Replacement computers, how to??

[aebrown]

When I first booted up the new machine, WindowsXP, It asked for administrator information and password. I put in our stuff. Then it asked for users, I put in Pres, Clerk, ExecSec, Asst's Clerks and Asst Exec Sec. That was it.

What instructions are you working from? For years, the instructions have said to create one administrator account called "Clerk". There can also be one other administrator account for the STS.

But there are not to be any Windows accounts for Pres, ExecSec, or anyone else like that. For all normal usage, the computer should only be using the Clerk account. That will make sure that it has sufficient privileges to run MLS properly. Everyone logs into Windows with that one account. But every MLS user will have his own individual user name and password (with appropriate permissions).

Now, when I turn the new machine on it brings up a screen with a listing of users, nothing about the clerk, cntl/alt/del etc. When I click on one of the users, it brings up the desktop for that user. And yes, they're different. Different documents, different "favorites" on the internet, different icons on the desktop, etc. What did I miss? Do I have to download software for each user?

If you would have followed the instructions to have only one user called Clerk, then software installation would be simpler. You only need to install the bulk of the software for the one Clerk user (although most software that allows a choice can be installed for "Everyone").

I would recommend that you remove all Windows users except for Clerk (and an administrator account for STS use). That will remove the temptation for anyone to login with another account and cause MLS problems.

Also, I'm still getting an error message: "Error 1904.module... blah,blah,... HRESULT-2147220473. Contact your support personnel." Now what do I do?

What are you doing when that message appears?

[lorraine1950]

I get the error message when I try to download the Adobe FlashPlayer 8 software.\

Is the clerk administrator account the same as the STS administrator account? I used myself for the administrator, as Stake Pres advised, and then when machine requested "users" i made the various ones indicated. Never got another request for administrator.
The various accounts are an inherited nightmare from the previous SAC-Tech who created accounts by individual's names, and now I can't change or delete them when those individuals are no longer serving here. I thought I was doing the same thing here, only using titles rather than names.

edit: Also, since I'm bothering you so much, our stake recently bought RAM sticks for each machine to try to speed it up. Can I take the new RAM stick out of the old machine and put it in the new one?

edit2: the MLS user accounts and passwords are apparently unaffected by whats in the Windows. MLS shows up the same on each user's desktop.

[craiggsmith]

When I click on one of the users, it brings up the desktop for that user.

You'll need to go to the Users control panel and modify the Clerk account to require a password to log in.

[lorraine1950]

OK, I modified the clerk account to require password, and deleted the other user accounts, saving documents into appropriately labeled folders as prompted by the machine.
I don't know how to get back to the original administrator screen that came up when I first turned the machine on.
edit: the only user accounts I can find are for clerk and guest, which is turned off. end edit.
The instructions I have are for the Dell 740, but I didn't get the same prompts those instructions mention.
Or I'm an idiot, which is always likely. What's that? an "ID-ten-T" error?

[aebrown]

I get the error message when I try to download the Adobe FlashPlayer 8 software.

Well, that's the least of your problems -- I'd put that aside for now. You won't need Flash until you try to run the training courses, and most people run those at home, in my experience.

Is the clerk administrator account the same as the STS administrator account?

No. Each Windows user account has a name. That name for the "Clerk" account is "Clerk". If you followed the instructions, you should have one account called "Clerk" that has the password given to you in the instructions. The "Clerk" account must be an administrator-level account.

...when machine requested "users" i made the various ones indicated. Never got another request for administrator.
The various accounts are an inherited nightmare from the previous SAC-Tech who created accounts by individual's names, and now I can't change or delete them when those individuals are no longer serving here. I thought I was doing the same thing here, only using titles rather than names.

Are you talking about Windows users or MLS users?

For Windows users, as I explained, you are supposed to have ONLY one account called "Clerk" and one account for use by the stake technology specialist. Both of these are to be administrator level accounts.

On the other hand, I'm guessing you are talking about MLS when you refer to "an inherited nightmare from the previous SAC-Tech who created accounts by individual's names, and now I can't change or delete them when those individuals are no longer serving here." If indeed you are referring to MLS, then this is not an inherited nightmare. For MLS each user -- by name -- is supposed to have his own account. Yes, it's true that you can't delete such an account immediately after such a person is released. But you can deactivate the account, which is almost the same thing.

But in any case, you are dealing with a replacement computer, so the MLS users will carry over from the previous installation, because they are stored in the MLS database, which you will be restoring onto the new computer as part of your setup procedure. So that's a moot point.

