FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) about
Windows NT Work Stations (NTWS) in the VIMS Student Lab

In order to run some software over the network, you have to map a shared network drive, the "o" drive.

Here's why:

A number of our software programs in the Student Lab reside on our network server, sargasso (e.g. Microsoft Office 97, Corel Suite 8, Minitab, EndNote, ArcView, etc.).   We do this to facilitate software installation, updates, version control, and to reduce demands on local hard disks.  Some of these programs cannot use universal naming conventions (UNC) for their shortcuts and require the user to "map" sargasso to a hard drive, as a network shared resource.  We use the hard drive letter "o", as in "other", for this.

Here's how:

See if the o: drive is mapped to \\sargasso\APPS by double clicking on "My Computer." If not, Minitab can't find the license and other support files on the application server - sargasso.

By right clicking on Network Neighborhood, and selecting Map Network Drive, you'll be on your way to mapping \\sargasso\APPS to the o: drive. Leave the Connect As box blank

Just recently, we've automated this task by means of a batch file that automatically maps the "o" drive when minitab or other o-drive dependent programs are launched.  You can always check this mapping with windows explorer.

Kevin Kiley - July 02, 2001

Back to Top

You have to add a network printer.  And, you have to do this initially and individually for every pc in the Student Lab that you work on.

Here's how you do it:

  1. Click: Start, Settings, Printers
  2. Click: Add Printer
  3. Select: Network Printer, Next
  4. From the Locate Your Printer window, select Next
  5. From the Browse for Printer window, select:
    1. VIMS
    2. IYO
    3. Note:  This may appear as: \\IYO\SL-HP5  etc.
  6. Select the Student Lab printer you want: e.g. SL-HP5, SL-HP4000, SL-HP2500, SL-Tek850DP
  7. You have the choice of setting this as your default printer, and then are finished.
  8. Now the various application programs (Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Minitab, etc.) will recognize the printer.

Note: You have to add each printer individually.

The printers you set up should be stored in your profiles for each individual Student Lab pc.  In general this has been the case, but occasionally you have to go back and re-add the printer.

Kevin Kiley - September 12, 2002

Back to Top
  1. First, make sure that you have added the printer as explained above.
  2. Print to the Tek 850-DP from your application.
  3. To print on both sides:
    1. Click on the "Layout" tab and under "Print on Both Sides", select either:
    2. Flip on long edge (for portrait orientation), or
    3. Flip on short edge (for landscape orientation).
  4. To print in black & white:
    1. Click on the "Paper / Quality" tab.
    2. Select either Black & White, or Color
  5. Click "OK" and proceed with printing as usual.
  6. Depending on your application, the printer may remember the double-side setting.  It's a good idea to check and make sure.

Kevin Kiley - September 12, 2002

Back to Top

 

EndNote is a handy little bibliography program .  "Life's a Breeze with EndNote - Bibliographies Made Easy" according to it's designers.  We've installed EndNote on the Student Lab pc's and mac's to run within Word and WordPerfect, as well as stand alone.  Here's what you do:

  1. (pc's only) The ubiquitous "O" drive: Like Minitab above, EndNote, because of the way it's written, must have a network share.

    See if the o: drive is mapped to \\sargasso\APPS by double clicking on "My Computer." If not, Endnote can't find support files on the application server - sargasso.

    By right clicking on Network Neighborhood, and selecting Map Network Drive, you'll be on your way to mapping \\sargasso\APPS to the o: drive. Leave the Connect As box blank

  2. Word & WordPerfect: On both Word and WordPerfect,  EndNote functions can be found under "Tools" on the top tool bar.
  3. Stand Alone Mode: pc's - click on the EndNote desktop icon.  Mac's - EndNote can be found on the Apple menu.

Kevin Kiley - July 02, 2001

Back to Top

Because the W95 user and system policies and profiles are not interchangeable.   The desktop for all users starts out with some start menu parameters and some shortcuts on the desktop. They come from the network, and are maintained for the NT machines in the student lab.

Steve Clukey - 04/22/98

Back to Top

Because the icons come from the network, and are maintained for the NT machines in the student lab. In the policies and profiles for NTWS computers ( in the student lab), the "ALLUSERS" profile is specified to come from the network (the server called sargasso.) It overrides the ALLUSERS profile in the NTWS. The ALLUSER profile - in NT - is layered with your personal profile. So you can change components of your desktop environment, but only those parts you specify in your own profile. This mechanism is meant to give the new user a starting - and minimum - environment

Steve Clukey - 04/22/98

Back to Top

Overview:  Samba1 provides a common "home space" for users who work on a number of different computers at VIMS, students for example.  And, Samba1 shows up under Network Neighborhood as a one of the available machines.  Samba1 can be viewed by and is supported by Windows Explorer.

Example:  You are a VIMS student and your login id is "jdoe".  Your "home space" in the VIMS network is "jdoe" and you can attach to your home space using Windows Explorer as follows:

  1. Login to the VIMS network domain from a pc using your login id "jdoe".
  2. Click on Network Neighborhood
  3. Locate and Click on Samba1
  4. Locate and Click on your login id folder (e.g. jdoe).
  5. If Samba1 does not appear under Network Neighborhood, try this:

    a. Click on Start, Run.
    b. Enter "\\Samba1

  6. If you connect to your home space frequently, then you should "map" your home space on Samba1 to a named drive ("p") as follows

a. In Step 4 above, right click on your login id folder
b. Click on Map Network Drive ...,  and then assign it a drive number ("p").
c. Select the "Reconnect at login" option.

Kevin Kiley - 3/15/99

Back to Top

Files in postscript format (e.g. filename.ps, or filename.eps) can be viewed by using a freeware program called gsview / ghostscript.  This is a self extracting program available from the University of Wisconsin (Ghostscript ) or from the VIMS NT server: sargasso (i.e.  sargasso:\apps\Ghostscript).

  1. VIMS Student Lab:

    a. Ghostscript is installed on the Student Lab pc's under c:\gstools\gsview\gsview32.exe.  Simply click on the program icon to run it.

    b. From a web browser (e.g. Netscape) you must do the following:

    1. Click on the postscript file link.
    2. Select "Choose app"
    3. Browse to c:\gstools\gsview\gsview32.exe
    4. Select ok.
  2. Other users:

    a. Copy the Ghostview self extracting executable to a temporary folder (e.g. c:\temp\ghostview ).

    b. Restart you pc.

    c. Close all open applications (all of them!).

    d. Click Start, Run, (select the ghostview executable).

    e. Chose the default options.

    d. After the first installation program ends, select Start, Run, c:\gstools\gsview\gsview32.exe , to complete the installation.

Kevin Kiley - 3/18/99

Back to Top

Yes, you too can write Adobe Acrobat PDF files in the Student Lab, but only on: SL19, SL23 and V15590 (the Mac with a scanner attached).  This is due to software licensing requirements and anticipated usage.   Actually, this is extremely easy.

Here's what you do:

Add the "printer" "Acrobat PDFWriter" by clicking on  Start, Settings, Printers, Add Printer, My Computer, Acrobat PDFWriter.  This "printer" is actually a translator program that will automatically translate your document (Word, WordPerfect, etc.) into a PDF document.

Print the document to this "printer".  You will be prompted for responses.  The result is that your report.doc file has spawned a report.pdf.

The process is basically the same for Macs.

Kevin Kiley - 3/18/99

Back to Top

 

last updated:      07/02/01 12:03 PM