Laptop quick start guide

From ITShare SA Inc

Welcome.

This is a short Introduction to the early use of your ITShare computer.

ITShare computers are "pre-loved" pieces of equipment, often donated from corporate sources. Basic cleaning, testing, and installation of professional level contemporary software is undertaken. The supplied Operating System is a release of the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution.

About your computer and its software

Ubuntu is designed for general home and office use. It features advanced software package management, well thought through user interfaces and a selection of applications for office, Internet, and entry level multimedia uses.

The underlying Operating system is GNU/Linux with its stability, speed, security and extensibility. Ubuntu and your laptop work well together with full support for most hardware functionality.

As a rule, ITShare Computers have at least the following:

CDROM reader. (sometimes a CD-writer or even quite rarely a CD/DVD RW drive)
USB port(s) .
Ethernet RJ style connector
A floppy disk drive.

Note for laptop recipients: The when supplied, docking stations often extend the laptops connectivity.

Starting Up

General

All systems ship with power cables which plug into an “ANZAC” style 240/220 Volt AC mains power outlet.

Starting Laptops

The unit should have been supplied with a mains power supply and often a desktop docking station. The low voltage end can only plug into the rear of the unit. Normally you plug in either the docking station OR the laptop.

Open the display screen. (catch on the front edge.)
Identify: the capsule shaped sliding “power on switch” and the blue (round) “suspend button”.
To start the laptop you slide the “power on” switch to the right.
The green power ready LED indicator light on the front of the case will light up and the Laptop should start it's normal cold boot sequence.

You simply wait for your login screen. There is no need to do anything else.

The blue suspend button is for waking the Laptop up after you have put it into hibernate or suspend (sleep) mode. (from the interface or via the same button) Often this is all you need to push.

Starting Desktops

To start the Desktop you press the “power on” switch. The green power ready LED indicator light on the front of the case will light up and the Desktop should start it's normal cold boot sequence. You simply wait for your login screen. There is no need to do anything else. The blue suspend button is for waking the Desktop up after you have put it into hibernate or suspend (sleep) mode. (from the interface or via the same button) Often this is all you need to push.

Logging In / Out

All ITShare computers come provided with an “Administrator” level account called “itshare”.

The username is : itshare (all lowercase.)
The password is : itshare (all lowercase.)

If these details are different for your computer you will be informed of the new login.

After a successful login you will arrive at your Gnome desktop.

This Graphical User Interface has been designed to operate like most familiar Desktop interfaces. Gnome is fully “drag and drop” and very customisable.

You should explore the menus along the top panel and note information presented to you along the bottom panel. Menu items are all dragable to the desktop or the panels (for short cuts). The panels themselves are fully dragable and configurable. The help system is designated with an icon or may be found under the system Menu on the top panel.

To Logout select system > logout and choose your option. Or look for a logout icon on the top panel. This is a useful button to drag onto the the top panel.

While it is safe enough to use the computer as “itshare”, it is recommended you set up your own normal user account. Please resist the temptation to move things about too much until you are familiar with the system. It is only sensible to leave at least the itshare account in default mode so that you may get help readily from other users.

Help

Help and instructions are available under the system menu. Most applications also have a help button. Right clicking on most things gives you information and options about the thing you just clicked on. There are sections on the User Interface, introductory System Administration, Information about the Operating System and the Ubuntu bundle of applications.

The same interface also gives you access to full System level documentation which while often terse is often required reading for advanced usage. The “Help Topics” button always takes you back to the introductory level help.

Most applications have an interface to this help system or have their own system readily available. The default office suite (Open Office.org) is an example that uses this approach.

Setting up your first account

Here we walk through what may be your first system administration task.

You should be logged in as itshare. (See above)

1- select the “System" Menu
2- select “Administration” then “Users and Groups” from the menus. (right down the bottom of Administration)
3- an Entry Dialogue will open asking for the current users password. (itshare by default)
This gives you “permission” to work on system level configurations from this Interface.

(The password is remembered for 15 minutes).

