AgriLife IT Toolbox

IT Tuesdays workshop Update 9-25-09

2009-09-25T18:55:42Z

These sessions are designed with the busy person in mind. Each starts @ 9:30 and runs about an hour and thirty minutes. They are hands-on and delivered in a very laid back setting, focusing on single skill or topic. This allows you, the student, to ask questions and interact with the instructors and try it for yourself on the spot. We have had a good response to these offerings and folks seem to be learning new skills and enjoying the relaxed sessions.

Here is a list of the next 6 sessions. Don't wait to sign up because class sizes is limited

Class Schedule:

Class #1 - October 13th, 9:30 a.m., - "Using First-Call - Learn how to access First-Call and how to use the new support/help desk system" -instructors Aimee Sandifeer and Weldon Floyd

Class #2 - November 10th, 9:30 a.m., - "Learning how to use Adobe LiveCycle - How to create interactive PDF forms using Adobe LiveCycle" - instructors Jim Segers and Jeffrey SoRelle

Class #3 - December 8th, 9:30 a.m., - "Collaboration via GroupWise 7 - Learn how to collaborated with others via GroupWise and discover the real power" - instructors Aimee Sandifeer and Greg Thomas

Class #4 - February 9th, 9:30 a.m., - "Computer Tune Up! - Learn how to use basic free tools to tune up your PC for better performance" - instructors Weldon Floyd and Aimee Sandifeer

Class #5 - March 9th, 9:30 a.m., - "Collaboration via Social Networking - Learn how to collaborate with others around the world using tools like Google Docs, Face book, and Twitter" - instructors Jim Segers and Greg Thomas

Class #6 - April 13th, 9:30 a.m., - "Learn to how to use Word 07 to create Labels and Envelopes- you must have Word 07" - instructors Steve Paz and Jeffrey SoRelle

To sign up for any session please visit IT Tuesdays

Ask an Expert - Add Value to your Web Site!

2009-09-15T16:34:37Z

You can add a great customer service feature to your Extension website with just a little bit of know how. This article is focus on County Extension Offices using TECO as their website tool, but Ask an Expert can be used on any website.

What if a visitor to your website has a question? They get the phone number and call or they could pick out the email address and email. How about asking online!

The Ask an Expert "widget" can adds a small dialog to your website for your customers to submit a question. Easy as pie. The cool part is you can answer the question, or you can lean on other extension experts nationwide. Here's how to get started:

]]> By now you have all heard of and I hope visited the national eXtension project. The Ask an Expert system is part of that project you can take advantage of for your customers.

For more on eXtension visit them at http://extension.org

Here's how the Ask an Expert works:

A question is submitted from your Ask an Expert widget

2. The question shows up in the Incoming Question list at eXtension

3. The question is automatically assigned to an Extension agent who has registered to get questions for the widget (should be you). An email is sent to the agent when a question arrives. If no one is assigned to a widget or if the question lingers too long, the question is assigned to Extension agents who have volunteered to handle and route questions for Texas.

4. The agent answers the question and the response is emailed to the person who submitted the question. A copy of the answer is also retained on the eXtension FAQ system for others to find. If your are unable to answer you can assign someone else registered in the Ask an Expert system to provide an answer.

Simple enough. To get going we have put together 4 lessons and some video:

Lesson 1. What is Ask and Expert and How do I put it on my TECO Web Site?

AEWidget Lesson 1 About.pdf

Lesson 2. What is eXtension and how do I get an account?

AEWidget Lesson 2 eXtension.pdf

Lesson 3. How to claim your Ask an Expert Widget.

AEWidget Lesson 3 Claiming.pdf

Lesson 4. Answering questions through Ask an Expert.

AEWidget Lesson 4 Answering.pdf

Managing In ToughTimes Network Resource Site

2009-09-10T19:54:04Z

No matter what your area of expertise managing in todays tough economy concerns all Extension audiences. A cooperative project hosted by eXtension named MiTTNet has assymbled resources to help Extension educators prepare relavent programming.

Here's the link: http://mittnet.extension.org/

MiTTNet has more than 900 educational resources that can be viewed and downloaded for use in local programming by Extension faculty and staff. Unlike www.extension.org, this is NOT a resource for the public, but a directory of educational materials and resources available to Cooperative Extension faculty and staff to use as they help to meet the challenges their clientele are facing in today's economic environment. The directory is but one part of the Managing in Tough Times initiative. It will be supplemented by other resources including targeted webinars on relevant subjects as well as alerts about new additions and contributions to the MiTTNet directory.

