PeterH

We had this issue some while ago and tried everything you did. In the end, we found that it appears to be a bug with Word 2003 and Outlook. When word is selected as the default email editor in Outlook, it can sometimes cause this problem. We fixed it by going into Outlook, choosing Tools | Options | Mail Format and then unticking "Use Micrsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages" Also have a look at this We've not seen the problem again since.

Yes we've used them for a few years for toner cartridges. Their prices were better than the company we were previously using and are still largely very competitive. We do frequently get quotes from other companies for consumables, but none of them have been significantly cheaper. Delivery is pretty quick. Quality of the cartridges over all is fine, we do have occasional problems with some HP compatible colour cartridges leaking which is a bit of a pain, although defective cartridges are replaced without any fuss. Generally we are quite happy.

Immidio | Resource Kit Virtual Battery indicator - display the battery level inside a remote desktop session. We tested it - it seems to work Peter

We have lots of fun with this the other week. We spoke to about four support engineers, before they figured out that it was a username/password problem. If you change your password on http://www.catglobal.com, it seems that the ESM Server doesn't realise it's changed and will still accept your old password, which won't work and will generate the error mentioned by the OP. We ended up in a situation where it wouldn't accept any password, and this is the procedure we followed to get it to work: 1. Make CERTAIN you have the correct login details for http://www.catglobal.com. This is the site that is used to schedule tests and import students etc. You MUST use the SAME credentials when you login to the ESM server. 2. Uninstall the ESM Server software from your server 3. Remove the Contact.ccf file from the ESM_Test_Centre folder if it's still there 4. In the Registry, navigate to HKLM\Software\Promissor\ESMServer. Delete the CentreID value 5. Re-install the ESM Server software 6. Ensure that the ESM_Test_Centre folder is shared with MODIFY rights for the users who will be running the tests - you need to check both share AND NTFS permissions 7. We weren't told to change the permissions on C:\Program Files\Promissor on the server, so we just left it as default 8. Run the ESM Server from its icon and click Configuration 9. Enter your proxy details if you use one, including credentials if it requires them 10. Un-tick Specify Local Port Range 11. On the No DNS tab, the option to use an IP address should be un-ticked and greyed out 12. Click OK and then Start 13. You should now hopefully be able to login. On the clients, you need to be aware of the following: 1. This version of the Administrator program requires Microsoft XML 6.0 SP1 to be installed. If it isn't, you'll get an error saying "Cannot Load SitePersistance.dll" 2. If you're using MSI-based software deployment, you can run the AdmSetup.Exe file to install the Administrator, and you will find the MSI files for the Administrator and Microsoft XML 6.0 SP1 under your TEMP folder whilst the installer is running. 3. To install unattended using the MSI, you'll need to use Orca to either either modify the MSI file or create an MST file to create a property called DATAPATH which contains the path to the shared folder on the server (for example: \\examserver\esm_test_centre). To do this quickly in Orca: i. Open ORCA and then open the Administrator.msi package ii. Click the Transform menu and choose New Transform iii. Find the PROPERTY table in the list and select it iii. Right-click in the right-hand pane and choose Add Row iv. Enter the property name DATAPATH and then the value is the path to your shared folder v. Click the Transform menu and choose Generate Transform. This will create your MST file which you will need to deploy along with the Administrator.msi. Don't forget you will probably need to deploy the msxml6_x86.msi as well 4. You must ensure that the users who are running the tests have at least MODIFY NTFS permissions on the C:\Program Files\Promissor folder In order to aid with checking workstations before running an exam, we have created a small VBS file that carries out some very basic checks: i. Check that Administrator is installed ii. Check that the folder permissions on c:\program files\promissor are correct iii. Check that flash v10 is installed. I have attached the file to this message. We just go round to each workstation, login as a student and run the test program the day before the test. Note that you must be logged in with a normal student account when you run it as it checks the folder permissions for the currently logged in user. It only takes seconds on each workstation and if it passes the checks, then you can be 99% certain that they will work OK on the day. Hope that helps someone. ostest.vbs

