Powerpoint

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

I spend a few hours at a school using Ranger administrative 'ware.

 

The pupils cannot print powerpoint presentations (powerpoint for 9 year olds, whatever next!). Powerpoint gives a message that the computer hasn't got a printer attached. Got to be a permissions thingy as I can print but I cannot find the relevant tick box.

 

Any ideas

[ajbritton]

Hmm.. Can they print from other apps?

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Yes, the rest of Office works ok along with a selection of educational programs, as far a I can tell it's just Powerpoint.

 

The ranger web site mentioned problems changing printers because this is a prohibited path, but does not mention not being able to find printers.

 

The printer is attached to one of the computers, but Powerpoint doesn't work on that machine either.

 

The printer was installed with a script to make it available to all users. There is a 2nd printer available, don't know how that was installed, it was already there when I started at this school this term

 

I tried removing all security on pupils to see if that worked, but it didn't and I'm not to sure where to go next.

 

PS I put all the security back on after testing!

 

perplexed of St Albans

[ajbritton]

How many PCs do you have that display this problem?

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Probably all of them in the school if this a user permission problem, but I have only tested about 4 in a computer suite of 16. As mentioned one of these had a printer as a local printer.

[ThatBoringBloke]

If you remove Ranger from on of the computers does it print ok if you log on as the same user?

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

To remove ranger I would probably have to rebuild the machine- and I only get 3 hours a week at this school. Ranger does seem less intrusive than RM, but I don't know if it is removable.

 

On re-reading my first statement it does seem a bit ambiguous, I can print in powerpoint but having studied the manual and used the management console, I cannot find how to remove the restrictions on the pupils.

 

The Ranger web site knowledge base does say that Ranger security will stop illegal paths, but I tried unticking the 'Apply Ranger security' box'.

[ajbritton]

What about install a PowerPoint player and seeing how that behaves. Not a solution, just trying to see what works and what doesn't.

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Not sure what you mean by player, tried google and it came up with microsoft power point viewer, (free from Microsoft). Will look into that but won't be able to test until Thursday.

[ChrisH]

Yup AJ means the viewer.

[Grommit]

To remove ranger I would probably have to rebuild the machine- and I only get 3 hours a week at this school. Ranger does seem less intrusive than RM, but I don't know if it is removable.

 

On re-reading my first statement it does seem a bit ambiguous, I can print in powerpoint but having studied the manual and used the management console, I cannot find how to remove the restrictions on the pupils.

 

The Ranger web site knowledge base does say that Ranger security will stop illegal paths, but I tried unticking the 'Apply Ranger security' box'.

 

Ranger is very simple to remove.. just logon as "rangerremove" and the password...

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Wish I had known that last week! Sorry to seem dense but is it as easy to replace? ( I thought that I had read the manual, well skimmed it)

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Of course when I turned up the priorities had changed but I did try two experiments with power point.

 

I made the path to the printer an exception as outlined on the Ranger website. This didn't work, possibly because the website claims that only 3 exceptions are possible- but whoever set up the system had already made 4 (article out of date?) or I got the path wrong or it just ain't the problem.

 

I loaded powerpoint viewer locally, right clicked on a picture- and it printed- that page. Didn't remove ranger as time was short and I was unsure about restoring it.

 

I have brought the manual home to study- why do modern manuals lack a decent index? the ZX81 manual was brilliant.

 

Oh, right, rangerinstall- should have guessed.

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Well had ranger off - and back on again- (RTFM) but powerpoint didn't find a printer.

 

Just to add to the piquancy of the situation nobody knows the username or the password for the local administrator on the machines.

[wellwillthisnamedothen]

Well I fixed it, by accident. Its a long story but I changed the pupils group (profile?) to staff, then back to pupil, and powerpoint printed.

 

I figure ranger doesn't always remove or maybe, add all that it should.