Andie

Is anyone else getting concerned that Learning Platforms and all the information they hold/display, together with the way they work, may begin to cause headaches with e-Safety Policies and possibly Data Protection policies??

I have nearly fixed this installation and got it installed on the server. Turned out to be nothing more technical than a rogue mouse click. I had uninstalled on the server, and installed one year onto an XP machine as standalone. That had a URL reference to localhost:9790, and there was no problem with it running. Began to have a hunch that just possibly the server install hadn't allocated 8080 automatically but that I had been overzealous with the mouse/keyboard and, as it were, clicked Next twice without realising. So I thought I'd try again, very carefully. Sure enough I get prompted for a port choice this time, and chose a different port to the default one that hadn't worked. It almost works!! The problem now is that I am getting the CPL first page without the big blue Start button. Instead I am getting a message about the software needing Flash player 8 or above. OK, I thought, I'll update Flash to latest version. Did that, still getting message. Clicked Refresh on IE, and the Flash message is replaced with the big blue Start button. Great, I think. Except that each time I click on the Launch shortcut I get the same Flash message. OK, I thought, I'll uninstall CPL and reinstall. Maybe the shortcut needs updating now I have updated Flash. So I uninstall, and reinstall, CPL. Same message about Flash. Must I reboot the server??

I'd be quite happy if we stopped all swearing and renamed FFS. I can't get into Edugeek at work when I most need it from time to time because it gets blocked by council filters due to exceeding a weighted phrase limit - presumably due to bad language. I know we are all adults, and some folk swear as a matter of course, but this is supposed to be a work-related forum.

Two posts at different secondary schools in Peterborough: ICT Network Systems Manager Link: EPM - Educational Personnel Management ICT Technician Full Time Link: EPM - Educational Personnel Management

Thanks for the extra info about networking laptops. I had thought about doing it that way, but wasn't sure it would work. Not 100% sure all of our staff can cope with that, but I guess I could give it a go. If they want to copy stuff from their local My Docs to their network My Docs, then...?? I mean, is there a straightforward way to do it (maybe the Learning Platform will make all this redundant)?

I know...making a rod for my own back... The only reason is that I have been led to believe that there are issues around joining teacher's laptops to the domain, because teachers also use their laptops for planning, etc at home when they are away from the network. Teachers also like to litter their laptop desktops with shortcuts, which wouldn't be possible with our mandatory profiles. I'm without proper technical backup for sorting out this sort of thing, other than the wonderful Edugeek. The teachers are quite happy with their laptops being standalone, but would very much appreciate access to some stuff on the network. So that's why I'm thinking about batch files. I dare say someone out there is rolling around laughing at the incredibly stupid and untechie way I go about things. But mostly so far things work OK.

Thought I had better let you know that the Linux server was installed and Espresso is running fine. We have kept the CachePilot because the LEA paid for it and said we could, but the Espresso content on that has been removed. At some point, I may get my head around using it for something else. Keeping the CachePilot, and me not thinking ahead, means that we have a new IP address for Espresso at school; this meant I had to do some very fast editing of shortcuts, especially on teacher's standalone laptops, but otherwise everything has gone fine.

OK. Thanks for the help so far, but I have hit another snag. The standalone laptops don't have logons that map to the user's network logon. So I think I need to add the logon username and a prompt for password to the net use command line. However, that bit will be different for each user. So I can't make it part of the standard login script?? I can't put it in the All Users startup file either?? So do I have to put a different version of the batch file in each user's startup file?? One of the drives I want to map is to their home folder on the network server.

I think if you have Sophos installed, you can go to the Enterprise console and the machines that are off have little red crosses on....I think...

We have Kaleidos + Integris. Integris is managed by the LEA (I just deal with curriculum officially). Kaleidos was purchased for all schools by the LEA. Our LEA came out to all schools and installed the RM Data Extraction software on the office machine that has Integris installed on it (an XP machine). The LEA made a lot of fuss initially about needing to merge admin and curriculum networks, but it isn't necessary. Our office machine isn't left on overnight and so far it seems to be coping with the updates. As far as I can tell, the data extractor sends data off to RM Kaleidos three times a day - after morning registration, after afternoon registration and overnight.

Finally got this sorted today, only because I found I needed to order an extension cable and some longer cat5 cables to accomodate the switch and then ran out of time when I could access the classroom. I used the OfficeConnect switch and it worked like a dream. Just plugged everything in and that was it. Thanks to those who helped.

Thanks. But can I just check - does gpedit.msc allow you to specify a location for the batch files, or should it be stored in a specific location?