We had major problems with exactly this same thing last year. It depends exactly what you're printing. Documents with small amounts of colour are usually fine, but anything with large amounts of colour, such as photographs cause problems. The problem was caused by using compatible toners. We had the same problem with two HP 5500-series printers and after spending ages and £££s on getting them serviced, buying new fusers, trying different toners, we found the only thing that was guaranteed to work was to use the HP original toners for these printers. We tried several different brands of compatibles, from ultra-cheap to more expensive and even after having been given "100% certain" assurances by several suppliers that there would be no problems with their compatible toners, we were still experiencing regular paper jams. One supplier even suggested that we should switch from using PCL to PS drivers and it did seem to improve it, but not cure it completely. So we've switched back to using the HP originals now. They cost a fortune () but they're the only cartridges we've found that work properly. The problem seems to be limited to the HP 5500-series A3 colour lasers. We use compatibles in all our other A4 colour lasers without any problems.

We use ParentPay to process on-line payments for school meals. The service works very well on the whole and the support is usually very good. They also provide a tool to import data from SIMS so you can easily create ParentPay accounts for parents or even staff as well if you want to. Their administration website isn't particularly user friendly and the documentation only covers the very basics, so you'll probably need quite a bit of help from support to get started.

This sounds a bit strange to me. We've got quite a few amps similar to that around and NONE of them have an earth connection on the cable. In fact come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen one of those types of amplifiers with an earth connection. The reason? They're Class II double-insulated applicances and don't need an earth connection. Look out for the double-insulation symbol on the back of the unit (see [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance_classes]Appliance classes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]) If they've passed in previous years but not this time, assuming there's no damage to the cable or the connections, then I would ask the cable testing company exactly what they're doing.

Does anyone have any experience of using Windows Deployment Services to deploy Windows XP Home? Is it even possible? Can you use Sysprep like you do on XP Pro? It's possible that we may end up with a large number of Netbooks with XP Home or maybe even Win7 home and I need to find a way to easily load the OS onto them. We already use WDS for XP Pro desktops so I'd like to stick with the same thing if possible. The main concern is product activation - if I'm correct each XP Home installation has to be activated individually with Microsoft? We're just looking at options at the moment. If it's going to be too much trouble, I'll recommend that the machines are purchased with XP/Win7 Pro. This would be my favoured option by far. But as they're only going to be used to connect to terminal services, I didn't want to spend extra £££s on Pro licenses if we could get away without it.

You need to add your parameters collection to your SQLCommand before you do .ExecuteNoneQuery, something like this: myCommand.Parameters.Add (sqlparams); Peter

I assume you're wanting SIMS workstations to be able to access the SQL Server and Document Storage server through the ISA server? You will need to allow UDP 1434 and then whatever TCP port your SQL server instance is running on. You can use the SQL Server Configuration Manager to check this (SQL Server 2005 Config / Protocols for {InstanceName} / TCP/IP) For the SIMS .Net document server, this is by default TCP 8080, but again you'll need to check by running c:\program files\sims\sims .net document server\dmconfig /t on your server. Don't forget that if you want your ISA server to authenticate your clients before allowing a connection (which you should do), then you'll need to make them Firewall Clients as there's no support for authenticating Secure NAT clients. Peter

Thanks both for your replies. Yes we have tried different paper types although we've been using the same paper for years. I think you have confirmed by suspicions that the re-manufactured toner is at fault so I'll speak to our supplier and see what they have to say. Peter

We're having problems with our two HP 5550 printers. When you print something with heavy toner coverage, for example large photos, the paper almost always gets jammed around the roller in the fuser unit. We have tried cleaning the rollers in the fusers, and we have also replaced one of them with a brand new HP fuser kit, but we still have the same problem. It's definitely related to toner coverage. You can print smaller photos or text pages without any problem at all. We were hoping that replacing the fuser would take care of it, but it appears not. The printers are a few years old and have been absolutely fine until just recently. Has anyone experienced similar problems with this model? Many Thanks, Peter