The important point is that you should not make any attempt to create individual Windows accounts for users -- everyone uses the Clerk account for their Church work.

edit: Also, since I'm bothering you so much, our stake recently bought RAM sticks for each machine to try to speed it up. Can I take the new RAM stick out of the old machine and put it in the new one?

That depends on what kind of RAM it is. There are many different kinds of RAM, and they are not all compatible. If you're replacing a 5-year-old computer with a newer one, chances are that the old RAM won't work in the new one. On this topic, I'd also say that you should not get distracted by this until the computer is up and running. Then we can discuss that in a new thread.

[lorraine1950]

OK, I'm referring to "users" on the Windows, NOT on MLS.
My "inherited nightmare" is on the Windows desktop, not MLS. On the OLD machine, when we turn it on it boots and bring up the cntrl/alt/del thing and the clerk/password thing, then goes to desktop. That's where the different users are displayed.
Now, on the NEW machine, when I turn it on it boots up and goes to a screen that asks which user wants to login. I USED to have users of Presidency, Clerk, and etc. as discussed. However, I've deleted all EXCEPT the clerk account and password protected it.
But now when I start the machine, it asks for clerk's password and then goes to desktop. Still no cntrl/alt/del stuff.
When I try to find the administrative stuff I put in when I first started the new machine, I can't find it. I'm guessing that's the STS administrator you referred to?

edit: The instructions I have are downloads for the Dell 740, but the prompts I got from our new machine were not what those instructions said, so I guessed. Bad choice? I also have the instructions for other computers, but again the prompts I got were nothing like mentioned in those instructions.
edit2: Sorry, I'm toast, brain fried. I've been at the Stake offices all day messing with this. Can we take it up again tomorrow?

[russellhltn]

But now when I start the machine, it asks for clerk's password and then goes to desktop. Still no cntrl/alt/del stuff.

Yeah, that's the way Windows XP is like out of the box.

If you need to change it:

Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > "Advanced" tab.
Put a check mark next to "Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete".

[aebrown]

But now when I start the machine, it asks for clerk's password and then goes to desktop. Still no cntrl/alt/del stuff.

RussellHltn explained how to make ctrl-alt-del required. But why are you so concerned about that? I know of no policy that requires that. It's just more hassle. All our stake's computers just ask for a password, which seems sufficient to me.

[lorraine1950]

OK, I got MLS working properly. Had to call LUS, but all is well now, at least with MLS. LUS said they could not help me with any thing other than MLS.

Now, back to the WindowsXP.
Alan, I understood the cntrl/alt/del was necessary to help prevent hacking in from another computer, it requires there be a live person at the keyboard to get the machine working. Is that not true??
Russell, I'm at user accounts now, ther is no "advanced" tab. All it says is "pick a task", and in the list is "change the way users log on or off"; when I go there it offers only two choices, "Use the Welcome screen" or "Use Fast Switching". If I select welcome screen, I can also select fast user switching, but if I don't select welcome screen, the switching is not available, and it says by not using the welcome screen it will use the classic logon prompt. Nothing about cntrl/alt/del.

Other issues: 1) Our printer, an HP LaserJet 1300, does not connect to the new Dell 580. There is no place on the 580 to accept the cable connector from the printer. Any solutions?
2) There is no 3.5" floppy drive. How do we do backups? How do we download the data from MLS into the new machine? Solutions?
3) Following instruction to change the computer name to LU-XXXXXX with our unit numnber, the machine won't let me because it says there is already a computer with that name. I'm guessing that's the old computer? How to fix?

[aebrown]

Alan, I understood the cntrl/alt/del was necessary to help prevent hacking in from another computer, it requires there be a live person at the keyboard to get the machine working. Is that not true??

It's true that if the computer requires ctrl-alt-del in order to login, then there must be a live person at the keyboard in order to login. But the kinds of threats that it prevents are very rare and should be prevented by other safeguards you already have in place. You're welcome to figure out how to implement this setting, but I wouldn't call it "necessary."

1) Our printer, an HP LaserJet 1300, does not connect to the new Dell 580. There is no place on the 580 to accept the cable connector from the printer. Any solutions?

The LJ 1300 supports USB as well as a parallel interface. So just find a basic USB A-B cable and you should be able to connect it just fine.

2) There is no 3.5" floppy drive. How do we do backups? How do we download the data from MLS into the new machine? Solutions?

Use a USB flash drive. If you have any old floppy backups that you need, copy them on the old machine from the floppy to a flash drive, and then you can copy them to the new machine.