unresponsive, it is time to Ghost. Note the image date in the upper-right corner of the blue desktop (the newest version typically comes out every Friday). There are two ways of doing this, one is to use a utility placed in the system tray (primary method), the other is to use a floppy disk (secondary method). The first requires simply clicking on the system-tray icon that looks like two CDs opposing one another. Highlight the image name and type in the password labnclass. If for some reason, that fails or the icon isn't there, do the following:

  1. Find the ghost floppies that should be in the consultant cabinets. You must use the correct code to access the disks.
  2. Insert the floppy into a given machine
  3. Restart the computer
  4. At this point, the machine will process the start-up data on the floppy, install network drivers, call to the server, and request the latest image.
  5. Remove the disk once the blue ghost process has initiated. You'll know this when the screen turns blue and has a DOS GUI (Graphical User Interface) with a progress bar to indicate the progress of the imaging process. Acquaint yourself with the different pieces of information shown on the screen.

Renaming PCs

After ghosting a classroom computer, you must rename the computer to match the building and room number. To do this:

  1. Right-click on My Computer and select Properties
  2. Hit the Computer Name tab
  3. Select Change
  4. In the box, type the chosen name of the PC, as in PAC127-PC or FISK302-PC).
  5. You will need special credentials to authenticate this change to take effect.

Also, it is a good idea to delete extra printers from the Printers and Faxes console after ghosting. Just keep Acrobat Distiller and those printers currently used in your lab. This prevents users from printing to the wrong lab accidentally.

Modfile

The modfile (modification file) is located in the root directory of any PC in the labs. It contains a long list of updates sorted by when the updates were performed. The point of this file is to show what should be on the image, and whether or not a given machine has all of the most recent modifications. If a user complains of something missing or not working, check the modfile to see whether the PC needs to be imaged outright.

Drivers

After imaging there are a few files that will be called for based on the system you have imaged. All of these other drivers are located in the C:\Universal directory. Video drivers, scanner drivers, and the sort are all located in their respective subdirectories. After Ghosting a PC, if the machine is connected to a scanner chances are it will ask you to install the drivers. Both compressed and uncompressed driver files are located in C:\WINNT\Driver Cache. Simply point the driver selection window to this location and the scanner will work. If you choose to bypass this step and cancel out of the scanner driver installation you can still launch the executable file located in this same directory and the drivers will then uncompress and load. The scanner will then be activated.

Desktop and System Clean-up

This is only accomplished by Ghosting the machine.

Keyed Applications:

Keyed applications are those applications that require some sort of license control. Keyserver is the application that manages the licenses for such applications. Keyed applications have a pop-up dialogue box that states that the accessed application is keyed and when it was keyed. T works like this: An application has 10 licenses. If all 10 licenses are being used and an eleventh person tries to launch the app a message will appear stating that there are no more licenses and they will be put in to a queue. The eleventh user will receive license when one becomes available. The longer the queue the longer the wait until you get your license/application. It is rather strict and very straight-forward. One upshot of all this concerns issues we have with Adobe Portable Document Files (PDF). They choose to open up in a keyed application-the full version of Adobe Acrobat-instead of the free Acrobat Reader. Consequently, warning messages frequently appear on screen telling the user that there session has ended. To prevent this, close the application and double-click on the Stop Acrobat warning message icon on the desktop.

Task Manager

The Task Manager is an OS application that gives you the power to quit applications and kill background processes that are not even visible on the desktop. There are many applications that are running whether or not you are aware of them, and Task Manager gives you a way to see what percentage of the processor load they are using. If the machine is slow and a process is using a lot of the processor, chances are ending the process will bring the machine to a state of normalcy.

  1. To access Task Manager, simply right-click on the taskbar (bottom grey bar that runs across the screen) and select it from the menu, or press Ctrl-Alt-Del and click on Task List. In the first tab you see any and all currently open applications. They each have a status to the right of them.
  2. For those that are non-responsive or hung, the status is not responding. Highlight the hung application and click end task.
  3. The second tab lists all running processes and how much processor they are consuming. This is very helpful if you do not see any open applications but the machine is hung or has extremely slow response. Highlight the process in question and click end task. You will be warned and asked to confirm your choice. Proceed as you deem necessary.
  4. You may discover that none of these actions work. If all else fails, REBOOT. This may take the form of shutting down via OS commands or having to shut off the power via the button.


IMS is a subdivision of ITS, Wesleyan University