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I was wondering if anyone had issues with Word when accessing files stored on Google Drive using Google Drive for Desktop. We have Windows 10/11 with the current version of Drive for Desktop installed. We are using Office 2010, which I know is probably the reason, but we are hoping to purchase A3 licences to give us the latest 365. However, we need a fix until they are rolled out or I need to prove that the version of Office is the problem. However, staff are also having performance/save issues with the up-to-date version of Lynx Whiteboard when working with files on Drive for Desktop. I am doing the usual, safe mode, remove add-ins one at time etc. but I am wondering if it is something to with network traffic. Have you had to limit the cache size or use the bandwidth settings? However, if the user is connected in school and then connects at home, I would have thought there would be little to sync.

My screen shot is now unavailable. It is of User Accounts, Additional User Attributes Tab, Synchronise Passwords section.

Hi All Thank you for taking the time to reply. GCPW looks interesting. What settings would you would advise here? I cannot seem find the documentation for this section.

Hi All We are a primary school and the new Head wants the pupils to log on to windows devices and ipads with their own user name and password and use SSO where possible. However, she also wants to move to the cloud and remove our domain server but we have no budget for Google device licences for Chrome OS Flex so we are stuck with windows in our Computer Room for the moment. I was looking for a simple way to setup SSO between AD and Google Workspace, since we will be moving away from AD but, according to my research, I have to use Google Cloud Directory Sync with Google Password Sync. Is this correct? However, it appears that the password sync only happens when the password is changed so you force the user to change their password at logon. We want to give our pupils a fixed password which they cannot change. If I use Powershell and a CSV file to set a password for every pupil, will that be detected as a password change and synced to the pupil's Google account? I don't see any reason why this would not work and I am in the process of writing a script to test but I thought I'd check with you kind people to make sure I am heading in the right direction and not making it more difficult then it should be. Thank you.

Hi 6Foot2 Thank you for taking the time to reply. The missing dll is ADsSecurity.dll. It is part of the ADSI SDK (version 2.5) which is no longer available. I looked at Bulk AD Users but the documentation suggests it is to modify existing user accounts, not to create new ones. I was rather surprised when the only options for creating AD user accounts appeared to be paid for products or a powershell script and a csv file. The example powershell scripts don't add users to groups or create work folders etc which is why I am using the Account Management Excel spreadsheet. It does the lot. I am just irritated that I cannot seem to get the right syntax to get the folder name out of the path.

Hi All I need to create 300 AD user accounts. I have created the accounts and work folders using AccountManagement_release13072011.xls which still seems to work but I cannot change folder permissions as a required DLL is no longer available. The work folder name is the account name so Joe Bloggs has the account name 25Joe and his work folder is called 25Joe. There are no subfolders so recursion is not necessary. There is just a top level folder like this. test|_25Joe |_25Sid |_25Mary I am testing a simple batch script. echo off for /D %%a in ("C:\Users\user\Desktop\test\*.*") do ( echo %%a REM use icacls here ) pause Echo %%a gives the expected result "C:\Users\user\Desktop\test\25Joe" but I just cannot find the correct command to get the folder name 25Joe off the end and stored to a variable.

Hi Everyone The school where I work want to replace the Windows machines in their Computer Room with Chromebooks. I have not used a Chromebook yet, just Windows laptops, and we have a minimum Windows laptop spec, i5, 8GB RAM, 256SSD. What is your minimum spec for a shared student Chromebook? Obviously, most of the user's data is in the cloud, but, like windows, some storage is used for their profile. On some Windows machines, in multi-user settings, you have to delete old profiles to free storage space. Is this an issue on the cheaper Chromebooks with 128GB or 64GB drives? Ideally, I would like them to be responsive enough so pupils don't get frustrated because they are slow, staff have a relatively stress free computing lesson and I only have to worry about wiping them once a year.

Hi All We are looking at installing Chrome OS Flex on some Dfe supplied laptops that have not got the guts for Windows. According to my research so far, the only downside is that there is no Play Store so we cannot use software or hardware that requires you to download and use an app. However, we do have iPads so we could use them instead. We use Papercut for printing. We can install it with WDS and manage it within Google Workspace if we buy a licence. Before we go ahead and install it on 75 devices, I was wondering if anyone has come across any other possible show stoppers we should be aware of.

