How can we get the best out of our rubbish netbooks?

[reggiep]

We have four trolleys of samsung netbooks which take an age at the beginning of lessons to log on to the network. We recently lost an ICT suite due to building works that won't be opened again until the end of 2014. As a result of these two things I have a bunch of irate teachers who can't teach with what we have. I don't blame them, the log on times are ridiculous for the netbooks. We have 2 trolleys of much better laptops that log on quickly and just work.

Anyway, I'm trying to work out the best route to get some use out of these netbooks, particularly for some staff who want to use them for controlled assessments.

 

Can anyone suggest how we could achieve this?

 

Maybe flatten a group of laptops and have them off the domain, purely as word processors saving all work to memory sticks?

Booting up straight to a remote desktop log on screen or some other remote solution?

 

Thanks

 

Reg

[hallb15]

I've had similar issues with Samsung and Fizzbook netbooks taking minutes rather than seconds to log on and off. Doubling the RAM to 2GB made a massive difference, as did re-installing Win 7 pro with the bare minimum software, i.e. Office 2010 Starter and anti-virus software. Now they are usable, but not amazing by any standards.

 

I would get a 2GB stick of RAM and try it in one of the netbooks and see what difference it makes. Just make sure you check the netbook can take a 2GB stick. If you can afford an SSD you could also try that but the RAM will most likely give you the best boost for the money.

Edited October 2, 2013 by hallb15
Added suggestion

[glennda]

I'm not sure on the setup - but potentially wack in some SSDs?

 

Do you use full Roaming Profiles?

[ICTDirect_Dave]

We can help you with RAM upgrades. The other option would be to install some SSDs. You can get some nice and cheap nowadays. Again we can help you there

[reggiep]

SSds may be a good shout.

Ram is already maxxed out.

No roaming profiles, mandatory here.

 

I'm about to flatten a netbook and give it bare minimum software.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

SSds may be a good shout.

Ram is already maxxed out.

No roaming profiles, mandatory here.

 

I'm about to flatten a netbook and give it bare minimum software.

 

I'll Drop you a PM

[X-13]

I'm about to flatten a netbook

 

It'd probably be more useful as a coaster.

[sted]

drop them off the domain and use a script to map users drives after asking for input

[SHimmer45]

netbooks on a domian is asking for trouble they just dont have the grunt required.

imo a "home" based device which got pushed into being used beyond "a cheap internet device"

[Rawns]

Stick Ubuntu on them and use them to teach Linux and maybe some programming like python?

[reggiep]

drop them off the domain and use a script to map users drives after asking for input

 

Interesting idea. You don't have any scripts to hand do you?

[CyberNerd]

Install Centos.

Use them as "Kiosk" devices

Manage them using Spacewalk.

[sted]

Interesting idea. You don't have any scripts to hand do you?

 

you prefer vbs or bat? the bat hides the password the vbs its visible as they type (did this for rt's as vbs on them is crippled to uselessness)

[reggiep]

you prefer vbs or bat? the bat hides the password the vbs its visible as they type (did this for rt's as vbs on them is crippled to uselessness)

 

In that case bat files!

[X-13]

In that case bat files!

 

nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana... BAT FILES!

 

[reggiep]

nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana... BAT FILES!

 

 

Slaps forehead

[Meldrew]

It'd probably be more useful as a coaster.

 

+1 for this. We've had a call from the police this morning that one of our netbooks has been recovered. Not that we'd reported it stolen - nobody even knew it was missing they're so useless (and ours have 2Gb of RAM). Last time it checked in to the network was January.

