Trapper

Hello All, When applying startup and shutdown scripts via group policy the machines just sit there on "Running Startup Scripts" for what can only be described as an epoch. They rarely seem to do anything at the end, but for example the following script, which removes a single profile, took half an hour at shutdown! @echo off title Remove InstallXP Profile echo. echo. cls echo. echo. echo Deleting InstallXP profile echo This is an automated maintainence protocol enacted by IT Support echo. echo Please wait... echo. rmdir /q /s "C:\Documents and settings\InstallXP" echo. echo Operation complete. exit I've also set a startup script to install an MSI, as the AD way of deploying rarely seems to work for me: @echo off title Installing Driving Software Theory 2010 for Room 43 echo Installing your Driving Software Theory 2010 software echo Please allow this product to install echo This should take no longer than 5 minutes echo If you have any problems please contact IT Support echo. echo Many Thanks! echo. echo Please wait... msiexec /i "\\hsapps\Software\RemoteDeploy\DTS Driving Client 2010\DTS Driving Client 2010.msi" /passive echo Installation Complete! Please look for this program on your start menu under "Work Related Learning" pause exit Is there anything obvious that I've done wrong on these scripts?!! Any ideas on why it's so slow? Cheers,

Only if their Learning Manager requests it. We tend to start them off with basic visitors account - which actually have less access than the students. If requested we have a staff visitors group which gives them read access to our shared area (eg dump) and the staff and pupils sites on our VLE. Next step is an email account. They do not go into any "normal" school groups, apart from deparmental ones if requested. Although it was a faff to setup, we can now finely control what they have access to. The most they ever get is access to the departmental mailing list. No emails about the school or students gets directly to them. Of course we can't technically stop others forwarding it on.

Hi All, My application server is currently running Server 2003 R2 SP2 x86. All it really does is run Ghost sessions, a file server and runs the IT Support license for AB Tutor Control. I'd like to upgrade it to 2008 x86 so I can use TSWebApps to publish AB Tutor Control. Far easier on the eye than having an entire TS session open for one program. There are three of us, who use the same license too, so keeping the TS session open is a capital offence! Can you directly upgrade from 2003 to 2008 x86? The server is virtual running on Hyper-V, so there are no "hardware" issues! Cheers,

They are very close by to my school, we use them often. A great local supplier.

Exchange 2007 OWA for email. We use Sharepoint as our VLE. We've bought the webparts from Salamander which let you use a network share such as users home directory, or a shared area like a normal MOSS document library. They have two tabs one for their home directory, and one for the common dump share. Only niggle is you have to download the document you are working on, save, and re-upload. Despite all this, the solution works well for our school. The good thing is all this is done over port 443. Nothing else is required, as we do not use Outlook Anywhere. Myself and my boss have VPN. We are looking at sharing remote desktops/ TSWebApps for students to use from home.

Hey All, I am wondering whether any of the techies from the William Allitt School in Newhall, Derbyshire - my old secondary - are on EduGeek. I'm trying to get some info on the techie who was there when I was in KS3 (back 12 years ago), but all my contacts at the school have moved on. If you do work there, could you send me a PM? I know it's a long shot! Cheers,

10MB up and down, approx 800 users. It usually manages fine, however the Sixth Formers have discovered not only iPlayer and 4OD, but also these stream films online, stream US shows etc. As quick as I block them, they find others. I keep meaning to pass the list onto Birmingham to block centrally. These days as soon as the net slows to a crawl, my first port of call is to view what the Sixth Formers are doing. Nine times out ten we have a half dozen of them all watching films or Eastenders!

I've got the same sort of problem. Staff have roaming profiles. Teaching staff so they can do whatever they need on their laptop. They can pretty much do what they want on their laptop. We must be lucky, as our staff respect the machines, are we rarely have any problems. For support staff they use Outlook on their workstation. I'd like ideally for staff to keep roaming on their laptop, and when they log onto a desktop get a mandatory profile to set start menu, desktop and My Docs path. This is frankly the one feature of Ranger that I am missing. Has anyone figured out how to do this, without starting to seriously lock down their laptops, which is something I do not want to do.

