mattpant

Did anybody put together any Digital Signage systems in their schools over the summer holidays? If so, I would be intressted to hear how you all got on, what software and hardware was used, and if possible a breif summary of the type of infomation you are displaying on your screens. Also if anybody has got any screenshots of the templates/layouts that they are using and willing to share them with us I would be grateful to see what designs people have come up with! I'm using basic PowerPoint with a few plugins from http://www.presentationpoint.com, inc BBC RSS Feeds, some RJ45 to VGA Extenders from Maplins and an Old Laptop to run the OS/PowerPoint. It works really well and was fairly cheap to implement. Looking forward to hearing from you all! Regards, Matt

OK, I have searched High and Low over the web for answers to this problem and have failed... until now.. I think! The problem seems to occur following on from a Windows Security update, there is a patch that is suppose to fix the problem on the microsoft website, but I've applied it and it still comes up with this annoying little box! Anyway, after many hours hunting around I found this http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q238441 I'm away all next week so won't be able to try it out, but looks like it might do the trick (I know it's written for IE5, but hoping it's the same!) Cheers, Matt

OK, I've created a new profile and tweaked it to how I want it, I've copied this back onto the server and setup the correct permissions and made it mandatory, but still a user logs onto the computers a little popup window appears in the top left hand corner saying "Personalised Settings - Microsoft Outlook Express 6" This is really annoying me now and never use to appear! Anybody got any other ideas how I can blitz it? We don't even use Outlook Express 6 but uninstalling it didn't seem to make any difference!!! HELP! Regards, Matt

Yeah it's on the server. Which is where I made the changes to the ntuser.man to ntuser.dat

Thanks, I will give that ago tommorrow then. If that was the case then, wouldn't turning the Mandatory Profile into a normal profile, logging in as a user with full write permissions then change back to a Mandatory profile solve the problem? Cheers, Matt

Hi, I've just been setting up a machine ready for "ghosting" and have run into the following problem that I have never had before. We are using Mandatory profile for pupils, and when I log in to these machines as a test user, a dialog box appears for a few seconds displaying "Personalised Settings - Microsoft Outlook Express 6" this appears now for all users logging into these machines, I changed the Mandatory to a normal profile and logged in as an administrator (using that profile) temporaily just to see if it would sort out problems but it doesn't appear to have. Does anybody know how to stop this message from coming up on logon? I've tried uninstalling Outlook Express but the box still appears. Regards, Matt

Thanks for the replies... I'm in the middle of formatting a machine and re-doing it in case it's a simple software error or corrupt file that is giving us the problems. On the note of DNS, if that was the problem, would you expect me to have problems with more machines around the school, as it only seems to be a problem with the same 16 machines or so in the same room. Cheers, Matt

@Ric - I thought it may have been something like that to start with, but doens't appear to be, I've restarted the switches, but no difference, I moved the PC to a network point in the room that I know the computer works on, and I've even taken the computer out of the room to a different room to try and still it won't log on. Thinking it may have been a batch of faulty NICs or Motherboards I took a Hard Drive from a Non-Working computer to a Working computer in the hope that the non-working would start working, but still nothing (But this help rule out any hardware faults) just to take it further, I put the HDD from a Working Computer into an Non-Working computer and.. it worked! Confussed yet! lol What I don't understand is why there is only 16 or so out of the whole room not working when they all came from the same Ghost Image and all in the same OU group! @Mark Yeah there are scripts running at logon/startup but I don't think it is a problem with that. @Dos_Box yeah the machines are/have been sysprep so shouldn't be a problem with duplicate GUIDs We use to have computers in this OU group with the same computer names, which have now been removed from this OU group into a new OU group with different computer names, that shouldn't make any difference should it??? IE, we have replaced all the old computers from this IT room with new ones and have reused the old computers elsewhere in the school. Cheers, Matt

