Where you are

  1. Homepage
  2. Support
  3. Rooms & Reservations
  4. Classroom Known Issues

Classroom Known Issues

This page contains notes about known software, hardware & computer issues in our classrooms & labs. Some of the entries include work-around solutions, but others are just warnings about common problems which we have not been able to resolve.

Opening Files

We are using a new software/application distribution method in our FLB rooms. For any software that is installed that way, you cannot double-click on a file to open it. You need to open the software first and then go to FILE > OPEN and browse to the file. Until you open the software, the computer does not know it’s there. This should NOT be an issue with Microsoft Office or .html files.

Software Issue: SAS

In FLB rooms the new version SAS may take 45-60 seconds to open. This is a combination of the way the new version works & our new distribution method.

USB Keys

Sometimes the computers in our lab and rooms cannot read USB keys. Any keys that say "U3" will probably not work. We recommend inserting them before logging in and using the ports on the computer itself rather than the monitor. If you already logged in, save any open documents before inserting USB keys. Once the computer has restarted, it usually reads them. We have been unable to definitively resolve the problem, though it has improved. Please inform your students. Also, USB keys previously caused random rebooting of computers. Please let us know if your computer reboots.

Laptops

  • You my need to press the appropriate function buttons on your laptop to get it to display on our projectors. You may have to press them a few times to cycle through to the right setting. Your laptop can project to its screen, also to an external screen or just to an external screen. You want the 2nd setting.
  • Most laptops are now widescreen. Sometimes the projectors have problems projecting in widescreen while you laptop screen is on. In these instances, the projected image may be small or the laptop screen may be distorted.

Playing DVDs & MP3s on the computer

When trying to play DVDs & MP3s on the computer, we recommend using VLC--an open-source media player that seems to have fewer issues here than other players. Look for “VideoLAN” in the programs list.

Compass

When working with Compass, please, use Firefox or another browser rather than Internet Explorer. Certain functions/features in Compass have known compatibility issues with IE.

YouTube

When playing You Tube videos, we recommend Firefox or a browser other than Internet Explorer. There have been frequent problems with YouTube & IE.

Yahoo

For some reason, people have trouble downloading files from Yahoo email. Try forwarding the file to another email account (Gmail, University) and download from there.

Software & Files on CDS and servers

When using software in our labs, you should work from files saved to the computer, not from files on CDs, email, NetFiles or our servers. Certain software has trouble reading files not saved to the computer itself.

Writing Files to CDs

Open "My Computer" & then dump the files you want to burn into the CD icon. Right click & click on "Write these files to CD."

Slow Printing

Like much of campus we use the Library Printing Services. This means that when you choose to print, it sends the file to their server. Files are then queued up and sent back to our printers. When many people send jobs at once or one user send a really big print job (these include documents like PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, & pictures from mapping software), the printers can get bogged down and take a long time to print. Large files that may only be 5-10 pages can take upwards of 20 minutes to print. To avoid delays, if possible, do not print at the same time as the rest of your class. If you are printing a large document from a lab, avoid printing during the middle of the day—mornings & late afternoon tend to be best. If you are printing a PDF or PowerPoint file from the web, we recommend saving it to the desktop first and then printing that version..

Moodle

For people/classes using Moodle to build websites, we recommend logging into the computer with your AD password. Some students using their Net ID password to log in then encounter errors when trying to log into the Moodle page

Using headphones/mics in labs & classrooms

There are issues with the headphones & attached microphones in our labs and classrooms. See instructions on how to make sure they are set up correctly.

Spell check for non-English languages

To use spell check for languages other than English, you will need to first enable keyboarding for your target language. See our desk for instructions on how to do that. Please note that not all languages offer spell check & that the spell check feature is not very thorough or precise.

Lose a File While Trying to Save it?

Try doing a "save as" using the same software you were using. See where it points & then look there. Still can't find it? Try going to START > RUN and type in "C:" then hit return. In the window that opens up, look here: C:\Documents and Settings\YOURNETID\Local Settings\Temp

Can't log in? Getting a message that you are locked out? Unlock your AD password

  • First: If you are not certain that you know your AD password. You may want to reset it first. You can only reset/unlock your account once in any 24 hour period, so be sure you don't get forget it again, or you will not have access to ATLAS-serviced computers.
  • Go to: http://accounts.ad.uiuc.edu & click on Unlock Account or Change Password. Log in with your Net ID & Net ID password. Log off when prompted. See below for how to set your AD password.
  • What happened: For places that require AD password, if you try to log in too many times in a row with the wrong password, your AD account will be locked.