I realise you are after free, however I cannot recommend Print Manager Plus enough. Before this we used an old, old version of Ranger Print Manager, which barely did the job. Since deployment in October just on prints denied for file size, or copies, or pages, or number of images on curriculum printers (that is Laser Jets and bubble jets - not photocopiers) we've saved triple the cost of the software. We also caught a group of students trying to print a 100 page work book to a medium load Laser Jet - that's almost 1500 pages (across 15 students). If they'd have managed that would have basically emptied the toner, and cost the HoD for Science £60! We have a top notch Ricoh photocopier in the staff room, which also runs as their printer. As such we put no real restrictions on it. Staff instead of photocopying a work sheet 25 times, can just print it. It's all the same drum, costs the same. We've managed to stop some staff using LaserJets like photocopiers. Printing ten worksheets 30 times on a LaserJet - it has saved us a fortune!

I'd wish our Sixth Formers show more interest frankly! Especially those on the more technical IT courses. Apparently in my first four months as a techie I drove my old boss to the verge with constant questioning. So you can be to enthusiastic!

Hello All, Has anyone been able to use any third party VPN apps to connect to their school via BGfL on an x64 version of Windows? I know CISCO do have their own native client, but it is for the latest protocol (not IPSec) - and I can't see BGfL upgrading! The closest I've come to connecting natively is via this guide - Finally an x64 Cisco VPN client - as it will import a .pcf. However it hangs on connecting for an age, and then disconnects with Enter IPSec secret for @.bgfl.org: I find using it on a VM a real pain in the arse for drive sharing and not syncing to the same Outlook profile. Usually I use TS, but it is painfully slow when you're doing something intricate (through a double RDP session to use your desktop!) Cheers

I would agree that it is the social interaction that makes this game such a large no-no for primary kids - or frankly for use in any school. You can turn the profanity filter on, but you are still going to get some retard sounding off in Trade or General chat, trying to cause a fuss. Yes, you can turn that channel off, but it isn't hard to turn it back on again. Could you imagine taking 20 Yr 5s into Barrens chat? Horrifying! Purely as a thought experiment LOTRO would be a far better option - far maturer community, the the Tolkein world is far more "child" friendly, especially at the first 10 levels.

Fixed our chuffing Exchange server that decided to turn itself off. The wife was... displeased.

Stupid question: Is it legal?

I never made out it was their fault. However back in naive days I didn't quite twig on a) A lot less money than comparable models and b) Sold as seen could be seen as a possible problem machine. Anyway long story short, that particular model Latitude was well know for the faults that killed mine.

I'd agree second hand laptops are a gamble. I bought a Dell back in late 2004 from eBay. It was a fairly awful spec, but for the time the second hand laptop market was at it's height. I paid £240 for it, straight out of University, that was just about all the money we had. The board fried within two weeks, and the buyer refused to do anything - it was sold as seen, which is why it was a good £50 less than the rest. I've learnt my lesson on this!

Hello, As long time HP users, we are looking towards another manufacturer for the next load, as we've found some problems with the last batches of HP machines. We've never bought Dell before, so I'm not entirely sure what range to look at. For comparison we have the HP B range of laptops (6715b, 6735b), is there a comparable Dell range? Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Matt

Sony BluRay player (which is now half price!!) and some BluRays (Star Trek, Stargate and NASAs Greatest Missions) Black Wii and a second Wiimote along with WiiFit and a couple of Game Cube games The Complete Babylon 5 DVD box set Lord of the Rings extended box set And a promise that I can buy a new PC later this year, with double my usual budget!

Merry Christmas! My surprise early Christmas present! http://g.imagehost.org/t/0646/IMG_0964.jpg http://g.imagehost.org/t/0756/IMG_0965.jpg http://g.imagehost.org/t/0067/IMG_0966.jpg Wasn't expecting this one!

What?! I only bought the damn thing five weeks ago for £140!!

I'm sure our boot discs have these settings already from a pain in the ass machine a couple of years ago. Couldn't say for sure though without checking - and I'm not doing that until January!!

We have several of these machines and I have been unable to Ghost them directly. However I simply pop the hard drive into another HP machine (such as a 6715b) and Ghost from there. Bit of a hassle, but it works well

Will you be running this promotion again? Just noticed it, and it seems a fantastic offer.

Hello, We are currently looking for a thin client solution. We've heard good things about Axel, but no one is quite sure whether or not they support Facility CMIS? Has anyone had experience of Axel and CMIS? Many Thanks, Matt

Would you mind sending me that that number too? We had a test scheduled this morning, when the new build came down and then failed.