This troubleshooting guide was adapted from a presentation given by Noel Adams at the Upstate Technology Conference in June of 2011. This guide provides Fork Shoals teachers with steps they can take to "fix" technology problems that may pop up unexpectedly.

1. Troubleshooting Guide 2011-2012
Fork Shoals School

2. What is VNC?
VNC is a remote control utility that the school district uses to
assist users with problems remotely. We have tailored the
program to fit the needs of Greenville County Schools.
You can get your computers VNC address two simple ways:
• Look in the lower right hand corner of the screen for the little VNC icon (See
Picture Below). Hover your mouse over the icon and write down the number.
Or
• Double click on the help desk icon on the desktop (Big Green H) and provide
the Computer name or the VNC#.

3. Network Connectivity Troubleshooting
Cannot Access the Internet or Server based applications?
No Drive Mappings? (Common Drive)
 If you experience any of these problems the first thing you should try
is restarting the computer. That may fix the problem.
 Verify that your computer has an active network connection, look on
the back of the desktop/laptop, and look for blinking lights. Make sure
network cable is plugged into the wall and the computer.
 If all else fails, please notify your TAC (Technology Assistance
Coordinator), and he/she will come to evaluate the problem and if
need be place a service call.

4. Working Between Home / School
Windows XP
I’ve taken my laptop home and now I cannot access my internet or home
directories at school
4. Verify both radio boxes are set to
1. Click Start, Settings, obtain automatically
Network Connections
5. If it was not set to obtain and you
fixed it log off and back on. If already
2. Right click on your Ethernet or
set to obtain log off and back on.
wireless connection and go to
6. If you have logged on and have your
properties
network drives. Click Start, Run and
3. Select TCP/IPV4 and click the
type GPUPDATE /force
properties button
7. Enter Y to log off when it is finished.

5. Working Between Home / School
Windows 7
I’ve taken my laptop home and now I cannot access my internet or home
directories at school
6. Verify both radio boxes are set to
1. Click Start, Control Panel obtain automatically
2. Double Click on Network and
Sharing Center
3. Click on Change adapter settings
7. If it was not set to obtain and you fixed
it log off and back on. If already set to
4. Right click on your Ethernet or
obtain log off and back on.
wireless connection and go to
8. If you have logged on and have your
properties
network drives. Click Start, Run and type
5. Select TCP/IPV4 and click the
GPUPDATE /force
properties button
9. Enter Y to log off when it is finished.

6. Missing Icons
 Go to My Computer.
 Double click on the common drive. (This will
work if you’re logged in as a faculty
member or a student.)
 Double click on the icon folder.
 Choose the icon you need and double-click on it.
 If you are logged in as a faculty member, you can
copy the icon to your desktop.

7. Active Desktop Recovery Fix
If you receive the following error:
You can fix it by doing the following:
• Login to the computer as yourself
• Double Click on My Computer then Open C:
• Go to the Windows Folder, then Go to the Web Folder – The path should read
C:WindowsWeb (or see picture below)
• Delete Safemode.htt (See Picture Below)
• Log off and back on as the affected
student/user and you will receive the normal
desktop.

8. Desktop Troubleshooting
My desktop doesn’t power on.
1. Are all the power cables plugged in to the computer &
monitor? Also are they plugged into the wall electrical
outlet?
2. Does the computer have a steady or blinking amber
light on the power button?
Off Amber Blinking Green Blinking Amber
The computer does The power supply is The system could be There is a problem
not appear to be receiving power from in standby press the with the system
receiving power from the source, but is button again and if board or power
the power source. unable to distribute that doesn’t work supply. Try
it to the other power off and back resetting the power
components on, if that fails notify and if fails notify
properly. your TAC. your TAC.

9. Computer Audio Troubleshooting
I am unable to hear any audio out of my system.
1. Do you have the speaker icon in the lower right hand corner
muted, you can check by double clicking the icon in the lower
right hand corner.
7. Verify that your monitor speakers are plugged in and turned up.

10. Promethean Board Audio Troubleshooting
I am unable to hear any audio from my Promethean Board.
 Check to make sure your speaker icon isn’t muted
 Check the audio cable to make sure it is plugged into the
desktop/laptop correctly
 Make sure the promethean amp is plugged in and turned on
 Turn the audio level on your laptop/desktop down to a low
setting and use the volume on the promethean board for better
quality. The system is amplified and works better this way.