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Using Twitter at your Office (Extension Guidelines)

2009-09-03T19:45:32Z

Twitter has become popular with many people as a way to stay in touch. If you haven't encountered Twitter, it is a micro-blog - meaning you can type in a short message and it goes out to anyone who has chosen to follow your messages. By the way, the short messages are called tweets.

So the natural question is: how can we use Twitter to reach our customers in Extension?

Let's assume you want to offer Twitter as way for your customers to keep up with Extension in your county.

]]> Before you start, please read over the Extension guidelines. Just click here for a copy:

TwitterGuidev2.doc

Here's how:

First, you setup a Twitter account by going to the Twitter Web Site

We recommend you use a name like txextension-countyname, for example txextension-brazos

Once done, you will have a web address for your twitter site. In the example above, that would be twitter.com/txextension-brazos

Then, you advertise your twitter address to your customers and ask them to "follow" your twitter account.

From then on, all you have to do is log into twitter and send a tweet. When you do, all your followers will automatically get a copy.

That's easy! Sort of like a one way text message.

IT Tuesdays Workshop Update

2009-08-19T11:21:39Z

Beginning in September 2008, we started the IT Tuesday's workshop series via Centra. These sessions are designed with the busy person in mind. Each starts @ 9:30 and runs about an hour and thirty minutes. They are hands-on and delivered in a very laid back setting to allow you, the student, to ask questions and interact with the instructors. We have had a good response to these offerings and folks seem to be enjoying them and learning new skills. In Sept, Oct, and Nov we will be offering 3 sessions. Here are the details. ]]> Class Schedule:

09/08/09 - Learn how to use the Ask an Expert from eXtension on your Website

Instructor: Jim Segers
Description: Learn how to add the Ask an Expert widget from eXtension on your Website.

10/13/09 - Instant Survey - DYI Online Evaluation and Survey

Instructor: Jim Segers
Description: Learn to use the Instant Survey tool to do online evaluations and surveys.

11/10/09 - Learn how to use Adobe Life Cycle 9

Instructor: Jim Segers
Description: Learn to use Adobe Life Cycle 9 to create PDF files and forms

These classes will be a step-by-step hands on training. Instructors will be sending out more instructions to the participants that register for the classes closer to the event.

To sign up for any session please visit http://ittuesdays.tamu.edu

How to Change Default Font Size, Font Color, and Font Type for email in GroupWise 7

2009-07-27T17:56:22Z

From time to time I get asked questions that I simply have no answer. Not that it can not be done, but just really never thought about it. I was conducting a workshop last week, and a user wanted to know, "How do I change my email default text color to something other than black?" After a little checking around, here is the answer. I hope u pick a nice color!

]]> 1. Start GroupWise

2. Start a New Mail Message

3. Double check you are in HTML View (From the menu bar select View -HTML)

4. Select your Font Type

5. Select your Font Size

6. Select your Font Color

7. Right click on the Font Type

8. Select Set Current font as Default

9. Send email in a new color!

Cleaning Your PC with CCleaner

2009-06-09T21:19:03Z

In a nutshell, CCleaner is a PC optimization tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It's small, fast & free! (If you really like it you can make a donation)

CCleaner effectively cleans out the 'junk' that accumulates over time such as: temporary Window files, browsing history, temporary internet files, broken shortcuts, and other files left behind.

CCleaner can also clean unneeded files from various programs saving you hard disk space, remove unneeded entries in the Windows Registry, help you uninstall software and manage which programs start automatically.

This entry will show you step by step how to use CCleaner to clean up your PC and how to clean up the Windows Registry.]]> here and install it on your PC.

Step 1 - To Clean your PC:

1.    Start CCleaner, click the CCleaner icon.

2.    Choose the Windows features you want to clean by selecting their check boxes (you can clean everything under Internet Explorer, for example, by selecting the check box next to the heading). When you select or clear certain options, warning text will appear. Read the text and click OK to dismiss the dialog box.

3.    Click the Applications tab. The programs listed on this tab will depend on the software you have installed on the system.

