Winsuite....again. Screen Manager

[Little-Miss]

Programs shortcuts everywhere....no room for new ones....ARGH!

 

Right installed word shark on pupils fine, easy peasy. Gone to add shortcut to staff desktop..no room. So i have created a sub-folder to move a load of literacy world shortcuts into, but is there a way of doing it? so far the only way i've seen is is to copy the shortcut into the sub-menu and then go back and delete it. There has to be a quicker way....

[Hedghog]

Hi,

 

You have to create a sub-menu on the main desktop and load the short cuts into that. You can import short cuts once you have created it. This is why I have moved from winsuite to GPOs and mandatory profiles.

 

Peter

[penfold]

This is the problem with winsuite. You can create a number of folders (for different subjects for example) and put the programs used in there. But what you could do is rather than use the winsuite desktop, have a play with the settings on there for controlling what the end user can do. That way you end up with a client which looks like a normal desktop but has been restricted through winsuite. You can do the same with group policies, but if you are not confident enough to do this, you could start by playing with the winsuite settings.

 

First try this on a test group with a dummy account and see if you are happy with the settings. You can remove access to the control panel etc and fiddle with it until you are happy. Then you could roll it out to the staff and pupils next. I find a cluttered desktop is harder to use and for that reason stopped using winsutie in this fashion.

[Domino]

plus EVERY client has got to update their winsuite desktops EVERY time there's a change made - so bye-bye network bandwidth.

 

Winsuite had to go at my place too...GPO is the way forward

[Andie]

Do you really have to have shortcuts on the desktop for every program, or is it that Winsuite doesn't have a Start Menu? We are a junior school, but all pupils are taught to use the Start Menu here - very few desktop shortcuts (My Documents, IE, and not much else).

[HodgeHi]

I think winsuite was for mainly supporting Windows 95 and 98 clients through a Server 2003 network? I don't know. The first thing i did when i started at my primary school was look at the mess of the place and then start working on making it better. Tell the staff that the ICT suite will be unavailable for a week and get it all configured the correct way. If like here the admin staff will be on a workgroup and won't be relying on the domain anyway.

[penfold]

I think Winsuite is a throw back to the days when the ICT co-ordinator used to look after the network. It can allow you to configure the desktop so that the only thing the user can see is the shortcut icons(so no start bar etc). Unfotunately, you end us using the same desktop for all machines and if the software isn't installed the icon still shows - creating a whole load of requests for word not working(when in fact it is not installed due to licencing)

 

It still has it's place for people using Win98 clients, but I think schools should be encouraged to configure their computers as the pupils would be using at home.

[Little-Miss]

I agree with you there penfold.