Generic Logins

The generic login for the lab is:
Username: mclab#
Password: mclab#
The # can be 1 through 30 and should be the same for the username and password.
Students who have accounts already (the majority of the middle school) should use their account. Remind them to log out or restart when they are finished; student logins are restricted to one login at any given time. In other words, they cannot be logged in to the network from two computers at once. Staff are not as tightly restricted, but it is necessary to have such a restriction for students to lessen the potential for unauthorized use of their account.

Microsoft Office 2000 vs. XP

The lab computers have two versions of Office installed on them.
Students should use Office 2000. Since the most commonly used program is Word, there is a shortcut to Word 2000 on the desktop.
It is important that students use Word 2000 in order to prevent potential compatibility issues with the rest of the computers in the school.

The Digital Projector

The remote control for the projector should always be placed back on the keyboard tray at the teacher workstation.
The only button you need to use on the remote is the Standby button.
The remote works best when standing in front of the proector and directing the remote upwards at it.
The projector is in standby mode when the light is amber/orange; it is on when the light is green.
It is very important that the projector be put back into standby mode at the end of the day; this saves wear on the lamp. By the way, projector lamps cost $450 each. The lamps are rated for 2000 hours of use, which is about equal to using the projector all day every school day for a year.

Internet Browsers: Netscape 4.75, 7.0, and Internet Explorer 6

The lab PCs have the browsers listed above installed. Netscape 7 is the recommended browser. It is a good idea to test any webpages that you know will be visited in the browser you intend to use. If you plan to do any printing, test that as well. A little planning ahead will save you a ton of time and aggravation. The x-factor in all of this is that not all web pages are written with the users best interests in mind, or even to be compatible with all browsers. It shouldn't be that way, but it is; understanding that basic premise will help in resolving any problems that crop up. In other words, if a page doesn't seem to load correctly in one browser, have the student try another.

Printing Issues

The printer will most likely fail due to problems with recognizing certain fonts or with huge print jobs that overload the printer memory chip.
The teacher's computer station can access all print jobs and delete them as needed.
To access print jobs, click on Start, then Settings, then Printers.
This will open the printers window. In that window, select the printer (probably HP LaserJet 4100 PCL6) by double-clicking on it. This will open a window listing the print jobs. A print job can be deleted by clicking on it once so that it is highlighted, and pressing the Delete key on the keyboard.
Print jobs can also be deleted using the Cancel Job button on the printer itself.

If the printer display shows an error code of 49.xxx, do the following:
Follow the instructions above to delete the print job at the top of the list. It is most likely the one causing the problem. Note who sent it so that you can check on what was printed and attempt to resolve the issue.
Once the print job is deleted, turn the printer off. Wait about 10 seconds, and then turn it back on.

Never turn off the printer while it is printing. Doing so will almost certainly cause a jam.

If the display reads "Toner Low", you should still be able to print for a while. Just send a note to me to have it replaced.

It is not acceptable for stacks of waste paper to pile up around the printer.

Student Supervision, part 1

Students are not allowed in the lab without certified staff present.
No exceptions.

Student Supervision, part 2

Students who abuse the lab in any way should not be allowed to work in the lab. Abuse includes excessive printing (such as sending the same job several times), changing the background or screensaver, downloading programs, using the Internet for unapproved activities, damaging the furniture, leaving trash anywhere other than a wastebasket, deleting shortcut icons from the desktop, yanking pages out of the printer while they are still printing, and any other behavior that is not consistent with their purpose for being in the lab. This is our most public lab, and my expectations for the upkeep of the room are higher than anywhere else. The room should start and end each day looking like a palace.

Signing Up for the Lab

The sign up sheet is in the library on the check-out counter.