Problems with ICT4Life

[Gibbo]

My HOD has just given me ICT4Life to install.

It seems to have gone onto the network ok, and staff and pupils can see and start the application.

However, they cannot log in. If they try they get the error box "Wrong Login name or Password. Please try again".

The accounts do work, if I log into the computer (Windows XP Pro SP2 / SP3) as myself or any other domain admin I can log in without a problem.

The only account which works for staff and pupils is the admin account. But, when I got to "ASSESS" and then try any of the admin options, I get the error box "Please try to submit this later: someone is assessing this task at the moment".

Has anyone else encountered issues with this software?

[plexer]

How have you installed it?

To the machines or a network share?

When you set it up as admin the data path has to be to a mapped drive it doesn't work with uncs.

When you or the students log in to it the mapped drive that you've told ict4life to use must be present.

Users will also need write permissions to the data folder where the db is created on the mapped drive.

Ben

[stjtech]

I am having the same sort of problems.

We have the application installed on each XP desktop and the assessment data within a shared folder on our SAN. We have set the data path to "\\STJ3\ICT4Life". Staff and students have modify rights to this folder and subfolders. Although the data path is not using mapped drive users can gain access. Does it have to be a mapped drive in this configuration ?.

Most users can log in no problem but on occasions it tells the user that their username and password are wrong, and then the next day they can log in no problem.

We are also getting an error when students attempt to submit work saying that they can not as they do not belong to a Teaching Group when I know they do. I can see them in groups as the administrator and teachers can view their pupils.

I have contacted the telephone number in the booklet and they seem more concerned with selling software. I was told they had no telephone contact with their support department and I could only send an email to the address in the booklet. I have sent several emails to this address and appear that they ignore them.

Anyone got any ideas please?.

[Gibbo]

My emails have been ignored too. A shame that the IT teaching staff buy the software and we're left to pick up the pieces.

[plexer]

You can't use a unc for the data path it has to be a mapped drive.

They buy the software they are told has to be used to support teaching the curriculumn.

Ben

[Gibbo]

But that's no excuse for poor support, or badly designed software.

Take, for example, an earlier problem I had with the software asking for the CD.

The reply I got was:

The error message regarding disc availability is a known Macromedia
Director issue that appears to affect some configurations of machine.
To date we have found no work around other than to click 'continue'.
The software has not been configured to expect a disc.

EDIT: Oops, forgot to answer your original reply - yes it's a mapped drive. We don't normally use them as most of our network apps are web based or the shortcuts work with UNC.

It seems that it is a permissions issue, but this is going to cause problems with my other shares.

This post on another forum sums the matter up for me:

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why can't this application use a UNC
path? Network drive mappings are meant for the convenience of users...not
computers, and if the user isn't going to be using a drive mapping to that
share, why map one at all?

[stjtech]

Thanks, sticking with a mapped drive appears to work with some sample users.

One problem, the users can gain access to the data via the mapped drive as they have NTFS read/write security rights. The hidden UNC in the application seemed more ideal for this purpose.

I also find it a bit strange that the users can change their names and user ID as well as their password.

Anyone found a quick way to delete a pupil in the application rather than searching the XML files that are named user1 to userx ?.

[Gibbo]

You're at the same point as me. You can obviously modify the group policy templates to incorporate your mapped drive, but I find it illogical to share a drive just to hide it again.

[AliG]

I also have the same problems "Wrong Login name or Password. Please try again" and "Please try to submit this later: someone is assessing this task at the moment" did anyone resolve this issue? I'm using a mapped drive, I am waiting for a call back you can contact them on 01865 888038.

[Gibbo]

Check your permissions. I recall making sure that the EVERYONE group had full permissions.

[User3204]

Originally Posted by stjtech

Thanks, sticking with a mapped drive appears to work with some sample users.

One problem, the users can gain access to the data via the mapped drive as they have NTFS read/write security rights. The hidden UNC in the application seemed more ideal for this purpose.

Righto, I've looked for something like this before, but never found anything useful, but Hiding mapped drives - Petri.co.il forums by Daniel Petri

Seems to offer an ADM that would allow hiding mapped drive letters.
The config of the ADM would need a little editing, as it only allows ABCD, to be hidden, (which is kinda wierd, as I'm sure the inbuilt ADM templates have these already) but change to whatever letter you want.

[Gibbo]

A very useful link:

ICT 4 Life Support pages

The info I was given says:

"Cambridge Digital are the company that we worked with when building the software."

[mortstar]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

A very useful link:

ICT 4 Life Support pages

The info I was given says:

"Cambridge Digital are the company that we worked with when building the software."

Excellent link Gibbo - cheers. Some of the support pages are classic:

Originally Posted by Cambridge Digital

Pupils can't submit work:
If pupils can't submit work, it's probably because a teacher or administrator has got the marking page or the 'View uploaded work' page open for that class. This locks access to other people who might be making changes to the same pages, so that you don't get version issues or files trying to write themselves back to the record database concurrently.

Just log out of the administration areas to sort the issue. It is likely one teacher might report this problem with more than one class because they will be viewing the class's record to see who has submitted their work at the end of the lesson. While it's very handy, it's what causes the problems!

It's not handy, it's normal functionality of educational software!

[Gibbo]

Their site uses the same flashy rubbish as their software.

If you're not logged in, try posting something and watch what happens with the pop-up!

[Gibbo]

More lies today, direct from their FAQ

Why can't you set ICT 4 Life - or ICT4Life - up with a UNC share?

This issue is not actually anything to do with the application. Microsoft and Adobe security settings currently stop video files running over a local UNC share. As the course includes video presentations and teaching materials, these won't run if you're set up on a UNC - you'll just see a black screen. Microsoft's solution to this is to require that the drive the video is being delivered from is mapped.

Interesting how my video streaming system is running on Microsoft software, with IE7, and streams videos direct from a UNC address.