4.    Choose the applications or features you want to clean.

5.    Click the Analyze button. CCleaner analyzes the files and Registry keys belonging to the Windows features and applications you have selected. This may take some time.

6.    Once the analysis is complete, you can review which files will be deleted in the text window. To save the list of items to be deleted, right-click in the text window and then click Save to text file...

7.    Click Run Cleaner. You are warned that CCleaner is about to permanently remove files from the system. Click OK to proceed.

8.    When the cleaning is complete, CCleaner displays a report of deleted files in the text window.

9.    You should run the Cleaner application a second time to be sure you got everything.

Step 2 - To clean Your Registry:

Over time, the Registry can become cluttered with missing or broken items as you install, upgrade, and uninstall software and updates. CCleaner can help you clean out the Registry so you'll have fewer errors. The Registry will run faster, too.

1.    In CCleaner, click the Registry icon at left.

2.    Optionally, select the items under Registry Integrity you wish to scan (they are all checked by default and we recommend you leave them checked).

3.    Click Scan for Issues. You'll see a progress bar and a list of potential issues.

4.    Once the scan is finished, you can review the list of issues

5.    Click Fix selected issues... to fix the Registry problems.

6.    You are prompted to backup the Registry first. We strongly recommend you click Yes.

7.    Save the Registry backup to you're My Documents Folder the file ends in .REG. Click Save.

8.    CCleaner displays the first Registry problem and a proposed solution. For example:

This dialog box shows an example of an issue found by CCleaner's Registry Cleaner.

9.    To fix all issues at once, click Fix All Selected Issues. You will be prompted to confirm this selection. Click OK. Once all issues have been fixed, click Close.

10.    Again as above, we recommend that you run the Registry cleaner more than once.

SHI Licensing Information

2009-05-05T14:45:00Z

Prepared by Aimee Sandifeer

All software is licensed in some fashion. Some is "freeware" but many like Microsoft office, Adobe Acrobat, WordPerfect, and Symantec require a specific license to be purchased. Remember it is illegal to install licensed software on more computers than you have licenses. Your license for Symantec Anti-virus is renewed for every AgriLife computer on a yearly basis (no charge to users currently). AgriLife Information Technology tracks licenses.

AgriLife IT provides copies of licenses, serial numbers and installation key codes for software purchased with Cost-Share Program computers offered to Extension County staff only. It is important for counties to store this information in the central filing system. AgriLife IT provides software included with the Cost-Share Program (as of October 2008):

Microsoft Office 2007 Professional

Corel WordPerfect X4

Adobe Acrobat 9 Professional

Symantec End Point 11 Anti-virus

If you would like to purchase this software for a computer that is not a Cost-Share Computer or does not have these current versions, you can contact SHI using the included instructions.

]]> Be sure to check your version of Windows Operating System (OS). If the OS is Windows 2000 or earlier, do not update to this software. I only recommend updating to Windows XP. And remember: you must purchase one license for each computer in which you plan to install the software.

Note: SHI Licensing Fees are subject to change.

SHI Goverment Solutions Order.pdf

Using RichCopy to speed up copying files

2009-04-29T13:10:00Z

I found a utility that Microsoft wrote back in 1996 that some of you might find useful. The utility is called RichCopy and it was written specifically to work in an unstable environment that existed in the earlier days of networks.

Why use this copy program when you can drag and drop files and folders so easily? Well, for one thing, it is quite a bit faster (although the speed difference that you see may depend on your computer and the amount of data that you are copying). If you are only copying a few files or the total amount of storage is less that a few megabtyes then please continue to use the standard copy program that comes with Windows. However, if you are copying a large amount of data that takes several minutes to copy, then I think it might be worth your time to investigate this utility.

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The latest version, version 4.0 has been improved to handle many situations where you need a lot of control over the copy process and you would like it to be repeatable without having to set it up over and over again. This feature is called profile based copy.

It also supports multiple sources, and file and directory filtering. You can set earlier or later options for whether or not to copy a file based on creation date/time, last write date/time or last access date/time. It now makes extensive use of multi-threading and it no longer has a limitation as to how many threads it can execute concurrently. If the copy is interrupted or if the copy fails for any reason, restarting the process will only copy those files and directories that were not successfully copied in the previous run.

