Macintosh Computer Lab Tips and Tricks

Securing an ImageWriter Power Switch

If you've ever accidentally shut off a networked ImageWriter while removing the cover to change the ribbon, you'll appreciate this tip. As shown here glue an angle bracket in place on the printer with silicon caulk. This will protect the power switch when you remove the cover. Use 2 inch angle brackets and hold them in place with masking tape and two tongue depressors from the nurses' office. You don't have to work fast to complete this project. Allow the caulk to dry for at least 24 hours before removing the tape and tongue depressors, over a weekend is even better. After this is installed you won't shut off the printer whenever you change the ribbon. You can still shut the printer off by pulling the power plug or by using a ball point pen through the holes in the angle bracket. The black piece of tape covers over the text "line feed" to keep users from tapping that button to feed the paper up an inch for removal and then leaving it there.

Fixing The Persistent Login

If you have computers in your school or lab that persistently login when you turn them on, here's how to fix this from occurring.

Simply go into your System Folder Preferences Folder and remove the AppleShare Prep file. This contains the preferences that the computer uses to decide which network servers, drives, and/or folders to connect to when you start up or reboot. At some point in the past a user checked a box in the Chooser dialog box and instructed the Chooser to remember the name and password. Removing this file fixes the problem.

Minimal System 7.0.1 Folder

This tip will appeal to all the schools using older macintosh computers and needing to make the most out of the available memory in them. To the right is a minimal Extensions folder. All of the non essential extensions have been stripped out. This is all that you need to connect an LC II to an ethernet network and have printing available from either a LaserWriter or ImageWriter printer.

If you want to forgo the excellent Disinfectant virus detection program you will be able to save some additional memory. The same goes for any of the printer extensions for printers that you don't have.

Minimal Control Panels Folder. (System 7 Only)

Extra Extensions to be installed if you desire, they add additional functionality

Turn on Your Computers Before You Get There

Here's a tip I use in my lab to turn on the computers early, before I get to school. This will only work with the Macintoshes that turn on with the switch on the keyboard. Also don't use this on a server since the server needs to be shut down properly to avoid problems.

Locate the control panel called "Auto Power." Open it and set the times when you want the computer to turn on and off. Very handy for cutting down on problems in an unattended lab. If this Control Panel is not already installed on your system, check for it on the CD Rom that can with the computer. Note: You will need System 7.5.x for this to work.

Reducing Problems In a Macintosh Equipped Lab

You can often reduce problems with children "exploring" on the computers in your lab by using the View, by Name command built into the Macintosh system 7.xx software. This will make the colorful folder icons dull and boring. If you do this to all of your folders the children will become disinterested and find something else to do.

The easy way to correct misbehaving Macintosh Applications

Many Macintosh applications maintain a preference file in the preferences folder of the system folder. Before re-installing the application or thinking that your hard drive is going bad try moving the preferences file out of the preferences folder. Next restart your computer and try the application again. Frequently this will correct the problem. Of course you'll lose your custom settings but it beats having to reinstall the application again.

Want a fast way to speed up program launching?

First, check your software license(s) to see if you can do this. If you can, install multiple copies of the software into the same folder as the original on the server and have every nth computer load from that copy. Rename the various program copies so that each name is unique. Finally, using the AppleShare© Administrator program lock the number of copies able to be launched to the total number allowed by the license divided by the number of networked copies you've installed. Then use the administrator to keep people from saving into any folder except the one that you designate for saving.

AppleShare's most important file

What's the most important file on an AppleShare Server? It's the Users & Groups Data File in the Preferences folder in the System folder. Since this file, circled in blue, will fit on a floppy disk I copy it every day and especially before I make any modifications to the users and/or groups on my server. Why? If this file is lost or damaged in any way users of your server won't be able to log in. As near as I can tell everything about an AppleShare server is stored in this file.

Preferences folder inside the System folder

Simple Program Launcher

Here's a tip that will make you life easier if you share your Macintosh with small children. Granted the newer machines will come with At Ease or the launcher control panel, many older machines are installed in schools and homes. You'll need to be running system 7 for this to work. It will work with System 7.5.x but with that version you get the launcher control panel which is a more elegant solution.

Here's what to do: Create aliases for everything you want launchable from the desktop. Place these same aliases on the desktop and edit the word alias off of the title. Click once on an icon the go up to File and select Get Info. In the lower left there will be a box called locked. Click once in this box then use the closer box in the upper left corner to make the info box go away. When you're done you should have a screen similar to what is shown here.

What the children do is click on their icons and hopefully leave the rest of your hard drive alone. By going up to Views and selecting By Name you can make the hard drive display boring to discourage exploring.