Hi Guys, I've been having problems with a selection of computers all in the same room for some time now and it is really bugging me what it might be. The computers can work fine for days on end then one day when you try to log in, you enter the username and password and it logs in but then stays on the "Applying Computer Settings" message for ages, if you leave the computer on that screen, eventually it will load up the desktop (After about 30mins) When this problem occurs, it happens on the same machines each time in that room (About 16 out of 30). DNS is running ok. DHCP is fine, Network drivers are up to date as are Windows Updates, and I'm puzzled! If you restart the computers about 10 times, they will then continue to work normally (Until the next time) I've found that re-ghosting a machine and adding it back to the network cures the problem but again, until the next time! I've also found that removing the computer from the domain then adding it back to the domain and OU fixes the problem, but again, only 'til it occurs again. Thinking it may have been a problem with the network switch, I changed over patch leads into a different switch to try but still the problem occured, the computers that are playing up are plugged into 2 different switches anyway, so I don't think it's a faulty switch. Event Viewer doesn't seem to be pointing out any clues, has anybody on here come across similar problems or know what it might be? Regards, Matt

@iking The program we use to do this is called "Show Point" and can be downloaded from this link... http://www.presentationpoint.com/software/free_addons/index.htm I have created a folder on the network and set this up in the "Show Point" software as being the folder to look for changes. I then have this running on the "Digital Signage" machine. Then from any other machine on the network I can modify the PowerPoint slides or add new content to them and as soon as I press save, the screens are refreshed. It looks far better then having the screens displaying your every mouse move to modify details from the output of the Digital Signage machine! If you need anymore info then give us a shout. Regards, Matt

Hi Guys, Like Mark mentioned before, we are running a similar setup using an old laptop running XP and PowerPoint, a 3,500 Lumen projector to get a nice big 8ft screen size on a big white wall in the schools foyer, a 17" TFT Screen further down the coridor, and a RJ45 VGA Extender to display the same image on the screens. Here's the link for the RJ45 Extender - Cheapest place I found was Maplins http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=45472&criteria=VGA%20Rj45&doy=7m7 Using the software from http://www.presentationpoint.com I create slides in PowerPoint, and can dynamically insert text/data from a Database.Excel Spreadsheet or Text File. Using their NewsPoint software I can pull in RSS news feeds to display on the screens. They also have some free software which can be used to insert slide timings for start and stop displaying certain slides at certain times or days of the week. They have another free program that you can set to automatically start playing a new slide when you drop it into a certain folder, or when a certain file has been modified it will automatically refresh and show the latest infomation. They also have a free program that you can install to Desktops and run the same slide/infomation as screensavers on unused computers in IT rooms. Hope this information helps, Regards, Matt

Hi Guys, We use the pupils 4 Digit Exam Number which they will use in Years 10 + 11 for when they do their exams. This also means that as all the pupils names and details have already been entered into SIMS by the office staff, I can just create a report that has the infomation I require (First Name, Surname, Exam Number (for Username) ettc), then put it into a spreadsheet that I use to create all the user accounts in AD whole process then only takes about 5mins to setup a whole new Year Intake! AND they remember their exam number when they come to sit exams AND they are already all unique! Super! Regards, Matt

Thanks... will give that ago. @DMcCoy... When the pupils logon... they are able to see the folder where the font is OK, as that folder has the correct permissions, it's just they don't have the permissions to copy it into the Font's folder on the local Hard Drive. I thought startup scripts were 'spose to work regardless of who logs in, but when I created the startup script with the command in it, it seem to run after somebody had logged in with the same results. Is the startup script 'spose to run before you get the Logon Box? Regards, Matt

Hi Guys, Somebody has asked me to install a new font on the machines in the IT Rooms called "Mr Robo Funk" to allow them to create basic animations of a Robot Dancing. I put the font in the Netlogon folder of the server and added a line in the logon script to copy the file to C:\Windows\Fonts automatically so I don't have to go around every PC! This works fine when a admin logs into the computers, but when the pupils log on, the file is copied across as they don't have permission to write to the C:\Windows\fonts folder (Or any other on the C Drive) Is there an easy way around this so the font can be installed quickly and easily by login/startup script and permission not being a problem? Regards, Matt