My most pressing need for this product was related to it's speed in copying files, so I ran some tests on it. I have both Windows XP and Windows 7(Vista on steroids) on my computer. It runs on both OS's and it is interesting about the speed differences. I copied 600 MB of files from my Windows Server 2008 system. I made 1 run of each type of copy (not very scientific) except I ran 2 runs of the fastest copy to see if it was repeatable at different times. Here is the results.

Windows XP RichCopy 4:30 (this is 4 minutes and 30 seconds)
Windows XP Regular Copy 6:00
Windows 7 RichCopy 3:45
Windows 7 Regular Copy 7:00

One thing I find rather interesting is that it runs twice as fast (almost) on Windows 7 as does regular copy. I think I can explain this. Windows 7 (and I believe Windows Vista) make much better utilization of multi-threading (multiple streams of execution for a single application or job). I think this suggests that other newer software that makes use of multithreading may run as much as twice as fast on Vista or Windows 7. It also is interesting and surprising that regular copy runs faster on XP than it does on Windows 7 (Vista). Although without more extensive amounts of tests, the results are only good for approximations.

The computer that I am running these tests is no speed demon. It is a Gateway E series 32-bit Pentium 4 running at 2.8 Ghz with 1 Gb of memory. I would not be surprised if a dual or quad processor might see even better performance differences.

This utility has quite a bit of options about whether you overwrite existing files, ignoring read only flags, etc. The price is right too, since it is free. I am including a link to the article from the TechNet magazine which also has the url at the top to download it. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspx?pr=blog

Disable Dell ControlPoint Network Card Options

2009-04-24T13:21:58Z

The new Dell E6500 laptops are great machines and have all kinds of features to help conserve energy. One of those features is to turn the network card when running on battery power and not connected to a network. That sounds like a good idea, but here's an instance where I have seen a problem. You have been out using your notebook and return to the office, set the laptop down on the docking station, and power up. After the machine is completely booted- up, you start an internet application (IE, FireFox, GroupWise, GroupWise IM), but the machine will not connect. After some troubleshooting, we figured out the problem. The Dell Control Point software is set to disable the Network card when on battery power and not connected to a network. The docking station does not re-enable the card.

Quick solution - Disable the Dell Control Point Feature!

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(Hint: an alternative is to use the function key - try Fn F7 = DCP)

Click Power Manager

Click Manage Power Settings

Click the Advanced Settings button

Uncheck Disable Network Card when running on Battery

Click Save

Close the Dell ControlPoint Application

Conficker Virus Will Reveal April Fools

2009-03-31T15:26:58Z

There's been a lot of information published regarding the Conficker virus and how it is programmed to start attacking vulnerable computers on April 1. You've probably seen some references to this threat but, like many of us, are unsure of just what this means to your computers and network connections.

Let's start at the beginning. Conficker is a network worm. That means it uses the network, both inside and outside of your office, to spread from computer to computer. There is always a lot of background chatter between networked computers that we never see. Worms use these back-channel communications to spread exponentially across networks. They can do so at an alarmingly fast rate. Conficker has infected more computers than any network virus ever has - doing so very quietly. And, unlike most viruses, Conficker caused no initial malicious activity but rather lies in waiting for its signal to start the attack. This is a sneaky little piece of code.

How do you know if your computer is infected with Conficker?

]]>

How can you protect your computer from Conficker or rid it of an infection?

Step 1. Run Windows Updates and be sure that all critical updates are installed. Once completed, you will see a message saying that "all updates were successfully installed" or a list of any that did not install. If you see any that didn't install, or if your computer is unable to run Windows Updates, then please contact your AIT specialist for assistance. They will help you determine if an infection may be causing the problem.

Step 2. Run LiveUpdate in Symantec AntiVirus. Check the dates of its current Definitions. These should all be within the past week or so. If your computer is unable to run LiveUpdate or you find Definition dates well in the past, contact your AIT specialist. Problems running LiveUpdate can indicate a number of problems including virus infections.

For the more technically inclined, you can actually check the list of updates that Windows has applied to your computer. You're looking for Microsoft patch 08-067 among those listed. Go into control panel > add remove programs and - with the show updates box checked - you should be able to confirm that the patch was applied in late October.

Luckily, there are removal tools available for the less fortunate who find themselves with an infected computer on April 1. However, this is another case of simple prevention being far less painful than the cure. The time required to complete the above steps are only a few minutes at most. Removing a virus and attempting to recover lost data can take days and mean a great deal of inconvenience to everyone involved. Take a few minutes to protect your computer and your data before April Fool becomes a label rather than a silly seasonal prank.

