Frequently Asked Questions
General
- "How can I lock my computer or Citrix session when I must leave my computer or terminal unattended."
The quickest way is to hold down the Windows key (between Ctrl and Alt) and press L. This will not work on all terminals, so you may have to hold down Ctrl and Alt and press Delete, then select "Lock this Computer"
- "What is the 'account logon' for the Plato Learning Environment (PLE)?"
CSD422
Students
- "I am not able to open nor save to 'My Documents.'"
Sometimes your "My Documents" icon doesn't get set correctly to your network home folder when you log in. You can always get to your documents by going to "My Computer". You'll find your network home folder icon in the "Network Drives" section near the bottom. You can also save to this location by clicking "My Computer" in a file save dialog.
- "When I click on a link on a Google search, I often get a redirect page, and the link on it does not work."
Copy the URL from the redirect notice, open a new browser window or tab, paste in the URL and hit Enter. Google has implemented this because of redirects that are often used in phishing schemes. If you want more information click here.
Teachers
- "How do I use the projector in the high school library?"
1. Turn on the projector. The remote is located on the desk in the library office.
2. Log into the computer closest to the projector in the front row.
3. Double-click on the "EasyMP Network Projection" icon on the desktop.
4. If the projector does not appear in the window, click on the "Profile" drop-down and select "Cascade."
5. Check the box next to the projector and click "connect."
You can identify the buttons on the control panel by mousing over them.
The "Presentation Mode" button acts as a toggle to blank and restore the projected screen during a presentation. The "stop" and "show" buttons do the same thing. You can also freeze the current display by pressing the "pause" button. Pressing "pause" again will re-sychronize the display. This is useful when you want to do something on your computer that you don't want the audience to see (eg load a new web page), but still retain the image you were on.
- "What is the IP address for our Excent server"
66.45.109.182 but this is subject to change. Please notify Mr. Hinze if this needs updating.
- "When I use my projector with my computer, I only see the computer background, not all my icons, open windows, etc."
Right-click anywhere on the computer desktop and select "screen resolution". Click on the pull-down menu that says "Extend these displays" and select the option "Duplicate these displays" then "keep these changes", and you're done. The extended mode can be very useful because it allows you to be selective about what displays through the projector and what is for your eyes only. Experiment with it when you have some free time.
- "My workstation goes to sleep and will not turn on again."
Hold the power button down until the computer shuts off (you can tell because the fans stop. It usually takes about 5 seconds). Then press the power button again, it may take a few minutes for Windows to resume. To prevent this from happening again, turn off the computer sleep function, but leave the display sleep on. Here's how:
Start
Control Panel
View By - small icons
Power Options
Change Plan Settings
Put Computer to Sleep: Never
Save Changes
- "When I try to log in to PowerSchool, Gaggle or other secure sites using Internet Explorer 8, the password autocompletes, but it is incorrect so I cannot log in."
IE 8 has some issues with storing passwords for secure sites. Try this: Delete all the dots in the password field and then type in the correct password. When the dialog box comes up asking if you want to replace with the new entry, click "Yes". If you'd rather not have IE try to autocomplete your password, go to the tools menu (right side of screen), and select "internet options". Go to the "Content" tab. In the "AutoComplete" section, click on "settings". Uncheck "Usernames and Passwords on Forms," and click on "Delete autocomplete history."
- "When I try to install software, a dialog box appears saying I need administrative credentials. My username and password will not work."
Like most organizations, Cascade School District users do not have administrative privileges for a number of reasons, but the main three are: 1. Your computer is less likely to be infected by viruses or other malware when you are logged in as a non-administrative user. 2. Users may not be aware of conflicts between applications or problems introduced by updates. 3. Central control of applications insures compliance with licensing requirements.
When you do need to install software or apply an upgrade, you may have a local administrative account that will allow you to do these things. In most cases you will be presented a window saying that an administrator must approve the changes. In the username area enter ".\" followed by your username (example: .\samantha) and your normal password. If no such window appears, you will have to log into the computer as a local administrator using the .\username to do the install. After installing log out and return to your network login so you can access your files and personal settings again.
- How do I access the accounting system to create a purchase order, track my budget, etc?
The accounting system does not have a program that installs on your computer (ie a "client app"). Instead, you log in to the CSA server and run the software from there. The process is Start>all programs>accessories>remote desktop connection. When the Remote Desktop Connection window appears, type "CSA" in the "Computer" field and click "Connect", then authenticate as usual.