 

Meldrew

[sted]

its a bit long as users in most of my schools are stored in a different dir depending on yeargroup (so if the first character is 7 they are in y6 currently and so on it then assumkes anything not a number is staff. This may or may not need altering for your setup I suspect the actual maps will BUT the user area map net use u: \\server\users$\staff\%str% /user:%str% * needs the * at the end that prompts for password the rest don't as they use the same details. It probably looks more complicated than it is and could be tidied up there are testing references still part there but it works though granted is far from elegant

 

echo off
rem mapdrive prompt v3 20-09-13
net use r: /delete
net use u: /delete
net use v: /delete

set /p str=Enter Username: 
rem echo %str%
set str2=%str:~0,1%
rem echo %str2%
rem echo %stra%
rem decide what year group by first character
if  %str2%==1 goto equals1
if  %str2%==2 goto equals2
if  %str2%==3 goto equals3
if  %str2%==4 goto equals4
if  %str2%==5 goto equals5
if  %str2%==6 goto equals6
if  %str2%==7 goto equals7
if  %str2%==8 goto equals8
if  %str2%==9 goto equals9
if  %str2%==0 goto equals0

rem echo not 0-9 so presumably staff

net use u: \\server\users$\staff\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
net use v: \\server\users$

rem echo %mapu%

goto end

:equals1
net use u: \\server\users$\2011\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$

goto end

:equals2
net use u: \\server\users$\2012\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals3
net use u: \\server\users$\2013\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals4
net use u: \\server\users$\2014\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals5
net use u: \\server\users$\2015\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals6
net use u: \\server\users$\2006\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals7
net use u: \\server\users$\2007\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals8
net use u: \\server\users$\2008\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals9
net use u: \\server\users$\2009\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:equals0
net use u: \\server\users$\2010\%str% /user:%str% *
net use r: \\server\resources$
goto end

:end

pause

[reggiep]

its a bit long as users in most of my schools are stored in a different dir depending on yeargroup (so if the first character is 7 they are in y6 currently and so on it then assumkes anything not a number is staff. This may or may not need altering for your setup I suspect the actual maps will BUT the user area map net use u: \\server\users$\staff\%str% /user:%str% * needs the * at the end that prompts for password the rest don't as they use the same details. It probably looks more complicated than it is and could be tidied up there are testing references still part there but it works though granted is far from elegant

 

 

Thanks a bundle, this could help me a great deal in the short term.

[dhicks]

We have four trolleys of samsung netbooks which take an age at the beginning of lessons to log on to the network.

 

This could be due to a number of factors, but the parts of the netbook itself you could look at would be the RAM, possibly an SSD as already pointed out, and you could try changing the wireless card. For RAM in netbooks, the "upper limit" quoted is often 2GB because that was a limit imposed by Microsoft for Windows Starter Edition, they might actually be able to take more RAM - I have a netbook at home I use for playing sound effects and so on, and that now has 4GB of RAM and an SSD and fairly zips along.

 

If you plan to use the netbook as a non-domain device, you could consider installed Android or similar and have the device be managed by your Mobile Device Management system. Either that or a Linux distribution that will do web browsing locally but open a remote window to a server for running things like Word.

[witch]

We have the same issue - and I think it is the wireless - the netbooks are strangled and cannot take advantage of the full speed of the wireless? (not sure what I am talking about here - in the wrong school and not sure I understood it anyway). They have 2Gb RAM but they just crawl. They are on the domain and we have roaming profiles.

Some of them, the older ones are nearly useless although interestingly they work better on the Ruckus network in one school than the Meru in the other (almost identical server/network setup)

[sted]

its also possibly overriding roaming profiles on these and just let them generate local profiles less network traffic so if the same kid always uses laptop01 they should get a faster login

[djm968]

Install your preferred flavour of Linux on the netbooks, throw a couple of terminal servers on your domain and point the netbooks RDP clients at them.

Just completed a similar project for a school, they are now using netbooks for SIMS registration on Terminal Servers.

[Oaktech]

Install your preferred flavour of Linux on the netbooks, throw a couple of terminal servers on your domain and point the netbooks RDP clients at them.

Just completed a similar project for a school, they are now using netbooks for SIMS registration on Terminal Servers.

 

Yup... Beat me to it. I was just going to suggest this!

[dave.81]

We wiped ours and put ubuntu on using them as web browsers. The Junior school where really enjoying using them like this using Google Docs to do any work, that was until we had a break in and they were all stolen, gutted i ashore you! Replaced them with Chromebooks which everyone really likes.