BJG

Oh OK, thanks...;-) The Register looks like a good start...

For several years I had a subscription to PC Pro which I used to leaf through to help me feel I had my finger on the pulse. Never got round to renewing it at my current school though. Just now someone handed me a CD printed with Lightscribe, which I'd never heard of although it's been around for ages, and I decided I need to work at this. So are there any websites you glance at daily to see what's new in the IT world...?

(Thanks - downloaded the latest drivers and got this working now...)

Bit of a long shot, but I wondered if anyone had seen this before. Just been installing Syncrosoft (Cubase) dongles on a set of Windows XP PCs, and one of them seems to have messed up the USB mouse. You can plug it in and it will work for about 2 seconds before it becomes unresponsive. Move it to a different port and you buy 2 seconds more, but you can't use the same port twice. Tried different mice, uninstalling/reinstalling syncrosoft and mouse drivers, system restore, will have to wipe the darn thing and start again unless someone has any bright ideas...

Yeah, I would recommend installing something. It's a real bore if you do get clobbered.

Great - thanks. Have used Avast in the past and found it pretty good. Not come across Security Essentials before so will check that out. (Will have to be an absolute no-brainer in this case...)

Any quick recommendations for some free, simple and effective antivirus software...?

...currently stuck in Sri Lanka...:-(

Could be handy: Ordnance Survey launches free downloadable maps | Technology | The Guardian

Sounds like you simply don't have time for this kind of stuff. I would show people how to do things the first time, and then leave them to it. 1st priority has to be technical support, not admin - you can't let yourself get roped into doing other people's jobs for them. Concentrate on advice and instruction in the first instance, only do stuff yourself if you have to. Whenever people used to ask me to do something, I always replied with: "I'll show you how to do it..." (All this is easier said than done...I should apply it more myself...)

Gah, spent most of the afternoon trying to track down an elusive problem in Serco, whereby a particular user couldn't access one of the database screens - it just didn't appear. Tried other accounts on that machine, the same account on other machines, reset profiles, installed service packs, did system restores - all to no avail. Finally realised that the missing screen had been dragged to the second monitor on a dual-monitor system. Mine.

It does seem there are some highly weightlifted people out there. Can doping make you better? - Volleyball news, results, videos - Volleycountry.com

Plenty posts about shared calendars using Outlook/Google, but I wondered if anyone was using any snazzy alternatives. The school wants to set up a shared calendar for a small group in such a way that people can submit suggested dates for things like school trips (kind of "pencil them in") which then have to be approved by the other members before being accepted. Don't know if there's anything around which has that kind of facility...?

(Thanks, this is all very useful - will probably print this topic out for the Media Studies Dept...)

...not wishing to derail this thread, but I was about to post something similar. Could I widen the topic a bit...? Would like to know what people are installing as standard classroom projectors these days, also how often they replace them. We've got a bunch of old Benq MP610/620s (possibly even a Sahara somewhere) and I'm not sure whether it's worth buying replacement bulbs (£140/£230 respectively from Filron) or if we should be looking to replace the projectors. Are modern projector bulbs more cost effective...? And what's a sensible replacement cycle...? And please answer contink's original question too so he isn't miffed.

Thanks - fast switches and dedicated storage sounds like the way to go. What do you estimate we should be budgeting for the network and storage equipment...? (Also be interested in any other recommendations re: suitable switches and storage devices.)

I've redirected the Intranet link to: http://www.google.co.uk/webhp?complete=0&hl=en ...since this is the main way people access it. That URL doesn't prompt you with mindless suggestions.

...no PS/2 keyboard socket...?

The school's just decided that the next major project will be a new Windows-based IT suite for the Media Studies Dept., so if anyone's got things going well in this area I'd be interested in any recommendations. The old system was running on their own separate network but I want to integrate this. File transfer has always been a bit of an issue though; long loading times bringing up Adobe Premiere projects from the server. Not sure what the best solution is here...

Is this any use...? Movie Maker 2 stops responding when you try to save a large movie file

...just been asked to set up something to monitor "how often certain computers are used or last logon", and this was the only relevant thread I could find. I'm not really into hacking around with scripts though - hasn't anyone found a handy bit of software for this kind of thing...?

An article in today's Guardian depicts a world in which lawbreaking schools subject pupils to the same level of CCTV scrutiny as prison inmates, teachers use headsets to eavesdrop on private conversations, and "most secondary schools have at least 20 cameras". Apparently "it is now common for secondary schools to fingerprint pupils". Nonsense, surely? Schools 'break law' to spy on pupils | Education | guardian.co.uk

If there's really nothing you want, ask for cash and give it to charity. (Maybe that will get you thinking...)

^^^ Great program. The resizer powertoy is also a must-have.

Since I reckon there are a few prog/rock fans on this BB - caught Jethro Tull in Ipswich yesterday evening and he's still daft as ever. Great South Indian curry house next door to the theatre too. Ahh...happy memories...