Windows XP

These are questions related to Windows XP on CSL supported workstations. Some items may apply to other Windows XP workstations, but the focus is on the spiecifics of our supported setup.

How Can I Get A Software Package On My Windows Workstation? Is It Available From The CSL?

• Scan the Programs menu and look for the application; it may already be installed.
• Open up the CSL configuration utility (right-click on the CSL icon in the tray on the bottom right of the screen), click on Open config window. Choose the software tab, then click the Add button. If the application you need is listed, select it and click OK. You can then have it installed after you logout, or, depending on the settings on the Options tab, it will get installed overnight or at the next boot. See the CSL how-to section for more details on this utility.
• Ask the CSL if it available for checkout from the library. When you checkout software, make sure to ask if a key is required for the installation. If it is needed, it is usually printed on the CD case.
• If you found that we do not have the software available for Windows XP, you can send mail to lab@cs.wisc.edu and ask if we have any plans to make it generally available. If we think that it would be useful to many of our users, we will add it to our list.

How Can I Install Software That Requires Administrator Privileges

Many software packages in the Windows world require administrative privileges to complete the installation. By default we don't grant our users such privileges for their normal accounts, but we recognize that they may be needed to install additional software from time to time.

We have two mechanisms to deal with this situation:

• If software needs to be installed only on an occasional basis, we can grant temporary privileges for the purpose of completing the installation. Just mail the lab@cs.wisc.edu and ask for temporary Administrator privileges on your workstation. Please make sure to specify the workstation name, and also the software package that you need to install (we need this to make sure you're not installing something that conflicts with our software). Once the installation is complete, mail lab to let us know that you're done, and we'll revoke the privileges.
• For users who need to perform this type of operation on a regular basis, we can setup a special local Administrator account. To request such an account, mail lab@cs.wisc.edu and ask to get an Administrator account, indicating the workstation name, and a general statement about the purpose of the account (for instance, some of the packages you may want to install). We'll setup the account and mail back an initial password. To login to this account, use the Non-AFS button on the login panel.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that any such administrative privileges are granted for the sole purpose of installing software that requires them. The account should not be used for any other purpose without the lab's permission.

Visual C++ Complains That I Need To Be Administrator To Do OLE RPC Debugging, What Do I Do?

This is caused by a setting in the user's preferences. Open up Visual C++, go into Tools⇒Options, choose the Debug tab, and uncheck the option called OLE RPC Debugging. You might want to logout at that point to make sure the setting is saved to your roaming profile in your AFS home.

Every Time I Login, I Get An Error About Running Daconfig

This is caused by a registry value. Removing the value will fix the problem. Run the following command (in the Start⇒Run box, or in a command line window): regedit /s k:\scripts\lib\da.reg You will no longer get the login error.

Windows XP Scheduled Reboots

It is occasionally necessary to reboot workstations to apply updates to Windows workstations. We do our best to notify users when these updates will occur.

Patch application and software updates are applied starting at 1:00AM local time. At 3:00AM, another process will will run to see if a reboot is scheduled. In the event a reboot is scheduled, reboots are handled as follows:

• If no one is logged in, the computer is rebooted at 3:00AM.
• If someone is logged in, prompt the user to reboot then (logout user and reboot) or do reboot later. The reboot later option will force a system reboot the following evening at 3:00AM.

The CSL encourages all users to logout each evening to allow such reboots to proceed at times when the user will not be inconvenienced by the system downtime.

CSL Software Configuration Tool

The CSL Software Configuration Tool is available for authorized users on CSL-supported workstations. The user may see a "CSL" icon show up in the system tray, usually in the lower-right corner of the screen. Clicking on it will start the tool minimized; the user may then open the application from the system tray.

Inside the configuration tool, the following options are available:

• Add/remove optional Windows software
• Enable/disable nightly software updates
• Request an "immediate" software update (which is done after logging out)

Any software additions/removals will not be processed until the nightly software update is run or after an "immediate" update is requested.