I'm not sure that adding an extra server in the senior school is the best solution to this. Replication would be difficult - and is just a hassle that you shouldn't need to bother with. If the fibre link is performing correctly, there shouldn't be a particular problem. You need to establish what speed the fibre link is running at. Ideally it should be at least 1GB, you might run into performance problems if it's anything less. Since you mention performance issues in the Senior School and (presumably) not the Junior School, it makes sense to start investigating the problem by looking at the fibre link. Also you mention you have to keep resetting equipment in the comms cabinet? That shouldn't happen - our comms cabs run for months or even years without being reset. Maybe you've got a faulty switch/fibre converter or some other item of equipment that needs to be replaced in there. Also, ICT Suites 5 & 6 in the Senior school - are they wireless because they're laptops? If they're fixed desktop PCs, then they shouldn't be wireless. Get them wired to the correct standards and you will see a significant performance improvement in those rooms. What spec are your existing servers? Perhaps they need to be upgraded? Reasonably modern servers shouldn't really have any problems supporting 175 clients. I would recommend that you focus on your existing infrastructure rather than thinking about adding additional servers. Peter

OK, well you don't say exactly what problem or error message you're seeing, but looking at it purely from an SQL point of view, shouldn't the line: DataSet ResultSet = RunQuery("Select * From Knowledge_Request Where Category=+node.Text"); Actually be: DataSet ResultSet = RunQuery("Select * From Knowledge_Request Where Category='" & node.Text & "'"); It's usual to wrap single-quotes (') around alphanumeric values in a WHERE clause. What value are you getting in ResultSet.Tables[0].Rows.Count? Peter

Try: c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v2.0.xxxxx\aspnet_regiis -i -enable

If you have volume license XP Pro media, you should also have a volume license key if you have a SELECT agreement or other volume licensing agreement. Use the volume license key when creating the original Ghost image. Don't use the product key attached to the machine as you may have problems with product activation. The volume license copy of XP doesn't need to be activated as long as you use a volume license product key to install it. As long as the machines are licensed for Vista Business, you can normally use downgrade rights to install XP Pro. Please note that this must be Vista Business, you can't downgrade Vista Home to XP Professional for example. But do check the terms of your volume license agreement first. Peter

If you're relying on network browsing to locate resources on your domain, you're likely to have problems. Try changing the workgroup name on your standalone laptops to match the NETBIOS name of your domain Personally, I wouldn't depend on browsing the network to location resources. It's far easier to just type in UNC paths or create shortcuts. If your laptops aren't domain members, then you're also going to have issues with autnetication. You'll need to ensure that you have domain accounts with usernames and passwords that exactly match the local accounts on your latpops. Far better to make them domain members. Peter

You need to use OpenDirectory along with ActiveDirectory. OpenDirectory is the Apple directory service, similar to ActiveDirectory.To use OpenDirectory you need a machine running Mac OS X Server. This includes a tool called WorkGroup Manager which allows you to create what are called MCX preferences, which are similar to GPOs on Windows Server. The way it works is that your Mac clients are bound to both directory services - AD for user authentication and OD for setting machine/user preferences and restrictions. However, MCX preferences are nowhere near as powerful, reliable, flexible or comprehensive as GPOs on Windows. For example I haven't been able to find any way of disabling the shared resources and computers in Finder that you specifically mention. Printers can be setup using MCX prefs. You don't have drive mappings as such on a Mac, but you do have MountPoints which allow you to map network shares, such as your users' home directories to 'local' folders. A good starting point for more info is the document referenced here: AFP548 - AD-OD Sandbox. This explains how to setup a Basic AD/OD infrastructure that will get you started - but you will need to purchase a copy of Mac OS X Server with enough licenses to support all your clients. You'll also need plenty time and patience if you're not used to Mac OS X and a good deal of luck. We've spent weeks over the summer trying to get this setup right and whilst it basically is working, we still have hassles with preferences intermittently not appliyng to particular users/workstations and other issues that we don't have to think twice about on Windows - good luck! Peter

The first thing to try is to see if it runs when logged in as an administrator. If it does, then it's a permissions issue - either file system (NTFS permissions), registry permissions or a software restriction policy (trying to run an executeable file from somewhere it isn't allowed to). With CC3 it's fairly easy to work around these kind of problems. You can use writeaccess.ini files with your MSI package to specify permissions for files, folders or registry keys and the CC3 management console allows you to modify software restrictions policies if you need to. The tricky bit is trying to identify them in the first place. Find out from the developer if the program needs to be able to write to C drive or to the registry, or if it needs to run executable files from anywhere other than c:\program files. You could also use a tool like Process Monitor (FileMon for Windows) which will help you to identify if file or registry access is failing.