Nice thought Geoff, But when I mean Open Source system I'm thinking something more in the region of being able to add content remotely, easily make changes and schedule changes, when I say PowerPoint is ok for now, I mean it runs a presentation that has already been setup, but if you want to make changes, you need to go into PowerPoint make the changes and then re-run the PowerPoint... if this is going out to the screens it all looks very messy!! Any other ideas... are there any other schools already doing similar things. Cheers, Matt

I've downloaded the files on the webpage... anybody got any ideas what to do with them!!!!!!] Not much info really to go by! Regards, Matt

I had that problem, registered but couldn't download.. I logged out then back in again and the links appeared!! Matt

Hi Guys, We're thinking of setting up a digital signage network in school. I've seen a few demos of some software packages out there which costs quite alot of money... has anybody come across any open source solutions. I'm guessing that more and more schools will be going down this route in the not so near future, PowerPoint is fine for the time being!! Regards, Matt PS. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum section, didn't really know where to slot it in!

Thanks Guys for the replys, I've been having a play with DATAPOINT and NEWSPOINT but I've not had much luck getting them to work!!! Are there any other products around people know about? I've had a quick search on Google but not come accross much. Cheers, Matt

Hi, Sorry if this is not in the right Forum, didn't know where best to put it... Does anybody know a way, Free if possible, to insert RSS feeds into PowerPoint Slides? I have setup a TFT Screen outside the Canteen to show the school menu, but in between the slides for each day I would like to insert slides with News Feeds/Weather/Entertainment etc etc just to Jazz it up and make it look like it's more upto date so people will stop of and take notice. We are using PowerPoint 2003 if that makes any difference. Any ideas????? Thanks Matt

Hi John, Yes I saw the Samsung TFT Network Screen at BETT, I love them, the only trouble is, the 46" Version cost over £3,000, and a decent Projector with a much bigger screen size is well under £1,000! I have been trying to push towards the Plasma, but they want to the Projector, to be fair, it's a large wall to fill and a Plasma would look lost with it's small screen size! Cheers, Matt

Hi Guys... Does anybody know if there is such a thing as a Networkable Projector, OK, I have seen Network Projectors that allow you to plug into the network and manage settings and check on Lamp life etc but this is what I want to do.... We have a large foyer area with a nice big white wall which we currenlty project powerpoint files on such as School Dinner Menu, Events, Notices etc etc, this all runs off an old machine sitting in an office where you have to go and kick start it etc. What we are looking for is something I guess like Digital Signage systems/Network Ready LCD screens where you can upload the Powerpoints or whatever it maybe from any computer on the network and schdule things such as DinnerMenu certain times etc withou actually having a dedicated machine to do this... Any thoughs.... A company has told me about a Hitachi CPX255, this sounds like it might do it, but not really found any information on the networking side of things, Regards, Matt

Hi, Does anybody know if there is Free Print Quota Software kicking around out here on the net, I've done a quick search but not found anything?? Anbody else had much luck? Am I right in thinking that there is now something included in Windows Server 2003 R2 to do this? Regards, Matt

Thanks Guys for all your feedback, it's intrestting to see how speeds can very so much from place to place under different circumstances. Judging from what people have posted my logon speeds seem to be quite fair. Cheers, Matt

@Quackers Wow... I'm impressed!!! How the hell you managed to get it to logon in under 5 seconds??? Share your secrets please!!!! How have you got your Mandatory profile setup? Is it downloaded from the server each time, or have you got the Mandatory profile saved locally on each machine?? I'm guessing on the server, but 3-5 seconds does seem very fast!!! Regards, Matt