Hi All Spiceworks have announced that they will be charging for their cloud help desk from June. "Beginning June 01, 2025, all accounts with 6+ employees must be on a Premium Plan. Upgrade your account now to avoid service interruptions in accessing Cloud Help Desk. Learn more" Can anyone recommend a free or relatively cheap and simple IT help desk system?

Hi All I have seized the roles and run dcdiag on both servers. They are showing the errors I would expect. failed test DFSREvent (SYSVOL is being shared) failed test Replications According to Google, I can disable DFS replication using DFS Manager but that role is not installed on the server? Can I just install the role or is there another way of stopping the sharing of SYSVOL? Again, according to Google, I can fix the replication issue using the following commands: repadmin /option +Disable_Outbound_repl repadmin /option +Disable_Inbound_repl Once I have cleared these errors, am I OK to follow the Microsoft docs and delete the server from AD?

Hi TwistedHelixis Thanks for the post. What did you use for backups? I am using Windows Server Backup (because it is free and we have no budget) to swapped external drives but people seem to have very mixed opinions of Windows Server Backup. How did you test a bare metal restore. Did you use a VM?

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. *Then build another DC with a supported OS and transfer everything to that.* Yes I would but the school wants to move entirely to the cloud.

I have a Windows Server 2012 r2 primary domain controller that has failed and is not going to be repaired. I want to move the fsmo roles to our secondary domain controller and make it the primary domain controller i.e. we had two domain controllers, now we only have one. There are plenty of articles on the net explaining how to move the roles but I have not had to do this before. What I want to know is is there anything I should do/need to/must do before I start moving the roles. According to netdom query fsmo, I need to move: schema master domain naming master PDC RID pool manager infrastructure manager Thank you

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. Apologies for not replying sooner. I will pass on your comments at our next IT meeting and post if I need any more help.

Hi All We are a primary school and currently have one AD account for each class as it is easier for younger pupils to type in a class like "1ab" then it is their name. However, filtering and monitoring works better if we have individual user accounts so we are considering individual user accounts for years 5 and 6. We have ipads (iPadOS 17) that are shared between classrooms and it is my understanding that they can be setup so pupils can log on with their own username and password in the same way that multiple users can log on and use a single windows PC. We have Active Directory, Apple School Manager and Jamf School. Could someone point me in the right direction so I can set this up. Thank you.

Hi, Firstly, have you found these features have stopped working on earlier versions? Initially, I thought that it only applied to the current version but staff are reporting they have stopped working on an earlier version we have installed. While I am used to companies adding features to a pro version you have to pay for, I thought we were passed the days of companies taking away features from the free version. We have spent a lot of time and effort trying to move staff away from Smart Notebook and this could end it. I have contacted them for a quote for the pro version. We have licences for the latest Smart Notebook and on paper, the user licence model where one user can use more than one copy e.g. the device connected to the Clevertouch and their work laptop at home and for PPA seemed OK but it started to get complicated when the usual staff were ill and we had to have spare licences for supply cover or staff who did not usually cover. As soon as you move to the one licence one device model it gets expensive. Furthermore, when we updated our staff laptops, the speed/hanging did not improve. I would not recommend the latest version of Smart Notebook and we will not be renewing our licences. Finally, while I am not party to budget information, my understanding is that while we have been given more money this year, it has not been enough to cover increasing costs so if the pro version is a stupid price, we will also be looking at alternatives.

I have some machines running Windows 10 1809 and I am trying, without success, to upgrade them to 22H2 using the feature update in WSUS. Google has not been able to give me a clear answer to the following question. Using WSUS can you go from 1809 to 22H2 in one step or is it more likely to succeed if you take more steps. For example, go to 2004 and then use the enablement package to get to 22H2?