11. Promethean Board Audio Amp
2. Verify that the audio & power cables are correctly
connected. Red wire should go to the 8Ohm, the black
one COM and the 115V one to the wall power outlet.
1. Verify that the audio
connectors are plugged into
the wall outlet (without
copper showing) –
Red/Black wire
3. Verify the input is plugged in correctly on the
front of the amp and the sound is turned up a
little.
4. Verify it is plugged into the correct audio jack
on your laptop – See Audio troubleshooting slide

12. Promethean Projector filter
cleaning
1. Turn off the projector and disconnect the AC
power cord from the AC outlet.
2. Turn over the projector and remove the filters by
pulling the latches upward.
3. Clean the filters with a brush or rinse them softly.
4. When cleaning the air filters by rinishing, dry
them well. (Do not remove the filters and use the
projector)

13. Promethean Board Troubleshooting
ETS now has a Moodle course available for all Promethean
Board users.
•Type moodle into your Internet address bar.
•You will be taken to this screen.
•Type in your district username and password.
•On the Course Categories page, scroll down until you see Instructional
Technology. You will see a link to the Promethean Troubleshooting/Information
course. Click on this link.
•You should then be asked to enter an
enrollment key. The enrollment key for this course is gcspro.
•You now have access to basic information on Promethean troubleshooting. If
your issue is not addressed in the Moodle course, please contact Ms. Knight, Mrs.
Giles, or Mr. Ross.

14. Laptop Troubleshooting
My laptop doesn’t power on.
1. Are all the power cables plugged in to the laptop? Also are they plugged
into the wall electrical outlet?
2. Remove the Battery located on the bottom of the laptop and try it with
AC power only.
3. Remove the power adapter and battery from the laptop for a few
moments. Plug them back in and see if the system powers on.

15. More Laptop Troubleshooting
I cannot connect to the wireless.
 Reboot your laptop and see if it connects when the Dell wireless utility comes up.
Do not press cancel. This could remove some network applications.
 Verify that the wireless access point (if on a laptop cart) is plugged into the power
and ethernet outlets.
Does your system power off randomly or have vertical stripes on the screen?
 Make sure you don’t use the laptop on a soft surface (ex. Blankets, couches, etc.)
The laptop could be overheating.
 You may encounter stripes on your screen. If this happens, please notify your school
TAC, and he/she will check it and place a call for it to be repaired.

16. Laptop/DVD drive fix
If you are having problems playing DVDs from your laptops,
here is a step-by-step guide to correcting the problem.
• Click the Start button at the bottom, left-hand corner of your screen.
• Go to Settings, then Control Panel.
• Click on Add or Remove Programs.
• Scroll down until you see PowerDVD. Click on this program and remove.
• Once this program has finished uninstalling, click on My Computer.
• Go to the Staff (T:) drive.
• Go to the ETS folder.
• Click on the Pwrdvd7 folder.
• Click on the Setup.exe icon. (See picture)
• Follow all prompts to install the new PowerDVD software.
• Check to see if a DVD will now play in your computer.
If you still have a problem playing DVDs, email Ms. Knight
with your name and computer VNC #.

17. Accessing Home Wireless
Are you unable to connect your work laptop to your home wireless, or
you can connect but can’t get on the internet?
2. Open Utility
1. Look for the antenna
3. Click the Add Button &
Use Wizard
4. This is the list of Wireless Devices

18. Connected to Wire/Wireless and Still No Internet
I am connected to my wire or wireless but still cannot get on
the Internet, or I’m at work and still no go.
1. Open Internet Explorer, then 2. Click on the Connections Tab, then click on LAN settings.
go to Tools, then Internet 3. If at home uncheck the Use automatic configuration script, if at
Options work check the box and it should have a website address.

19. Unable to Connect to a School Network
Laptop still not working at home and you’ve called your ISP, chances are they set a
static address to get you working but now you cannot connect to the school network,
here’s a fix!
Windows XP:
1. Click on Start, then Settings, Network
Connections.
2. Right click on your “Local Area Connection (LAN)”
and go to properties.
3. Double Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
4. Check the radio button for Obtain an IP address
automatically and Obtain DNS server address
automatically.

20. Cisco Wireless Troubleshooting
If your having problems connecting to the wireless in your room look for the white
pancake box on the ceiling or the wall (Note not all locations have them
visibly mounted) Take note of the color on the center ring.
Here is what the different color center ring stands for:
Light Green Ring – Normal operation no clients associated
Blue Ring – Normal operation and there are computers connected to it.
White Ring – Notifiy your school based TAC so they can place a call for ETS
(Take a close look to see if there is a tint of green, if there is it’s fine)
Amber Ring- please notify your school TAC so they could place a call for ETS to repair
Red Ring- please notify your school TAC so they could place a call for ETS to repair
Blinking Red Ring- please notify your school TAC so they could place a call for ETS to repair
If you see the access point flashing several colors wait for a few minutes as it maybe
receiving a new upgrade, if problem persist after 10-15 minutes then notify your TAC

21. Internet Explorer Cannot Display Page
I just upgraded to Internet Explorer 7/8 and
now cannot get on Internet.
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Go to Tools, Internet Options
3. Click on the Advanced Tab
4. Click Restore advanced settings
5. Then Click Reset button, then click
Reset.
6. You may need to log off and back on if at
work due to the proxy settings.

