This page provides up-to-date help with the Lancaster University 'Managed XP PC'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Sometimes the network fails. How can I protect the documents I might be editing at the time of the network failure.

A1. Save frequently (e.g. every fifteen minutes) - click on the 'save' button.
A2. 'Log out' at least once a day, this activates the 'synchronise' process.
A3. Configure your system to 'Synchronise on idle' - see section 9 of the second edition of 'Your Managed XP PC'.

Q2. when the network stops working I lose access to my documents.

A. you may be storing data outside of the H:\(username's) Documents. Go to Data on H: Drive for more details.

Q3. What do I do if my Managed XP PC goes wrong?

A. Call your departmental technical support staff (or the ISS Service Desk) and then wait until a technician will come round to rebuild your PC (do nothing to your PC yourself). While you are waiting, you can work from a borrowed Managed XP PC on your personal documents in H: drive and your email on the Exchange server.

Q4. I have more than one gigabyte of data, where can I store my 'extra' data?

A. You can do one or more of the following:

• save databases and other shared data files on your departmental filestore.
• negotiate with your department to store your personal research data on the department filestore.
• carefully delete surplus 'out-of-date' files until your data fits.

Warning - to ensure that no data is lost due to accidental or 'over enthusiastic' pruning - back-up all your data first.

• save some of your large data files on your c: drive and back them up to CD R.
• call the ISS Service Desk and ask for an increase in 'quota'.

Q5. When logging out, Windows 'synchronizes data' for a long time, is this normal?

A. Yes. The synchronising process is making sure there is a local copy of all changed H: drive files. This process can be slow if have been logged on for a long time and/or you have modified a lot of files.

Q6. When logging out Windows reports that some files could not be synchronized.

A. This is normal; some files cannot be duplicated over the network. These are usually mail archives (*.pst) and database files (*.mdb). If you move these files to another area of your H: drive, you will no longer see these errors (e.g. H:\my mail or H:\my databases).

Q7. How do I know if I have 'Admin Rights'?

A. To check to see if you have 'admin rights':

1. double click on the time in the bottom right of the screen.
2. attempt to change the time If you can change the time you have got 'admin rights'.

Q8. When I try and do a 'Windows Update', I get a screen that says 'Administrators Only' and I can get no further. What should I do?

A. Do nothing, this is normal. Windows Updates are automatically 'pushed' on to your PC as soon as they have been tested by ISS.

Q9. I cannot do a 'LiveUpdate' on Symantec AntiVirus because the button is greyed out. Should I be concerned?

A. This is normal, the new 'Virus Definitions' are automatically pushed on to your PC as soon as they are available.

Q10. I cannot find the 'My Documents' folder on my C: drive.

A. You can't find 'My Documents' on C: drive because it has been moved to H: drive. You should store all your documents on the H: drive because the H: drive is 'backed up' for security and your H: drive is available to you from other computers on the University network.

Q11. Where is 'Windows Explorer'?

A. Click 'Start' then 'All Programs' then 'Accessories' then 'Windows Explorer' or use this keyboard shortcut: press 'Windows key' and 'E' key (together).

Q12. What is my 'Archive.pst' file and what do I have to do with it?

A. Your 'Archive.pst' file contains old archived email. This file can get very large. Ideally you should periodically back-up your Archive.pst file. Instructions on how to back-up the Archive.pst file will be provided by ISS at a later date.

Q13. Why are the words: synchronise, customise and capitalise sometimes spelt with a 'z'?

A. The usual British spelling of these words is with an 's', but Microsoft (and other Americans) spell them with a 'z'. In this guide I use the British spelling except where quoting from a Microsoft dialog box or menu.

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