Sharing a Printer on a Wireless Network

2009-03-17T16:35:09Z

prepared by Aimee Sanidfeer

Although it may seem like printing over a wireless network is magic, it's really no different than printing with a regular wired network. It doesn't matter if you connect your notebook computer to the network router or with a network cable. If one of the computers on the network has a printer attached, all of the computers on the network should be able to access it, as long as your printer is designated as "shared>

Sharing a Printer On a Wireless Network.pdf

Create GroupWise Groups from received e-mails

2009-03-17T16:30:10Z

prepared by Greg Thomas

File describe a process for taking e-mail addresses from received e-mails and transforming them into groups in Groupwise. Agents and support staff may find this really useful for keeping up with club leaders/members and producer groups.

Creating a new Group-II.pdf

Using Dban to Nuke Your Hard drive for Surplus

2009-03-17T15:34:38Z

The Texas A&M University system is required to certify that all software and data contained on the hard-disk drive of a computer has been completely erased before the computer is transferred or sold. For many years we recommend you use AutoClave hard drive erase utility to "Nuke" the hard drive; however, as technology changes, many of our machines no longer have floppy drives as standard equipment. Plus, Autoclave is no longer supported by the guy who created it. So, we are now recommending you use DBan which can be used on a CD. This Blog Entry will walk you through the process of creating the Dban CD and Nuking a Hard drive for Surplus.

]]> Making the Dban CD:

Download Dban from http://eit.tamu.edu/countysupport/csdvd.htm

1. Save it to the Desktop of your computer

2. Start NERO Startsmart

***Note - Your CD Burning Application maybe different so the steps may be slightly different

3. Select Copy and Backup

4. Select Burn Image to Disc

5. From the Open dialog box, change Files of Type to Image Files

6. Select dban-1.0.7_i386CD.iso and click Open

7. Setup the image recording options and follow the on screen instructions

8. After the CD has been made, eject the CD and label if DBan+Date Made

Now to Nuke the hard drive/computer for surplus:

1. Insert the CD in the to be surplused machine

2. Turn the machine off

3. Turn it back on and boot from the CD

4. At the DBan boot screen, Press Enter

5. Select the hard drive that you want to Nuke by pressing the space bar to select

***Note - Generally it is the first on in the list

6. Press M to select the degree of Nuking

7. Select DoDshort by pressing the space bar

8. Press F10 to start the process

9. Be patient because the process can take a while to complete.

Auto-Archive in GroupWise

2008-05-29T18:59:41Z

prepared by Jim Segers

GroupWise stores your e-mail and calendar items on a server. This allows you to read your e-mail and check your calendar from any Internet-enabled computer, anywhere in the world.

To help manage space and keep the GroupWise systems running efficiently, messages are "expired" at regular intervals. In most cases this is 90 days. In other words messages and their attachments older than 90 days are deleted from the servers and lost unless you do something to save them.

]]> You can manually archive, but GroupWise can also automatically archive e-mail and/or calendar items based on message age. This is a two step process, telling GroupWise where to store your archive and setting the dates to do so.

STEP 1. Define the Archive location. From the GroupWise Main Window, click Tools and choose Options. Double click Environment., then Click on the File Location tab to open the window shown in Figure 1.

In the Archive directory area, enter the path you wish. HINT: Click on the folder icon to the right to "browse" to the location you want. We recommend you store them in in folder under My Documents. This way you will back it up with your other documents - you do backup My Documents don't you?

Click OK to save your choice.

STEP 2. Configure auto archive date. From within the GroupWise Main Window, click Tools and choose Options. Then Double click Environment and Click on the Cleanup tab.

Under Mail and Phone, click the Auto-archive after radio button, shown in figure 2. Enter the number of days old a message should be before GroupWise will automatically archive it. (For example 80 days to safely move them before the expire date)

If you wish, under Appointment, Task and Reminder Note, click the radio button labeled Auto-archive after: and type in the number of days old a calendar item should be before GroupWise will automatically archive it. (At this time we are not expiring Calendar items, but may at some date)

Warning: Be sure to click Auto-archive after, not Auto-delete after. Click OK, then Close.