maniac

This script that I use will copy the necessary wallpaper from a depository depending on the screen resolution of the local machine. Literally just save them in a directory that is the right resolution e.g "\\server\share\wallpapers\1024x768\" My actual version is a bit different and includes a check to see if the master file has been changed before it tries to copy it, this save un-necessary file copying over the network. That's part of a bigger script however so would take me a while to separate Hope this might be useful. 'COPY WALLAPAPERS SCRIPT Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") 'CHECK TO SEE IF FOLDER EXITS, IF NOT CREATE IT If Not objFSO.FolderExists("c:\WALLPAPERS\" ) then objFSO.CreateFolder("C:\WALLPAPERS") 'FIND OUT RESOLUTION Set objWMIService = GetObject("Winmgmts:\\.\root\cimv2") Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select * From Win32_DesktopMonitor where DeviceID = 'DesktopMonitor1'",,0) For Each objItem in colItems intHorizontal = objItem.ScreenWidth intVertical = objItem.ScreenHeight Next res=intHorizontal & "x" & intvertical 'COPY CORRECT WALLPAPERS FROM SERVER objFSO.CopyFolder "\\domain\netlogon\WALLPAPERS\" & res , "C:\WALLPAPERS" , OverWriteFiles Mike.

We've got loads of the Rextron ones here, although only using a couple of them at the moment (for some reason we have a box full upstairs.) We've pushed a 1360x1024 image through them no problem for our digital signage, picture is crystal clear Mike.

Aye, you can blame the 'compensation culture' for that one - the money that's paid out has to come from somewhere.

6 weeks into being 29 - I'm almost counting the days till I'm 30, although I really don't know why.

Question, which is the higher risk car: A 1995 Vauxhall cavalier 1.6i A 1983 VW Golf Cabriolet 1.8 GTi Amazingly the golf is a full £40 a year CHEAPER to insure with the same company than the Cavalier, madness! Shame the Golf isn't actually on the road at the moment, although it's given me some motivation to do so now!

Last years premium = £280 This years renewal = £480 Even when ringing them, the best they could do was £420, and when shopping around the best I can find is £340 for the same level of cover. That's over a 20% increase from last year, and if I continued with the same insurer that's about a 50% increase! Never mind such is life I suppose, prices will rise, but over 20% in a year!! I suppose it's a knock on effect of the banks screwing everything up. Mike.

I'm totally out of touch with the mobile phone market - I've had my current phone, a Sony Ericsson w910i for quite a while now so I'm well overdue an upgrade, but what to go for?? Ideally I want something rugged that can put up with a fair bit of abuse, as I'm out and about quite often in dirty and wet conditions - the 910i has survived this very well, but it's becoming a tad un-reliable now. Apart from that, I'm not too fussed what the phone actually comes with, I doubt I'll be using it for more than txting and making calls on. Anyone got any personal recomendations? Mike.

We're 8 down here, 3 of them senior management.

If you mean the little CAP machines that a lot of banks are giving out now, HSBC don't use them yet. They are generally not used for logging onto your on-line banking, but only for performing certain functions like transfering money. Chip Authentication Program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mike.

genius indeed. I've always been curious how many people actually read stuff properly. I'm the first to admit I don't read everything placed in front of me when applying for things, there's just not enough hours in the day! Mike.

Although the pin outs are the same, the physical apperance of a proper E-SATA plug is different. I've seen a lot of cases sold with just a standard SATA plug as an E-SATA plug, which isn't a big deal, as you can buy SATA-E-SATA cables, but it's not strictly speaking correct. http://www.homestead.co.uk/categoryimages/sata+esata.jpg

I managed a Viglen classlink network in a Middle school for 2 years, actually I was pretty impressed with it, it just worked with minimal fuss. Not sure on their lastest product as I've not seen it, but Viglen as a company seem to have picked their act up quite a bit recently, they newer kit seems better built that some stuff I've seen from them, and their support seems to be better as well - we have a set of Viglen laptops in my current school. Mike.

The other issue you run into when installing software that requires activation is when you re-image machines because they're broken, or have been replaced etc. That then entails calls to licensing companies to get activations reset etc. which can be a real pain. My personal favurite way of dealing with this is an in-house license server that the program can check in with whenever its run to ensure its license is still valid, and you can delete machines from yourself. Our virus checker has a simelar thing, we load in a single key file which licenses the server for x number of machines, then the machines check in with the license server. If we go over, then the program can't be installed on any more machines until be buy more licenses or delete machines that are now redundant etc. Mike.

