woody

Ramesys who we normally get our licensing from quote £199 for the server licensing and £13.50 per client. We would need around 80 CALS so that's where the price comes from (rounded down . They don't have anything on their website about 'per processor' licenses, but I could have missed them. Our server has a single processor. Anyway, I think I have come to the conclusion that as Ric says, I've never noticed any performance issues detrimental to the running of SIMS. Our school closes in a few years to be amalgamated into an academy so probably not worth wasting the money on. Maybe the bursar will buy me a shiny new laptop instead??? (Yeah right!) Think I will go express and I can always upgrade later

Sorry for yet another SIMS SQL upgrade question, but currently we are running MSDE 2000 like most other schools. With the pending upgrade to 2005, we have the option of going full blown SQL2005. What if any benefits are there to diong this? I know that the max DB size on express is now 4GB. Our current Sims DB is just over 1GB. What's the chances of it growing beyond 4GB? And are there any speed / backup advantages to the full version that are worth the £1200 that it will cost us?

I think the best way forward is to install SQL2005 in tandem with SQL2000. When you install 2005, it will ask if you want it to automatically upgrade all your 2000 DBs to 2005. Say NO! After it is installed, ask your local helpdesk to make the migration tool available to you via solus. Do your backups one final time, then run the Migration!

I've never tried copying just the folder, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. As for £100 for a replacement disk, I would make a complaint higher up. That's rediculous, if you wanted to let someone else use you license, you could do them a copy of that CD quite easily! Write them a letter and complain officially. I would be surprised if they didn't give in!

After upgrading 2d design to v2, every time we go to output, a message appears saying: "The specified driver is not present on this machine. Please install the driver or click on Change Driver." If you click on Change Driver and re-select the correct one, it then works fine. But the problem returns after closing down the program and returning to it later. This is happening on two PCs with different cutters attached. And it all started after upgrading to v2! Anyone getting the same? Any ideas on how to set the printer driver perminantly? Thanks

Thanks for replies so far guys! I will look into Asterisk.

My brother is looking for some software along with a VOIP provider that will allow him to use his internet connection for call cueing on a small level - ie upto 5 calls being cued at once. Also the ability to leave a message rather than wait. Anybody know of anything that doesn't cost the earth to setup and run?

Referring to the original question, Acerf1, do you mean you use securus to MONITOR website access, or actually BLOCK them? Securus does not currently have the facility to BLOCK websites - just to pick up words within them as well as any other application, although I am aware that Securus does plan to introduce website blocking as an additional extra cost. Applications can be blocked within the current software. However, if you want to BLOCK websites, look at some of the linux distros that will do this for free. i'm sure others will mention some specific ones???

Yeah, for us it started with one printer not working properly, then two then all of them. After 24 hours everything was slow and printing was crippled.

Well, sorted it out. There was another loop on a different switch in the Technology dept. Haven't found the actual loop yet as the ports aren't prperly labelled (I didn't do it) but I have disconnected that cable at the switch end and everything is back to normal. PHEW. Just a great big thanks to everyone who helped so quickly

Right, I've found a cable plugged into two ports in a room where we recently took the computers out. Time to disconnect them I think! However, the switches are still flashing mad. Is there a method to bringing them back to normal, do I have to restart them all? I have tried restarting the one I think the offending cable was connected to, but that has had no effect.

Ok thanks guys, this would have to happen when one of my staff is off sick, and the other doesn't work wednesdays Will let you know how I get on

I am currently going round switching off the ones that I am able to at this time. I take it that when I turn off the offending switch, the others will immediately calm down and return to normal flashine of activity lights?

Thanks Geoff, problem is at the moment I can't access the web configuration pages so can't switch it on

Thanks Guys, will try isolating the problem. Geoff, what do you mean be STP?

Sorry for the alarming heading, but something is going very wrong on my network. First symptoms were people not being able to print. This was weird becuase it was all the network prionters, yet there a several seperate print servers, and even the PCs that are directly connected over the network by an IP port stopped working. Sometimes I could ping these printers, sometimes intermittent ping returns, sometimes nothing. The HP printer in the offce was taking ages to start up, when I remove the network cable it gets to ready state prompto. Then there is the network switches. They all seem to be flashing weird, like every port is flashing simultaniously and this is on ALL of the switches around school. Those that have configuration pages I am unable to get to them, and I get 'Destination Unreachable' when I try and ping. The thing that throws me is that the switches must be working to some extent because I can log on, ping the network servers, get on the internet and send you this message, there have been no log on issues reported anywhere. So I am starting to think something sinister is happening, maybe something flooding the network on sertain ports? I am not a network engineer so I don;t know where to start investigating. Is there any software that can give me a picture of my network and where all the traffic is? Any help at this stage would be helpfull Thanks!

Paul, seems very weird this. Have you tried deleting the original s:\sims\OwnAAB.pdf and then re-run s:\sims\setups\SIMSManualSetup.exe [Edit should have said this is on a client but you probably guessed that:)]

Is it possible to not install the AOL stuff? I thought you needed to log on through their software. Maybe things have changed? Anyway, there are plenty of ISPs out there, not the bigs boys you mentioned, but others who for £30 per month will give you massive download cap with no traffic shaping.

Another weak point with mice, is when the kids get their fingertips underneath the buttons and PULL. One of our ICT teachers reckons they don't realise they are doing this - that it starts of as a little habbit, flicking the buttons. Yeah right!

I remember my first major computer installation 4 years ago in this job. 60 PCs - 2 rooms. Got it all set up and it looked swish! The cases had this nice blue hue plastic front on them. Within the first half term, the kids had found out that a short sharp stab at the case front would crack the plastic. I'd say at least 80% received this treatment before we finally bought 60 more robust cases and I painstakingly rehoused all components into these new cases. A hard lesson learned indeed.

LOL. I didn't really give a full breakdown of the support options. Because my brother can only man the phone from after teatime, (as you've probably guessed he holds a day time job but hopefully not for long if the isp goes well) he does provide a mobile number to be contacted on for day time support. The cost of contacting him on a mobile is kept to a minumum because he rings the customer back. For not so urgent calls, a message can be left anytime through the day on the 0800 number and my brother picks it up when he gets in. So the answer is, support is still available even if your broadband is broken

Earlier on this thread, I spoke of freedom2surf being very good, and they still are. But I've decided to change ISP to help my brother out. He has taken over a reseller of entanet broadband products which at the time was in it's very early stages. When he started just about two months ago, there was just a hand full of customers. Now the numbers are steadily growing everyday. This is due to word of mouth / forum. So I have migrated across, and who knows, when he is competing against the big guns, he might consider employing me He is very knowledgable on ADSL and provides all first line support himself via an online helpdesk, MSN and a freephone number which he mans from tea time onwards. (How many ISPs do you know of who have a freephone support number?) For anyone who is interested, the website is http://www.adsl24.co.uk You can read some customer reviews HERE [EDIT] It's also worth a look at the kind of controls / info you get when you join up: Account Overview As I said it is in its early days yet, but it's only a 1 month contract so worth a try if you are fed up of bad aftercare / support and want a personal service. Oh, and to freedom2surf's credit, when I rang them up asking for my MAC, they promptly delivered one into my inbox without any fuss within the minute. Even leaving them has been a breath of fresh air, compared to Tiscali, my ISP previous to f2s.

Thanks, but this only burns images. I want to burn all the individual files and folders for vista onto the DVD, and make it bootable.