mee

Hi All, Just to let you know that I think this issue is now resolved. Running a chkdsk /r found and fixed some errors, however the DC would still not boot, reporting the same error. I went back into recovery console and noticed that the boot.ini was actually missing. Hence the message 'trying c:\windows' and then subsequent ntoskrnl.exe error. I copied the boot.ini from another Dell server with the same partition configuration. To be on the safe side, I also replaced the ntoskrnl.exe with a fresh copy expanded from the Windows Server 2003 CD. Server has now booted and so far appears OK. Fingers crossed! I'm sure it was the missing boot.ini rather than the ntoskrnl.exe being corrupt - as it assumes Windows is installed at Disk 0 Partition 1 - where in our case it is Disk 0 Partition 2. Thanks for the replies and hope this helps someone else in the future. Now need to investigate why the boot.ini disappeared and check the c: drive for consistency. Thanks, Mee.

Managed to get into recovery console now - dodgy RAID driver floppy. Am currently running chkdsk /r. Hope I don't have to rebuild the domain controller - luckily the FSMO roles are held by the other (currently healthy) DC so it shouldn't be too bad - but could do without the hassle really :-( Mee

Hi, thanks for the reply. They are the only two files it mentions, however at present I can't get it to go any further than that. I am trying to get into the recovery console on the Server 2003 CD, however I can't get it to go any further than where it asks for which windows installation to look at (default c:\windows) at that point the server reboots! Mee.

Hi All, This morning I have shut down our domain controller / file server to install an additional NIC. When I shut down, Windows installed some windows updates. Installed NIC - booted up - Windows won't boot. First it says invalid boot.ini, trying to boot from c:\windows It then comes up to say that ntoskrnl.exe is corrupt or invalid. I have tried safe mode etc and all the same. I have checked all SCSI connections in the server and all OK - BIOS RAID software is reporting that it can see all disks OK and that all virtual drives are normal. Any ideas? Thanks, Mee.

Hi All, I'm after quotations please for a laptop trolley and laptops. Trolley must smart charge i.e. have it's own charging module rather than utilising the AC adapters supplied with the laptops. We've previously bought Lapsafe but open to other ideas. Must hold 15 or 16 laptops (I know this varies depending on the trolley manufacturer). Laptop Specification as follows Core i3 350m minimum 3GB RAM Not fussed about HDD size 15"+ screen DVD R/W 9 Cell Battery 3yr basic warranty - collect & return fine No OS ideally, otherwise any OS with XP downgrade Open to ideas on laptop brand. We have got the go-ahead for this, so want to have an order placed by the end of next week. PM me your quotes! Thanks!

Hi All, Have deployed Shutdownertron recently - have to say it is brilliant. Love how it is so easy to deploy and manage centrally from a GPO. However - we have our teacher machines lock automatically after a certain amount of inactivity - which means that when Shutdownertron tries to shut them down - it can't - as it doesn't pass the force command on. The teacher machines really were our target audience for shutdownertron - they are the main culprits for leaving machines on! Is there any news on a new version? Or is there anything else out there that is as easy to use and manageable centrally? Previously we used a script, run as a scheduled task from one of the servers, however it is becoming very difficult to manage with 500 odd computers on the network - each requiring a separate entry in the script. Have also tried TaskForce CO2 - however this still requires a lot of management and is a pain having to install the clients from the console. Didn't think there were that many improvements from PowerOut either, except for reporting which we don't need. Thanks! Mee.

Hi All, Am currently working on our new school website, hoping for a launch in the next few weeks. We operate a 2 week timetable - and I think it would be really usefull if we had a 'we are in Week 1/Week 2' display on the front page. Now, obviously this could be added manually and updated each week - however I'd much rather have an automated solution. So what I'm looking for is some sort of lookup table that will hold all the dates of this academic year, each one having either Week 1 or Week 2 next to it. And then for a module on the front page to query todays date, check the lookup table, and then to display a "Week 1" or "Week 2" depending on the result. Has anyone come across anything like this? I'm guessing there is nothing available specifically for this purpose - but does anyone know of a very simple calendar module...where I could put "Week 1" or "Week 2" in as an 'event' for each day, which is then displayed? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help! Mee

Yes; I think you are probably right. I think the hardware you are connecting (in this case a camcorder) has to support firewire over USB, plus you'd have to have the associated driver for the hardware installed. I don't believe any of our cameras do as it's not stated in the specs, nor can I find a driver. Plugging one in to a PC using a firewire->usb cable gives a usb device not recognised / usb hub surge error. I have spent some time googling and have found the Pinnacle MovieBox....which is a USB 2.0 device for capturing analog and digital video. They are around £70 and come with Pinnacle Studio 14. Might order one and give it a try. Thanks, Mee

Thanks for your reply. Analog may have to be the answer although could be frustrating for pupils as it's only real time. Has anyone else with Dell OptiPlex USFF machines found a solution to this annoying problem? Thanks Mee

I have tried the 4pin firewire - USB cables - unfortunately they only work if the PC supports 'Firewire over USB' - on the offchance I bought one to try and these PCs don't! I think the USB/firewire hubs still actually need a firewire cable running from the hub to the PC, just as they do a USB.

No slots at all I am afraid. I've had one apart and can't see any headers on the motherboard.

Hi All, We have a classroom of 25 Dell OptiPlex 760Ns - the all in one USFF design. They don't have firewire and have no internal expansion card. Does anyone know of an external USB device that can capture via firewire from a camcorder? I know USB / Firewire are different languages but was hoping there might be something out there which would prevent us having to use older PCs for capture. Thanks! Mee.

I should have said; we're on Exchange 2003. I believe you need Exchange 2007 to use that. Andy.

It's not something I'd be confident in doing without doing a lot of background reading. I'd have to look into it and find out what the pros and cons would be. It'd obviously involve lots of migrating. For now I just want to synchronise the GALs. Andy.

Hi Geoff, Thanks for your reply. No, AD is not hooked up together. We are able to access each others subnet. I'm aware we may need to create trusts across both domains in order to merge GALs, but that's as far as we're prepared to go at this stage. Don't want to look at merging domains just yet. Andy.

Hi All, We're currently federating with another school. In the short term we will remain on two sites, however have a large amount of staff working and travelling across the two. In the longer term, we will end up on one site. However, in the short term, I would like staff to be able to access e-mail address lists for staff and students at either site. Plus our distribution lists need to include people at both sites. I'm looking for a product which will allow us to merge, and then continually synchronise address lists across both sites. I've looked at Simple Sync and Quest Colliboration Services, however both are outrageously expensive! Does anyone know of a cheaper product? Thanks, Mee.

Hi All, Apologies for resurrecting an old thread! I was wondering if anyone found a solution to this? We have exactly the same issue here. Like most schools in Lincolnshire, we use the NetSweeper proxy - which is hosted at the LEA/NetLinc - so don't have local control other than to block/unblock websites etc. The problem occurs on all Java applets - even the test applet at java.com. If I use our old proxy (Symantec Web Security) which we still have installed but disabled, it works fine. I've whitelisted samlearning.com/co.uk and sun.com and java.com incase Java is trying to 'phone home' - no joy. I've tried setting the proxy manually in Java Control Panel. I know Java is working fine at a neighbouring school who also use NetSweeper. Any ideas? Will be logging a call with Mouchel but don't hold out much hope!! Thanks.