I'm pretty sure that's a fake - warm things come out lighter on those cameras, one would assume the offending item would infact be warm. Probably done with a can of compressed gas down the other side of the person in question. Still, make me laugh. Mike.

I've always recommended pinnacle when people have wanted video editing software, as it does everything you could ever want for producing in house DVDs, it's reasonably priced and easy to use. Mike.

We're up to the limit on our virus checker license at the moment, so no more laptops are being issued until I get the green light to order some more. That's going to cause issues after Easter when I know there's 2 members of staff starting that I have yet to be formerly told about. Always seems to be the last to find out, apparently I have a cupboard full of laptops so they assume there's ALWAYS going to be spare ones. What they don't reaslise is this cupboard full of laptops contains all the ones that are broken, so old they're useless or are awaiting spare parts. Ah well.

This is how I've setup our wireless network, also on Cisco 1200 series access points, fairly old now, but perfectly functional. I use the free software you can dowload from the Cisco website to sort of manage them with - it allows you to easily copy settngs between access points, and upgrade the firmware on them very easily as well. It will also draw you a rough map of them if they can see each other, although the power levels on ours are such that most of them can't detect each other properly, any stronger and they interfere with each other. Mine run on RADIUS back to 2003 IAS for authentication, and they roam pretty well - ocassional drop outs, but nothing too major. For power levels, I set them all at a low setting to start with, and did a lot of experiments and walking around with net stumbler to see what APs are visible in different locations, adjusting power levels as necessary. After 6 months I've got it pretty well setup now, but it has taken time to achieve this. If the money is there to buy a proper controller to manage them with then I'd definitely go with this route, as it wil make your life a lot easier. Mike.

hmm, was really after something that is specifically designed for photos, also never been a fan of Brother printers, but thanks for the suggestion. That's the sort of thing, have you actually got any experience with it yourrself? I've read plenty of reviews on line of the offerings from Epson, Canon and HP, but I was hopeing to get a recomendation from first hand experience if possible. Mike.

Our photography deaprtment currently have 2 Epson R1800 printers to print students 'A' level work on. These have been very good, a bit expensive to run mind, but the quality of output from them has been outstanding. However both of them have issues with the print heads on them now, and the quality is not what it was. I'm looking for a suitable replacement for them - probably a single A3 photoquality printer of some description, this time with a network adapter built in so we can share it between all 10 of the Art PCs. Anyone got any recomendations? Probably got about £500 to spend, maybe more if the printer is exceptionally good. Looking at Inkjets probably, as lasers just don't cut it for quality, and other print technologies are probably out of our budget. Mike.

We clean all the PCs here ourselves, I just blast everything with foam cleaner and give it a wipedown. Only gets done 3 times a year mind - that's all we have time for.

I would grow a beard, except it comes out ginger, bright ginger at that. Not that there's anything wrong with it really, just stands out a little too much. It does get a bit long in the holidays mind when I really can't be bothered to shave in the mornings.

Yes it does sound familiar and there is a fix for it, but I can't for the life of me remember it. I also seem to recall re-booting the server sorts the issue - of course not a solution, but as a temporary fix we scheduled a re-boot every weekend just to keep things working properly while I found the permanent fix. If I come across it I'll post it up - going to rummage through my documentation folder where I shove printouts of all the MS knowledgebase articles that have been useful. It is a known issue and there is most definitely a fix for it. Mike.

My phone cable here is extended using Cat5 - I found an old modem lead which I crimped a cat5 plug onto the other end of, then into a piece of normal cat5 via a connector, then I changed the plug on the end of the normal phone cable for another cat5 one which connects onto this with another connector - I can extend my phone cable as much as I need to just by changing the interlinking patch lead for another one. At my previous school, all the phone distribution was over cat5. Each cabinet had a telephone patch panel in with 20 pairs connected back to a massive array of patch panels next to the telephone switchboard. That way we could move extensions around the building just by patching the relevant telephone extension through to whatever wall outlet we wanted. Little bit cumbersome to make mass changes to, and the patching was a total mess after years and years of patching and re-patching, but it worked well.

The alturnative is for people to let the moderators get on with their jobs and stop questioning their actions every 5 minutes. Just last week someone mentioned about the the TES forums bickering amongst themselves, now look at us!

I don't find it tedious - I find it interesting, but simply because it totally gobsmacks me how much effort people put into something that at the end of the day is totally and utterly pointless - I mean this a forum at the end of the day, that's all it is. We don't pay anything to be here, it doesn't change the course of our lives if a certain word is censored or not, so why does it really matter? This is possbily the best example yet of making mountains out of molehills.