4- The Users and Groups Dialogue opens (help is at the bottom left hand corner)

select Add User

5- The User Account Editor opens
	Basic Settings:  (examples only)
		User name:  jane (this is the account name, and must be lower case)
		Real name: Jane Doe  ( The full name of a new user)
		Contact Information:   This information is Optional
		Normally this is kept very simple; say room and building number 
		(not a full street address)
		The telephone numbers may be a security risk. 
		Password. ( Required ! )
		you will need to enter it twice exactly the same.

This value is case sensitive and may be made up of any letters numbers or punctuation on your keyboard.

As a guide a Good password is:

At least 6 characters long, easy to remember , hard to guess and does not exist in any dictionary.
Numbers and case changes are encouraged, spaces are not. (though do work)

You may alternatively ask the system to randomly generate one for you. (record this somewhere secure)

A Bad password is:

None of the above.
Your pets, street, suburb, city, or any other plain name.
Notably your favourite football teams name.

Please note you may already have a guest and visitor account. ((with passwords to match the account name))

Removable Media

We recommend you obtain a USB stick for daily use. These are convenient, inexpensive and reliable. Simply plug it into USB slot on the machine, wait a few moments, and the system should automatically open a file dialogue that you can drag and drop from. On those machines with floppy disk drives you may access these via the Place Menu is probably easiest. Good luck with finding reliable floppy disks. They are now a very obsolete technology. Contemporary units often have no floppy drive.

Changing The Time Zone / Setting The Clock

It is important that any computer has accurate time keeping.

The Operating System takes the opportunity to tweak the time whenever it is booted up on a network connected to the Internet. It also resets the hardware clock every time you shut down. Your computer should have arrived with this done for you. It may be the case that you don't have Internet access or you need to change the time zone. This is readily done from the Gnome desktop while logged in as itshare.

Right click on the clock in the top right hand corner. Follow the prompts to set the time and if required your Time Zone.

The dialog that opens has an option to check and immediately set the time automatically for you. If you have an active Internet connection this will reset the time and zone automatically.

Finally you may set the time by hand. Which is also fine. (just nowhere near as accurate)

It's a good idea to log out and in again if the time shifts by more than a minute or two or if you change the Time Zone.

Cleaning Care and Maintenance

While reasonably robust devices designed for extended use, computers do need care and attention for comfortable, efficient and reliable use. Generally all components are constructed from high grade plastics and metals. As a rule you should never use any abrasive or solvent based cleaner on any part of the computer or its accessories. It is much easier to keep the unit clean than to try to recover a genuinely dirty computer. The following instructions are for normal preventative and weekly use. Should the unit become excessively dirty it should be taken to a "technician" for a full strip down and clean. (e.g. sticking keys streaky screen sticky touch pad.) The TFT screen in particular should be treated with some care. Excessive pressure applied to the screen may cause permanent damage to the underlying structure. CRT screens on the other hard are extremely robust.

Chassis:

The body of the unit may be cleaned with a clean soft cloth dampened with plain water. For built up grime it is safe to use a liquid based surface cleaner applied to the cloth and wiped completely off immediately. The products listed below for cleaning the screen may all be used. Ensure mains electrical connections are off . It is best to power the unit down completely when cleaning.

Keyboard and Touch Pad area:

If possible a careful vacuum of the keyboard is effective in removing small material from beneath the keys. The keys, touch-pad and buttons themselves should be wiped down with a soft cloth damped in methylated spirits or household grade surface cleaner as you find it convenient. Always lightly dry / polish the cleaner off as soon as applied.

Other Accessories :

For other system components clean as for the Keyboard. This includes the mouse pad and mouse itself. A clean mouse and pad are important for comfortable use. Ball mice may be regularly disassembled and have the internal rollers and ball cleaned of lint, oils, etc. Laser mice just need an occasional wipe down. (a cotton bud or tooth pick is fine for this).

The Screen:

Clean only when required and then gently. Note that every time you clean the screen you risk abrading it. DO NOT USE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, ACETONES, PROPYL ALCOHOLS, HOSPITAL GRADE STERILISING AGENTS, OR ANY ABRASIVE CLEANERS. There are no second chances if you get this wrong !

