Installing Sherston Software the easy way

[JOrdan01070]

We have quite a few software titles from sherston and even with the msi i created to install the software i would get issues with the software not installing properly or it would stop other software titles installing via install shield.

 

what i did to stop these problems was to create a share on one of the servers that staff and pupils can access and copy the sherston application folder from a local pc into this share. Once it has finished copying the data over i go to the application folder and open the sherston.ini and i just edit the following two lines under [PC].

 

Savepath= change this to the shared folder you want to have the programs saves eg \\Server\apps\Sherston\Saves\Bamboozled\saves

 

Datapath= Change this the the shared folder you have the program exe located in eg \\Server\Sherston\Bamboozled\appdata

 

Then i just placed the exe shortcut on the desktop.

 

the following software titles have been tested and i have not had any problems so far.

 

Bamboozled

Bucket & Spade

Crystal Rain Forest V2

Gomez Returns

Learning about Religion

On the Ball - spelling skills

The Email Detectives

The Web Detectives

The Wizards Apprentice

Table Aliens

[Michael]

Alternatively, install them all on a new image before deploying. Can save a lot of time!

[mattx]

Alternatively stick them straight in the bin as they are complete and utter rubbish. How they claim they educate children is laughable.

[ricki]

Alternatively stick them straight in the bin as they are complete and utter rubbish. How they claim they educate children is laughable.

 

A person who does not mince their words

lols

 

Richard

[Jon]

It has been my experience that most, if not all, Sherston Software comes with a network install option. I have always used this and installed to a network share, it seems to work very well for me.

 

you can specify the paths to use for save data etc. at the time of installation.

 

For some of the older titles Sherston do/did supply a seperate netwok installation disc

[CyberNerd]

Alternatively stick them straight in the bin as they are complete and utter rubbish. How they claim they educate children is laughable.

 

I was just thinking the best place to install this software is up the programmers ar$e

[mattx]

I was just thinking the best place to install this software is up the programmers ar$e

 

Amen to that.

[sparkeh]

Got so fed up with Sherston (but couldn't bin the software as it was used so much) that we just forked out to have all their titles added to our Knowledgebox, now all their titles run via web browser

[kesomir]

IMHO The sherston software is very good for primary use - the BBC Science Simulations and the email / web detectives especially useful for primaries, where actual email access may not be provided. Mangodata is superb for teaching databases and can be used in secondaries as well.

 

The other titles, while not suitable as the primary tool for teaching say control and monitoring, provide an excellent support and consolidation in addition to other teaching.

 

I've also found the company to be very good to deal with - it's no hassle to upgrade a license (just pay the difference), good licensing schemes and helpful telephone operators.

 

Thought I'd give an alternate viewpoint from the unsubstantiated whines above.

[sparkeh]

unsubstantiated whines above.

 

Fair enough put your point of view across but you have no idea what issues we have with the software.

 

Jeez when did everyone get so touchy?

[Jon]

Fair enough put your point of view across but you have no idea what issues we have with the software.

 

Jeez when did everyone get so touchy?

 

 

By following the network installation as I have indicated above...I have had no problems with any of the Sherston Titles, in fact I really rather like them!!

 

I really can't see what problems there can be, perhaps you have not installed it correctly.

 

Could you maybe outline some of the problems you have experienced?

[kesomir]

Fair enough put your point of view across but you have no idea what issues we have with the software.

 

Jeez when did everyone get so touchy?

 

lol irony.

 

That comment was aimed more at mattx's post than yours, apologies for not making that clear, but you hit it on the head. I don't know what the issues are because neither of the posts substantiate them.

 

deployment?

 

Your post clearly mentions the popularity of the software so I assume in your case it's not a user issue, and deployment seems the likey culprit if a knowledgebox install fixes your issue(s).

 

It'd be useful to know what probs you experienced as suggested solutions could then be offered.

[sparkeh]

Ok fair enough, I will address your points in turn

 

1:

lol irony.