Hi Everyone Apologies for taking so long to reply. Viewsonic, BenQ, and Clevertouch gave us screens to trial and they came in and demoed the screens to staff. When the screens were demoed, staff did not really engage with the BenQ and Clevertouch reps. However, they were a lot more interested in the Viewsonic because the rep demonstrated how the software helped deliver a lesson. For example, staff were very interested in a piece of software that would highlight verbs, nouns etc in different colours in a piece of text and continue to do so if you changed the language from English. The text could be read and you could also have subtitles. So the staff chose the Viewsonic screens. I had a demo of their management software which is very good but is an extra cost. At the other school I cover, I am finding that a lot of staff are still just mirroring their screen to the Clevertouch. This is understandable as it is what they are used to and using something new requires time and effort. I can understand it as well because if I, and senior management, just leave them to it, then we can do something else. However, we have had some successes. We have a pupil with poor vision and using Clevershare, the screen is mirrored to their ipad where they can enlarge it. Several staff are now producing lesson material in Lynx as well as Smart Notebook so we will just have to continue to push the benefits and provide ongoing training and support. In short, I think that if you purchase a screen with software, you have to push it so staff use it. If you want an easier life and something else that you don't have to keep updated, then just a buy a touchscreen monitor. Also, as people have pointed out, security is a lot easier if it is not on the network. Finally, I intend to approach Clevertouch about further training. I am hoping that they would be prepared for someone to come in and observe some lessons and then, hopefully, demonstrate how the interactive software could be used to deliver those lessons.

Hi Everyone Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will have a look at your recommendations. chaplic, we are getting a new server because ours is server 2012 r2, which is no longer supported, old, cannot be upgraded as it is TPM 1.2 and, as far as I am aware, 2012 r2 does not support Windows 11 clients. Also, we are not convinced about having our data in the cloud so want an onsite file and print server.

Hi Everyone Our school is looking to purchase a new windows domain server next year so we can support Windows 11. We normally use WSUS for updates and PDQ Deploy for software deployment but the PDQ licence cost is getting a bit high so I thought I would ask about alternatives for patch management and software deployment. We have about 120 windows desktops and laptops so what would you recommend for deploying updates and software? WSUS is free so that is a big plus with our Business Manager. I have seen SCCM mentioned a lot but, at the moment, I have no idea of how much it costs or if it would be overkill for a 120 devices so any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply. I will post some feedback on our Clevertouch screens later this week for anyone who might be interested.

Hi Everyone The school I cover has projectors in the classrooms and we are looking at touch screens. I cover another school where we went with Clevertouch because the software supplied with the screen was good. However, at this school, it is the classic case of if we go with Clevertouch, the budget will only stretch to 4 classrooms. If we go with a cheaper screen, it might stretch to six classrooms. We have had a look at a Viewsonic screen but the software that came with it appears rather limited. We had a look at just a plain touch screen but the cost saving over a Viewsonic was negligible and being able to use the screen without a device attached is useful. Therefore, has anybody got any feedback on the software provided with screens from other manufacturers? Finally, where you work, do the teaching staff actually use the software supplied with the screen or do they just mirror/extend the screen on their device? Thank you

Thanks for taking the time to reply. So switch the old nic to dhcp let it pickup up a new IP disable old connection add static IP to new connection and enable new connection move DHCP etc to new connection.

We have one network with a primary and secondary domain server running DHCP and DNS etc. We have installed a fibre card in our servers so now we want to disable the existing connection and move the static ip, DHCP etc to the fibre connection. I have done an internet search but I cannot seem to find instructions on how to move a static ip from one nic to another in the same server. I assume it is not as easy as disabling the existing connection, giving the same static IP address to the new connection, enabling it and then moving DHCP etc to the new connection. For one thing, the new card will have a different mac address. From what I have read on the internet it appears that I will have to give the new connection a new IP address and move everything to the new IP. Any advice on the best way to proceed would be appreciated.

We have some Windows 10 tablets with cameras but the camera app is not installed. According to some internet searches, I have to go to https://www.microsoft.com/education-store and click sign up and if I don't have an azure account, I will be asked to create one. Well, when I go to the website, it takes me straight to a sign in window and when I enter an email address, it says "This username may be incorrect. Make sure that you typed it correctly. Otherwise, contact your admin." The "Cannot access your account" and "Sign in Options" links don't help. We don't have Office 365 but I have had some experience of it, so I assume I need an admin account so I can assign the camera app to users. Where do I go to create this admin account?