Chinquapin has a diverse set of computing resources, some of it ancient, and some of it brand new.  We have computers running the three major operating system platforms:  Windows, Apple OS X, and Linux.  Please refer to the following guidelines for basic computing help.

File Management
Passwords
Troubleshooting
Keyboard Shortcuts

File Management (opening and saving your documents)
First and foremost, DO NOT USE FLOPPY DISKS! Floppies eat documents. All of our computers are USB stick compatible, so buy yourself a $15 USB stick and lose the floppies. Secondly, saving your text documents in the rich text format (.rtf) will ensure compatibility between programs. However, all campus computers will open Microsoft Office compatible documents (.doc, .xls, .ppt). Additionally, saving as (.rtf) will sometimes cause problems when opening documents in Office 2004 on the iBooks.

WARNING: OpenOffice will open and save Microsoft Office files, but saves files in a DIFFERENT file format by default.

There are two important network locations you need to know about and use:

1. Your home folder
   
This is where you should store all of your SCHOOL-RELATED files.  This folder is backed-up daily.  In the event of accidental data loss, please see the Director of Technology. You should NOT be saving documents to the local machine unless you are saving an iLife project (iMovie, GarageBand, or iWeb). You are limited to 300 MB of space in your home folder, but this space should not be used to store large files like movies.


1. Windows
1. This is the H: drive called “homes on Samba Server (galileo)”
2. Apple
1. This is the folder called “<username>” where <username> is your username
3. Linux
1. This is the folder called “home”


2. The class shares
   
This is where you can store class-wide files.  Other people in your grade have access to these files.  Your teacher will alert you when you need to use this folder.

1. Windows
1. This is the S: drive called “shared on Samba Server (galileo)”
2. Apple
1. This is the folder called "shared"
3. Linux
1. This is the folder called "shared"

Passwords
To change your password, you must either use the following instructions or talk with the Director of Technology.  Sharing your account or password with another student is a violation of the Acceptable Use Policy and will be treated as a disciplinary offense.  Many students have lost important data because of malicious users who knew the password—KEEP YOUR PASSWORD A SECRET!

1. Find a Windows XP machine (card catalog machines or west wall of computer lab)
2. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL and select the Change Password button after you have logged in.
3. A message will sometimes come up saying it was unable to change your password or that your old password is not valid. Ignore this message--your password was successfully changed.

Troubleshooting
Most computer problems can be solved with a simple reboot. However, it is helpful to try the following suggestions in order to save your data.

1. Unresponsive Program
   
Clicking incessantly on everything in sight only makes things worse. Instead, try this

1. Windows
1. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL and attempt to end the unresponsive program.
2. Apple
1. Press OPTION-COMMAND-ESC and attempt to "force quit" the unresponsive program.
3. Linux
1. Press CTRL-ALT-ESC, which will turn your cursor into a cross-bones. Click on the application window you want to kill.


2. Printer Problems
   
If your document doesn't print the first time you try, then it is NOT going to print the second time you try unless you fix whatever problem caused the first problem. If you've clicked Print five times, it will print five copies of your paper when the printer comes back online. What a waste of paper! Be patient and ask for help. Most problems can be solved by resetting the printer or "unpausing" it. To unpause the printer:

1. Windows
1. Double click on the little printer icon on the bottom right-hand side of your screen, or go to Start-->Settings-->Printers
2. Go to the File menu and uncheck "paused"
2. Apple
1. Click on the printer icon in the bottom right-hand side of your screen or go to System Preferences-->Print & Fax and select the appropriate printer and click the "Printer Queue" button
2. Click "Start Jobs" or "Resume"
3. Linux
1. Double-click the printer icon on the desktop
2. Click the "Printer" button (next to the "Add" button)
3. Go to Start/Stop Printer --> Start Printer

Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts
Knowing a few keyboard shortcuts can really speed up and enhance your overall computing experience.

COMMAND = Apple Key