At 8:38 AM -0500 7/11/02,Tom Baker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in G-List Digest #450:
>[beep] >Since the CDs that the kids will run on this iMac are a few years old >(Carmen Sandiego, Math Blasters, Reader Rabbit, etc.) I've set it to boot >into OS 9.2 instead of X, figuring that the older CDs probably won't run >under OS X (they seem to run fine under 9.2), and anyway my own G4 is >running 9.2 and I know how to troubleshoot that OS, whereas Im not familiar >with X. I'd go for OSX anyway. The computer will switch to Classic seamlessly if you ask it to run a legacy program, preferably set Classic to be preloaded automatically at startup. It's easy enough to switch back and forth between boot systems, I'd suck it and see, especially if the iMac comes preloaded with Jaguar, OSX v10.2. >So my questions for the group here are: is there anything I should do to >this iMac to make it more difficult for grade school students to foul it >up? It will be sitting in a classroom under a teacher's supervision most of >the time, but I've noticed that the students use the three Windows machines >they have to play games on before and after class, and during the lunch >hour, and their teacher isn't always around to see what they're doing with >them. And he isn't too savvy with computers anyway, especially Macs, though >I'll try to acquaint him with the Mac OS as much as I can, and I'll also >check out the iMac from time to time for problems. I have TechTool Pro and >DiskWarrior should anything go wrong, and of course the backup software if >necessary. We deal with dozens of Macs used by the NZ equivalent of Grade School (5 to 12 year-olds) and actually have very few problems with kids trashing them. At the few schools that do use At Ease, it only takes a few days before the kids have figured out the passwords but having done so, they seem disinclined to mess things up. All the geeky kids that might be computer-savvy enough to do some damage are Windoze-only and don't attack the Macs. Likewise, the Mac-savvy kids just wouldn't do that sort of thing (touch wood). If there are no games loaded onto the Mac (I assume you're referring to shoot 'em ups or the like) the kids would be disinclined to mess with it. Mind you, they may well load games onto it.....it's up to you and the teacher whether that's permissible. >The three old Windows machines that the students have right now are >donations from other parents, that I have been told give the kids a lot of >trouble (perhaps of their own making), The kids don't have to make trouble to have trouble with a Wintel box. >hence when the principal asked my >advice on buying a new machine for this class, I suggested a Mac. I hope >the iMac lives up to our expectations. He also asked if it would be >possible to network this new Mac with the old Windows boxes, but there he >has me, because my experience there is very limited. I'm not sure why we'd >want to do it anyway. I will talk to the dad who is maintaining the Windows >machines for the class and see what he thinks about it, but any advice I >can get here would be useful. Networking can be done but it is tricky, with lots of added costs. It's highly unlikely the old Windows machines would have any of the required software on board. It's easier to simply email files that you want to exchange rather then trying to set up common server access. Of course that assumes that the various machines are connected to the net....which sounds unlikely in this case. Are the Wintel boxes networked? On the subject of 'trouble', we set up one computer with all the required software and network settings, duplicate the hard disk, then burn a CD copy. If a particular machine at that school subsequently gives problems we just reinitalise its hard disk, copy the CD contents back on and insert the network & personalised email settings (as required). To be fair, we haven't had to do this on OSX Macs yet, it will be an interesting exercise when we face it. OSX is a much tougher beast than Classic. I suspect the kids won't be able to mess with it (even if they were inclined) without administrator status, something they're not likely to acquire if you are circumspect with your password access. It's not something you have to do very often. >Also, I've noticed that the students aren't too careful about handling >their CD's, and I wonder if it's possible to make working copies of the >ones they'll be using a lot, so that I can set the originals safely aside, >out of harm's way. That way if they ruin one, I can always make a >replacement. On my own G4 I've burned a lot of custom music CDs using Toast >Deluxe 4.1.2, as well as other CD-Rs with backup data or digital >photographs on them, but I've never tried to copy a commercial game CD. Is >it possible? Yes, we routinely duplicate CDs for classroom use, keeping the originals under lock and key. Strictly one copy per original, of course. (No, really! We try to be fair to the authors) Ask Toast to create and mount a temporary partition and copy the entire original CD to that. Always run a speed test before committing a platter, I have found some commercial disks seem to have spoiler tracks that resist duplicating especially if you attempt a straight disk-to-disk copy. Duplicating via a temp partition is safer. -- ------- Keep in touch....Ian O <mailto:I.Orchard@;macworx.co.nz> -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 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