22. The three most important words in
computing…
Backup!
Backup!
Backup!
 You should backup when you do not want to re-
enter everything you have entered since your last
backup.
 You can use your Home Directory (The H: Drive)
to store documents. This drive is backed up
hourly and on nightly basis and can be accessed
anywhere within the district.
 The space limit on your H drive is 2 Gigabytes.

23. Printer Connectivity Troubleshooting
If your printer does not print, use the steps below to try and resolve the problem.
a. Please check the network card on the printer to verify that you have blinking
lights on it. The network card is where the cable from the wall plugs in to the
printer.
Lexmark
Printer
Kyocera Printer
b. Unplug the AC power cord from the wall, leave it unplugged for 30 to 60 seconds,
then plug it back into the wall.
c. Reboot your computer.

24. Printer Troubleshooting (Status Page)
If you do not have the correct printer connected to your computer, please provide the
computer name/VNC number and the printer name you are trying to print to. We will also
need a status page from the printer. Here are the steps on how to print one.
(Lexmark Instructions)
(Kyocera Instructions) Press Menu
Press Menu Then press the right arrow until you see reports,
Press the down button until you see Press the Check Mark
Print Status Page Press the right arrow until you see network
Press the Enter key twice. setup, Press the check mark
(Kyocera)
When notifying your TAC please give them (Lexmark)
the IP address from the status page When notifying your TAC please give them
the IP address from the status page

25. Cisco Phone Troubleshooting
My Phone is dead:
Please check the network card on the back of the phone and make sure 10/100
SW plugs into the wall and 10/100 PC plugs into your computer. If all
connections are good and still doesn’t work move it to another Power Over
Ethernet port in the room or another room.
My Red Light on my phone won’t turn on/off (for voicemail)
To turn the red light off, press 0898.
To turn the red light on, press 0899
My phone display says “CMFall back”
Reboot the phone by unplugging it and plugging it back in.

26. United Streaming

27. Windows Installer Error
Windows XP Windows 7
Trying to install a application and you receive the Windows Installer Service
could not be accessed or the MSI package ask to choose a program to launch
it with try running this and then it will work.
Click on Start, Run and type in: MSIEXEC /REGSERVER and press enter.
Retry your installation

28. Speed up your PC at Work
How do I make my computer faster? You can use these useful utilities that can be found
under start menu, programs, helper applications. (logged in as Yourself only, does not run
as a student)
Cleanup - It will clean out any temp files on the machine and usually fixes small
problems. When you launch it the program will ask if you want to use a demo mode, just
click no, then cleanup!
Eusing Free Registry Cleaner – it will clean out invalid registry entries. You can
skip registration when it pops up, perform a scan and after it is done click repair
Malware bytes - get rid of spyware on you computer. To use it just click on
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, and choose quick scan then press the scan button. When it
is finished click select all and then click the remove selected button.

29. Speed Up Your PC at Home

30. Email
1. District email storage limit is 500 MB for Outlook
Web Access.
2. Creating folders in your email does not decrease the
capacity, this also includes putting emails in the
recycle bin.
3. If you login to your email and are unable to see it or
delete certain emails you possibly could have a virus
and shutting off the reading pane will fix it so you
can delete the problem email.
4. Save any attachments in your email to your H drive
to reduce the size of your inbox.

31. Security
1. Do not share your password with anyone
2. Use Passwords that aren’t something that someone could guess, ex:
birthdates, SS, license plate, family members, pets, sports teams, etc.
3. Use Strong Passwords at least 7 characters that include numbers and
characters. EX: MyP@$$W0r3
A. New Policy is stated in Board Policy rule EFE. See here:
http://www.boarddocs.com/sc/greenville/Board.nsf/531a5bc350fcecef85256e
B. Multiple passwords consolidate into one strong password.
4. When leaving your computer even for a moment lock the pc to prevent
unauthorized access by other administrators & students. You can do this by
depressing the windows key on your keyboard and then press “Windows Key
+ L”. This locks the system so only you can unlock it.
5. Do not put any sensitive information on a laptop, PDA, CD, USB flash drive
without encrypting. The more portable the more at risk the information is.
6. Always store your documents on the H: Drive instead of your local My
Documents.

32. Credits
 The bulk of this troubleshooting guide was
adapted from a presentation created by
Noel Adams for the Upstate Technology
Conference.
 Other troubleshooting tips were provided by
Tim Van Heule, Scott Burns, and other ETS
staff members.