I want to do something simple, but I need some help! I want to create a file that will run at startup, and possibly logout or shutdown, to map some network shares to network drives on standalone laptops. I know what net use commands to use (if that would be the best way to do it) and I know I can type these into a file using notepad. But how do I name/create a file so that it runs as a login/logout script on the laptops? What do I call it, eg. file extension, and where do I put it? I used to do things like this in DOS back in ye olde days, but not sure how these things work in standalone Windows!

Except, I would need to remove that single quote ' from the objNetwork line, yes?

Hi, did you use the Installation and Troubleshooting Guides that are attached higher up in this post? I know they mention RM CC3. However, as I have found with the vanilla network instructions, that doesn't mean a lot... I think the Apache bit that you need is installed with Collins PL. Our standalone installs work OK, and we didn't previously have Apache on the laptops or server (as far as I know). Try contacting Collins through their contact form on their website, which is now up and running. I don't hold out much hope, but if we all keep badgering then maybe they will realise this is a headache to install! Link here: Technical Product Support- Collins Education By the way, I am just about ready to give up on the network install and just work my way round doing standalone installs on each XP machine, as the teachers want to be able to use it for planning in PPA time when they are in the IT Suite.

Hi, I am not very experienced in scripting, and this part of a vbs logon script (below) was written by IT providers (sadly no longer with us). I have two questions: 1. I would like to add two more mapped drives. Can I just add to the script using the existing syntax on each section and increasing the drive letter and remote path numbers? Eg. DriveLetter2 = "P:" 2. In the user's profile, we connect S: to the path for the user home folder. This path name is \\servername\LNM Data\User Data\Students\%USERNAME%. We also have folder redirection set up in GP. Do we still need the bit below that seems to be mapping S: to something different? If so, should I correct the path, or is this doing something different? Does this map a home folder if none is in the profile? '*********************** ' Drive Map Sub-routine '*********************** Sub MapDrives On Error Resume Next 'DriveLetter0 = "S:" DriveLetter1 = "R:" 'RemotePath0 = "\\servername\%USERNAME%" RemotePath1 = "\\servername\Resources$" 'objNetwork.MapNetworkDrive DriveLetter0, RemotePath0 objNetwork.MapNetworkDrive DriveLetter1, RemotePath1 End Sub Thanks.

Sure, but @Gumbledook's posting seemed to imply there was already discussion going on that was being monitored - so got all excited and looked for said comments in the hope that there was someone out there who understood all this...

And I should have pointed out (for those unlike me who have got the hang of GP installs) that this new link gives you a .msi file. In fact, it is such a small program that I might use it to finally get my head round installing through GP!

We have now been updated to version 2. The LEA are now having to run another lot of training sessions, less than a year after the training for version 1... Anyway, the profile thing seems to have been fixed (Yippee!!!!), and the structure of the platform seems to be a lot better - much more sensible. The look is better too. The My Desktop thing is annoying, and the new structure is going to confuse any teachers who have just got used to the old one, but I am cautiously optimistic. We start to roll this out for real to teachers here in November.

Sorted. Thanks to Liz, the Managing Director at Hector's World Ltd, who sent me the up to date link for the Hector Safety Button on the ThinkUKnow website. This version installs properly for all users on network (well, it does here anyway!). If you have XP Deluxe you can even choose a different character for the safety button. Thinkuknow - 5-7 - hector's world - Safety Button However, the dolphin now swims on the desktop all the time. As Liz explains, "Yes, we re-designed the new button to run in front of all applications. Hector can be put to sleep with a right click on the task bar icon or awakened the same way. We did this because the first version was linked to the actual browser software and email client software which meant keeping our software in sync with code changes in the browsers etc. The old button also went onto the Net to get software updates but that ran into serious problems with increasingly complex security software blocking access to the net. In the end, this new approach was the simplest and gave us the added benefit of covering whatever application the child was using. Material that upsets them can come from such a variety of sources – email, browser, IM, Skype etc, so this seemed the best approach in a complex world. Also the old button was designed for a standalone computer and we needed one that handled installation on a network with minimal bother." So now you have the choice, depending on your capabilities, to either tweak the old version or go with the new one.

Looks like that has fixed it - thanks! Probably should have thought of that myself....

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).

Is it me? - when I click on the link for the discussion forums, there doesn't appear to be any discussion or feedback going on???

OK, does this mean it is a problem our end??

At work, although I haven't checked at home recently (that's Vista and IE7). It seems to be only the networked clients as well, as it logged me out fine from an XP laptop yesterday.