[tgags]

Hi,

(not sure exactly where to post this, so I figured I would give it a shot here)
I use a Mac at home, but at work in my classroom it's PCs with Win XP.
The problem is, students are going into the folders of other students in other periods and either copying their work to pass off as their own, or to be funny or malicious and deleting things.
I have seen some people's computers (PC and Mac) where there are multiple users and each person has their own password. I am not familiar with how to set that up, and our computer tech person is not very adept and says we can't do that (he uses the non-tech saviness of us teachers to his advantage).

How many multiple users can you set up on a PC computer (we would need 8).
Is it hard to do? Would a Mac lab offer an advantage with for that? (I'd love to eventually get them to switch to Macs)

For now, are there any sites that explain how to do it for XP, so I can show our IT person? (or better yet, set it up myself)

Thanks,
TG

[Chuckit]

Microsoft has a tutorial on its site.

[Athens]

OS X and Windows XP can handle easily 30+ user accounts. What you really want to do is have a server, and 30 computers. In the case of a Mac lab use net-boot and run off a single Mac server in the case of a XP Lab set up a Server and use roaming profiles for the students. Kids like to **** up computers, they also like to physically **** up computers. You want a server in either setup to actually store the data so students can use any machine and if a machine is busted students have access to there files anyways from another machine.

[ghporter]

Server or not, whoever is responsible for those computers should have set up limited access to personal folders AS SOON AS THEY STARTED THE MACHINES. That is just sloppy administration, pure and simple. You can even tell them that a computer scientist told you that (yes, I am a computer scientist, and I have never stayed at a Hollidy Inn Express, either. )

[Athens]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Server or not, whoever is responsible for those computers should have set up limited access to personal folders AS SOON AS THEY STARTED THE MACHINES. That is just sloppy administration, pure and simple. You can even tell them that a computer scientist told you that (yes, I am a computer scientist, and I have never stayed at a Hollidy Inn Express, either. )

Your assuming the kids are saving to personal folders in the first place.

[rickey939]

Originally Posted by tgags

I am not familiar with how to set that up, and our computer tech person is not very adept and says we can't do that (he uses the non-tech saviness of us teachers to his advantage).

Yikes, that sounds like awful support to say the least. Bring this issue up at the next board meeting to the group.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Athens

Your assuming the kids are saving to personal folders in the first place.

Yeah, but a competent admin can make the personal folders the default, and limit access such that it's hard to save stuff elsewhere. It's still a case of bad, BAD admin.

I really think the answer is your suggestion of a real server (and probably roaming profiles too), but the whole thing has started out wrong.

[tgags]

Thanks for all the feedback, much appreciated.
I believe it's a matter of - our IT guy doesn't want to do anything extra, so he tells us it can't be done with the way our lab is set up.

I am going to go to the Principle and Superintendant and tell them this it can be done, and is being done in other computer labs.

Thanks again for the support. If our IT guy tells me why it can't be done, I'll post it here and perhaps ya'll can give me the rebut and perhaps I can expose his BS.

TIA,
TG

[Big Mac]

Not only can it be done, it's a trivial two minute task if you're talking about multiple accounts. A server is more involved, but if the school has an IT person on the payroll that's definitely the type of thing they're paying him for.

[Athens]

well gotta ask are the machines windows 2000/Xp or windows 98, if they are 9x windows then it really cant be done with out the purchase of additional software or lots of reg hacking.