Windows PCs

The following topics cover some of the general use of PCs running Windows at CISE.

Logging In

To log in, simultaneously press <CTRL>-<ALT>-<DEL>. You will then be presented with a login screen. Enter your CISE username and password.

Note: The black window running in the background whenever you log in is normal. It is a network login script that automatically mounts the Windows shares (remote directories) and your Unix home file system.

Unix home directory (H: drive)

When you log in, your Unix home directory is automatically mounted as the H: drive. You can create, edit, and delete files on it as if it were a normal PC disk partition. We recommend that you create a PC subdirectory, with specific data directories stored under it. For example, you might want to create directories such as Word, Excel, Class, Work, and such. Please do not store large executable programs on your H: drive, as this will eat up your quota and slow down the network.

It is important that you store all your data files (any documents you edit for example) on the H: drive. The Unix filesystem is backed up on a regular basis (see the CISE backup page for details). Other drives (C:, D:, etc.) are NOT backed up. Also, the H: drive is the same on all PCs. Any files stored in some other drive will NOT be available on other PCs.

Note: Since the C: drive is NOT backed up, any data in the \TEMP directory is not backed up and may be lost at any time, and is not recoverable. Never use it for permanent storage, or to store important files such as email.

If you choose to use Outlook, Outlook Express, or Thunderbird for email, make sure you change the default path from drive C: to drive H:.

CISE Provided Software

Microsoft product media for which the Department is licensed can be checked out from room E314C.

Check out times are Monday–Friday from 8am–noon and 1pm–4pm.

Media must be returned within two days. Please present UFID and CISE username for verification.

Some non-Microsoft products (Matlab, Mathematica, and Maple) are available. Additional personal licensing may be required.

Anti-virus products and a variety of freeware can be downloaded from www.software.ufl.edu and www.circa.ufl.edu/cd-rom/.

We also provide mirrors for several sites.

Access to Unix Computers

There are two ways to access CISE Unix computers from the CISE PCs. One way is to run Xming on the PC. This allows you to run any X client (such as a terminal) on a Unix host and display it on the PC. Alternatively, you can use PuTTY to log into a Unix computer from the PC.

Windows Profile

Every Windows account includes some additional disk space used to store a user's profile. The profile includes all of the local settings (changes to the desktop, screensaver background, printer connections, Microsoft Office suite template settings, files saved to desktop or My Documents folder, etc.). The amount of disk space available for the profile is plenty for normal operation, but it is possible to fill up the profile space which will cause problems logging out.

The most common sources of problem are:

Large Files

Large files (or any file for that matter) should be stored in the H: drive as mentioned above. If you want a file accessible on the desktop, create a link there, but do not store the actual file there.

Web Browser Cache

Most web browsers cache information about the web pages you visit on disk. This cache uses up part of your profile.

To delete your Internet Explorer cache:

  1. right-click the Internet Explorer icon;
  2. select Properties;
  3. under Temporary Internet Files, select Delete Files;
  4. check the box next to Delete all offline content;
  5. press OK.

Under Settings, you can also change your default cache size to a lower value or choose Move Folder and move your cache to a different location. You can also select View Files or View Objects and delete them in this window.

To delete your Mozilla Firefox cache:

  1. select the Tools menu;
  2. select Clear Private Data...;
  3. in the Clear Private Data window that appears, uncheck all checkboxes except for the Cache checkbox.
  4. Click on the Clear Private Data Now button;

Note: If you wish to clear additional forms of "private data", feel free to check the appropriate boxes. They will be cleared with the cache in the next step.

Other Programs

Sometimes you will get a message stating that you have "exceeded your profile storage space". Follow these steps to fix the problem. Before starting, please close out of any programs you have open.

Warning: Cleaning your profile will remove all files stored on your desktop, or your My Documents folder, so it is extremely important that you not have any files stored in these places. See the H: drive topic for more details. If you read email, make sure you have changed the path as mentioned there or else you will lose all old email.

  1. Open My Computer
  2. Double click on the C:\ drive
  3. Double click on the Documents and Settings folder
  4. Double click on the folder with your username
  5. Click on Tools > Folder Options
  6. Click on the View tab. Make sure that "Show Hidden Files And Folders" under Hidden Files and Folders is checked, then click "Ok"
  7. Delete everything within the following folders (if they exist, if you don't see one, don't worry, just move on):
    • Cookies (with the exception of "index.dat")
    • My Recent Documents (may be labeled Recent)
    • .jpi_cache
    • .java
  8. Go into: Application Data. Delete everything within this folder that your computer will allow you to delete, EXCEPT the Microsoft, Mozilla, or Adobe PhotoShop folders. These folders contain settings and configuration files. To Delete all items within a folder you can go to Edit > Select All, and then press delete. To delete an assortment of items within a folder hold the Ctrl key and click on the items you wish to delete, then press delete.)
  9. Make sure that nothing but shortcuts are in your desktop folder (if there are files there, move them to a different folder on your H:\ drive), and that nothing is in the "My Documents" folder within your profile. Move any files that you find to a different folder on your H:\ drive.
  10. Close the window.

Printing from windows

To print to a network printer (which includes most of the printers in the Department), you must first add the printer to your profile.

  1. Open the Start Menu.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Select Printers.
  4. Select Add Printer.
  5. In the Add Printer Wizard, click Next.
  6. Check the box next to Network printer.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Type in the printer name or click Next and locate the print server.
  9. Double-click cups01 to see all available printers.
  10. Finally, double-click the printer you want to access.

Getting the Name of the Computer

Occasionally, you will need to know the name of the computer you are logged in at. This is especially important when you are reporting a problem as we require that you include the name of the computer in all error reports.

Most computers are labeled, but occasionally the label falls off or is removed. To find out the name of the machine you are seated at, go to the command prompt and type: C:\> echo %computername%

Unable to Start Firefox

Delete the file C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\profiles.ini.

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