No. No it wasnt.

 

2:

That comment was aimed more at mattx's post than yours, apologies for not making that clear, but you hit it on the head. I don't know what the issues are because neither of the posts substantiate them.

 

Yes you are quite correct and I didn't expand on my blanket comment and to disparage something without explanation is a poor way to discuss things.

I didn't happen to think that your comments were directed to me in particular but I am not barred from commenting on statements made toward anyone. To call opinions (substantiated or not) 'whinges' is condescending and uncalled for.

 

3:

Your post clearly mentions the popularity of the software so I assume in your case it's not a user issue, and deployment seems the likey culprit if a knowledgebox install fixes your issue(s).

Yes you are correct, it is not a user issue or content issue but a deployment issue. Since the titles have been available via web browser rather than local installs, everyone had been a lot happier.

 

4:

It'd be useful to know what probs you experienced as suggested solutions could then be offered.

My main issue is with the instructions for a "Network Install".

I am working from instructions from a recent title, but perhaps they have changed and I am unware.

 

So the first thing you do is use a machine to perform an install to a network share, ok so far so good. The next thing you do is to move to another machine and...install from the network share...

Right so what has the network installer done? Copied the files to a network share. Great, well I could have done that myself and run the installer on each machine over the network. To me a network installer does not mean I have to go to each machine to install.

 

Compare this to when I recently installed Yenka. Ran the network msi to install to network share, then deployed the msi from network share via GPO, job done. Got CC3? Well grab the msi which installs to package build area and creates the file structure, allocate, job done.

[Jon]

 

So the first thing you do is use a machine to perform an install to a network share, ok so far so good. The next thing you do is to move to another machine and...install from the network share...

Right so what has the network installer done? Copied the files to a network share. Great, well I could have done that myself and run the installer on each machine over the network. To me a network installer does not mean I have to go to each machine to install.

 

 

I don't do a local install...For me the software runs quite happily from the network installation. I suppose if your network is slow/lots of traffic then this might not be your best option. It works very well for me however.

[sparkeh]

I don't do a local install...For me the software runs quite happily from the network installation. I suppose if your network is slow/lots of traffic then this might not be your best option. It works very well for me however.

 

Interesting, the instructions I have read have always instructed me to install locally on each machine from the network install.

So, do you just dish out a shortcut to the sever share program?

 

Hmm, in regards to the network, we are running the software over the network from the Knowledgebox without problems.

If you haven't seen this in action its actually quite nice, you get a nice child friendly web front end where you select the software you want to use.

Edited April 30, 2009 by sparkeh

[JOrdan01070]

The network CD I have does seem to just copy the whole cd onto a network share, where you have to install onto each machine. This is what prompted me to see if i could find an easier way.

[sparkeh]

The network CD I have does seem to just copy the whole cd onto a network share, where you have to install onto each machine. This is what prompted me to see if i could find an easier way.

 

Exactly! (thought I was going mad for a bit there )

[Jon]

So, do you just dish out a shortcut to the sever share program?

.

 

Yes that is exactly what i do, Always works fine for me.

 

 

Hmm, in regards to the network, we are running the software over the network from the Knowledgebox without problems.

If you haven't seen this in action its actually quite nice, you get a nice child friendly web front end where you select the software you want to use

.

 

Some of the schools I attend to have the entire Sherston Software catalouge installed and running from a cachepilot, this works very well, and I suppose is much the same as I do with a network install anyway, ie no local install.

[SimpleSi]

Just a bit of info, I had to install email detectives so I just stuck the contents of the network version cd on a shared folder and added a shorcut to all desktops.

 

Worked fine except it wasn't multi-user

 

Rand Sherston Tech Support and they just got me to make the appdata folder read-only and all was well

 

regards

 

Simon

[Alis_Klar]

There is SO much educational software that have install guides that state that a "Network Install" must then be followed by a local install. Annoys the hell out of me. It's then alway an experiment to discover if running it from a UNC path will work or not!!!