IT: FAQs: Computer Labs and Access / Printers

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FAQs: Computer Labs & Access / Printers


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Computer Labs & Access

	Where are the computer labs located?
	What software is available?
	Is there any specialized equipment available in these labs?
	What are the hours of operation?
	I have a document from a program that isn’t on the list of available software. Is there any way I can work on that document in the computer lab?
	Do any of the labs have color printing availability?
	What are the phone numbers for the three public labs?

Printers

	I want to share my printer with my assistant; how do I go about doing this?
	I want to share my printer with my assistant but don't want others to have access to it. What should I do?
	How do I stop a print job?
	If I am using a portable computer, but do not have access to my printer at a particular time, is there a way that I can save a print job so that I can print it out when I do have access to my printer?

Where are the computer labs?

There are three large public labs on campus. The College of Business operates a 130 PC workstation lab, located on the first level in Grawn. The College of Science and Technology operates a 170-workstation lab, spread between five specialized laboratories, which are located on the fourth floor in Pearce. Information Technology operates a lab containing over 100 computers, located in lower level Woldt. In addition to the computer labs, the Library offers over 300 public workstations distributed throughout the facility.

What software is available?

There is a large selection of general software available in the Woldt computer lab, as well as a variety of software package specially requested by class professors. Some of the more common software packages are:

Adobe Photoshop
Freehand
Illustrator
Macromedia Director
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Visual Studio
Minitab
SPSS

For a full list of PC software, click here.
For a full list of MAC software, click here.

The Grawn computer lab maintains Microsoft Office XP for general use, as well as software specific to CBA classes.

The Pearce computer center also has a large selection of general software available. Some of the more common software packages are:

Macromedia Director
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Adobe Photoshop
SPSS
SAS
Minitab
Microsoft Visual Studio

Is there any specialized equipment available in these labs?

All three computer labs maintain several color scanners, and at least one color printer. The Woldt computer lab has scanners for both Macintosh and PC platforms. The Pearce computer center has a UNIX lab with Sun Microsystems Sun Blade 100 computers.

When are the labs open?

The Grawn computer lab is open 24 hours a day during the week when classes are in session and on a reduced schedule on the weekends. The Pearce Computer Center is open 24 hours, seven days a week during the Fall and Spring semesters. The Woldt computer lab is open around-the-clock every day of the week, including holidays (except during Christmas break).

I have a document from a program that isn’t on the list of available software. Is there any way I can work on that document in the computer lab?

It depends. Visit a consultant at the main desk in the Woldt computer lab. The consultant can advise you on whether or not there is a way to convert your document in to a form useable on lab machines.

Do any labs have a color printer?

The Woldt computer lab and the Grawn Main lab have color laser printers available for educational use. See the lab consultant for assistance. The Pearce Computer Center has three color laser printers for student/staff use.

What are the phone numbers for the three public labs?

Grawn – (989) 774-3966
Pearce – (989) 774-3922
Woldt – (989) 774-6649

I want to share my printer with my assistant; how do I go about doing this?

Click the Start button, point to Settings and then click Printers.

Place the cursor over the printer you wish to share, then press the right mouse button.

Left-click the Sharing option on the menu that appears.

Click the Share Printer option, and then provide a name for the printer share.

If you wish to protect your printer with a password, enter a password into the password field.
Note! If you opt not to enter a password, anyone can print to your printer.

Click the OK button. If you entered a password for the printer share, you will be prompted to confirm it.

Close the Printers control panel. Your printer is now accessible over the network via \\computername\printersharename.

I want to share my printer with my assistant but don't want others to have access to it. What should I do?

In Windows, you can hide a shared printer so that it doesn't appear when other people browse across the network. To activate this undocumented feature, give your printer a name that ends in a dollar sign, such as LJ4$, and protect it with a password. Anyone who wants to connect to that printer will need to type in the full name of the printer, the PC to which it is attached, and the password.

How do I stop a print job?

If the print job still in the queue, open the print-queue folder by double-clicking on the Printer icon in the Taskbar tray. Highlight the job you want to kill. Right-click and choose Cancel Printing from the pop-up menu. To kill every job in the queue, use the Purge Print Jobs option in the Printer menu.

If I am using a portable computer but do not have access to my printer at a particular time, can I save a print job so that I can print it out when I do have access to my printer?

Yes. Open the Printers folder, select the printer you normally use, and choose File and then Work Offline. Now use any printing function as you normally would. Windows will save your print jobs in a queue and offer to print them automatically the next time you connect to the printer. This technique works for networked printers as well.

For additional assistance, contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@cmich.edu or (989) 774-3662.