jcollings

Basically you may need to repackage it using Winstall or similar. Essentially, on a clean PC 1. Take a snapshot of the PC using Winstall 2. Install software & configure (e.g. enter serial number etc) 3. Take a second snapshot with Winstall 4. Winstall compares the 2, does some stuff and comes up with an msi which when deployed already has the serial. Now please note I have simplified this to a huge degree - some software repackages a treat and some is a real cow and can take hours of work. This site talks through some of the issues with some packages. AppDeploy > Packages Knowledgebase Home Hope that helps.

Erm - I wouldn't. I'd only downgrade if we'd bought the rights to do so. Surely as IT professionals we have to operate our schools within the law?

If my team do "extra curricular" work for our primaries e.g. we refitted a network for one in half term when they should have been off they get £25 and hour.

I thought it was only Vista Business or Ultimate that had downgrade rights?

Sometimes you can create a transform file (Office etc) which contains that info - other times you need to repackage it with serial number in place. Really depends on the software.

Couldn't agree with you more. Kids need to spend time being kids. Fine if that's his hobby and he has other activities that balance his life but my guess is he probably doesn't.

We bought some HP ones too recently - they seem pretty good.

No they are not! Plain and simple - you may have a line manager who is a teacher but that does not mean all teachers are above you - that is not how it works. Please, for your own sanity, stop thinking of it like that. The structure is not Head - Dep Head - Teachers - Support staff. Of course you need to support them but they are not your boss!

Even if that were true (and it's debatable) at least recycling, cutting emissions etc make the planet a cleaner better place. OK - it may not stop it's demise but if we are doomed I'd rather not be doomed in a rubbish tip, at least let's tidy up.

1. Our staff would crumble if I enforced regular changes - they struggle to remember 1 2. Interesting about usernames. We use 07BloggsJ as username and [email protected] as their email (that way they only have to remember 1 username) - a guy from Shirelands (our VLE provider) was suggesting Becta has said 07BloggsJ was no longer acceptable as it identified the age of the student and their surname. What do others do for student email addresses?

This may help Renaming a Windows 2003 Server - Server Networking

The other thing we've done in the past is created a DNS record pointing the old name at the new server. This means that if something is going to \\server1 for example it still works as the \\server1 and \\newserver both resolve to the IP address of the new server. Saved us loads of time here in similar circumstances. You do need to edit the registry on the box to stop strict name checking - can't remember the key but it's easily googled.

Yes - we usually get a bit of a moan when they click SIMS and it runs the upgrade! Trouble here is every single teacher and half the support staff use SIMS every day for lesson monitor etc.

@Diello - totally agree with most of what you say. Have to defend TA's and say they are not there to "take time consuming tasks off teachers" - they are professionals in their own right (mainly!) and their job is to support teaching and learning. However that's going off topic a bit. @itnewbie - Teachers shouldn't be installing software at all - it should come via the IT department - no ifs no buts! Not sure what you've been employed as but if it's IT/Network manager or IT tech you are there to run the IT - you are probably the one with the skills and knowledge to do that. The situation really is beyond belief. I have to say I'd not cope with it and leave ASAP but then I'm very used to managing my own show. I'm lucky - the head is my line manager and he leaves me to my own devices. Pretty much I get full support for things I do.

We're1400 students and the annual agreement is £3500 ish. We can use that on as many PC's a we want and we use Lesson Monitor. Supported by central helpdesk.

Not at all. As others have said he's head of a teaching department. No different than Head of Maths, History etc. He doesn't play a part in running the network just teaching the ICT. He did ask for it on day one and was politely refused. He didn't ask after that. There is no reason anyone else needs admin rights really.

We put our staff in the local admin group and it seems to work for them.

Probably still faster than using Vista!

Got to say we have a few and they seem to work fine for us. We just have them set up on our 2k3 print server. Not sure what issues people have found but we didn't do anything special - TCP/IP port and HP driver.

We have Minolta and HP colour lasers and have had nothing but trouble with remans from several places - poor image quality, leaky toner etc. We now use originals only and I am convinced it's cheaper in the long run. Mind you this year we spent £24k on toner! I never understand how they manage to print so much rubbish!

*Only* the technical team here are admins. No-one else. Not SMT, not Head of IT.

Nipping in tomorrow to do some server bits then staying away for the rest of the hols!

Very best wishes for the future. I hope your retirement is a long and happy one.

We haven't done it but a neighbouring school to us has. The Lakes School in Windermere it was. I'm sure the guys there wouldn't mind you calling them - I think it all went ok.

No - it's 2Gb that's usable - 1Gb just doesn't do it. We've just bought some new Pc's for our office and we have vista on them and it's usable-ish. I think on the whole my feelings with Vista are it's ok but what is it bringing to the party?