As well as those, also check out: Computer Config \ Admin Templates \ System \ Group Policy \ Startup policy processing wait time We had an issue just recently with some laptops that weren't applying policies at startup becuase the wireless network wasn't starting quickly enough. After lots of playing around with different policy settings, this is the one that fixed it. We enabled it and set the amount of time to wait to 60 seconds. Now everything seems to work perfectly - it doesn't take anywhere near 60 seconds, but the group policy client will wait up to that amount of time for the network to become available. Peter

OK we tried all the usual BIOS and driver updates, using the latest drivers from the Broadcom and Lenovo websites, but they don't fix the problem. We've also re-installed Vista using the volume license media, rather than the factory install. I hadn't thought of trying the DHCP media sense trick. The only down-side to that is presumably you won't be able to login using cached credentials as the machine will always assume it's connected to the network. Anyway it's worth a try and I'll give it a go when I get chance.

John Cleveland College

Not sure whether to post this in the Vista forum or the hardware forum. We've bought lots of new Lenovo R61i laptops with Vista Business. We've decided to stick with Vista on these rather than 'downgrade' to XP They work quite well, but there's a really strange DHCP problem, the likes of which I've never seen before. If the machine is started up with the Ethernet cable plugged in, 9 times out of 10 it will fail to get an IP address via DHCP. The network connection icon in the system tray just says "identifying" and ipconfig /renew at the command prompt hangs for ever. If you go into the network connections dialog and change anything, it just hangs forever after clicking OK. If the machine is started up without the Ethernet cable plugged in, and is then plugged in after it has started, it gets an IP address immediately, every time without fail. This is really annoying as it means that group policies don't get applied without lots of reboots and logins fail most of the time. We've tried new LAN drivers (Broadcom NetLink) from both the Broadcom and Lenovo sites - different driver versions, but result in the same behaviour. We've tried Vista with and without SP1, no difference. We've updated the BIOS to the latest version as well. Has anyone seen anything like this before? Is it a Vista thing or a driver problem as I suspect? Other latpops (HP) with the same Vista configuration have no problems at all. DHCP server is Windows 2000 with no routing or DHCP relay.

I Don't know much about the Konica 5440DL, but if it emulates an HP LaserJet, you could try one of the Microsoft drivers, such as LaserJet 4 or 5. These work OK for us on 2008 server x64 and were useful for getting an HP 2300 working that had no x64 drivers. Not sure about the Konica as I said but it's got to be worth a try. Peter

Give the code below a try. You didn't mention what vesion of VB you're using - the code below works on 2005, .Net Framework v2. It's probably better to call msiexec.exe directly and then pass the msi file as a parameter. You can specify both a filename and parameters in the process.start method You can get the full path to the MSI by using & to concatenate the application.startuppath and the MSI filename. You'll need to wrap the whole string in " " ( chr(34) ) in case there's any spaces in the path. However, you might still have a couple of problems. Firstly, you will need to ensure that the .Net framework is installed on every machine you're going to run the CD on. Also, I've not tested running it direct from CD, but you may have problems with the default .Net Code Access Security Policy preventing the EXE file from running from the CD Drive. The default policy allows .Net EXEs to run from C: drive but not from network drives for example. I'm not sure about CDROM drives. It can be changed but it's something you'd have to do on each machine before running the CD. You'd probably be better off with a batch file or a VBScript. Public Class Form1 Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Dim myPath As String Dim myMSI As String myPath = Application.StartupPath & "\" myMSI = Chr(34) & myPath & "Smarttools.msi" & Chr(34) & " /Passive NOTEBOOK_ONLY=1" Process.Start("c:\windows\system32\msiexec.exe", " /i " & myMSI) End Sub End Class