Prevention is the word here.

Avoid touching the screen at all if possible. Oil from human fingers is quite hard to remove easily, and quickly builds up. Jam even more so ! None the less practical cleaning is quite possible. If possible obtain an optical cleaner such as is used on plastic prescription spectacles and TEST a tiny area first. Workable and perhaps more readily available (and tested) solutions are listed in order of effectiveness: 1Automotive windscreen cleaner. Castrol Windscreen Washer TM (red liquid at 1.2% W/V ammonia) Mix as per instructions max tested strength was 25ml per 750ml (hand spray bottle) 1Domestic Window Cleaner ( though this is more prone to streaking ) Note any usage instructions in regard to plastics .

The blue stuff (Windex TM or generic) seem to be OK. For both of these products apply a single diffuse spray to the screen and wipe over and off immediately. (or apply with a cloth) Lightly polish off with a second dry soft flannel cloth to totally remove any product residue from all parts of the laptop. (or your work environment) Failure to do so WILL cause streaking much of which may not be noticed until lighting or atmospheric conditions alter. 1Methylated Spirits Not Ethyl or Propyl Alcohol. A similar approach may be taken with domestic grade Methylated Spirits but this is very difficult to remove both quickly and gently enough. Wipe on then wipe off.

Care of Your Laptop

Ensure the laptop is able to "breath" when operating. The fans need free air flow to maintain correct operating temperature. ( e.g. Do not operate the laptop for extended periods inside the carry case. ) There are often small fold out feet at the rear of the unit. These help keep the laptop ventilated and angle the keyboard for more comfortable use. Use them, especially in Summer.

Close the lid (screen) when not in active use, especially when used as a desktop machine. This helps keeps the keyboard and screen clean, engages some basic security, extends battery and screen life. Where possible operate from mains power and allow the battery to fully charge between heavy uses. If possible leave running overnight say once a week. Linux will attend to some automated tasks and clean ups for you, and the battery will get a good charge. Field users should ensure their laptop has a reliable battery and if possible should carry and / or fit a second or spare battery. Disable screen-savers use the hibernate and suspend / sleep functions. Do not carry the unit with the screen open, many laptops get broken this way. Do not store the laptop in an exposed position or leave on the dashboard / font seat of an automobile. We have seen units melt (and bend or crack the screen) in our South Australian sun. (left in cars utes etc.)

Eucalyptus oil is excellent at safely removing "sticker gum" from the body of your laptop,

Printing

Most Printers will be supported by Ubuntu. The Gnome Cups Manager application allows you to add printers, as well as modify their settings. You may also use this application to monitor existing print jobs, disable a printer, or restart it. A local printer is one which is directly connected to your computer (as opposed to a network printer, which is discussed in the following section.)

To set up a new local printer:

	1. Obtain the model name of your printer.
	2. Ensure the printer is turned on and connected to your computer.
	3. Choose System > Administration > Printing 
	4. Now choose Printer > Add Printer. 
	5. Your printer should be automatically detected. If so, click Forward and then Apply. 
	6. Finally you may enter a description and location for your printer.

If your printer is not automatically detected, you can try to select the port and printer driver manually. Some Printers need further set up. Search the databases at LinuxPrinting.org or check the Ubuntu Wiki's pages for possible information on your printer.

Network Printing

You can also configure your Ubuntu system to send print jobs to a remote print server. Remote printers are hosted somewhere on a network. To configure a remote printer:

	1. Obtain the model name of the printer.
	2. Ensure the print server is running.
	3. Choose System > Administration > Printing.
	4. You can scan for these these printers and have them configure automatically.

To do this, click "Global Settings" and then "Detect LAN Printers". It is recommended that you only run this scan on a trusted local network. A warning box will appear indicating that a port will be opened on your computer that could potentially be used for malicious purposes. If you don't trust the network 100 percent, cancel the scan. If you are willing to go ahead, click "OK", and after a minute or so the printers will appear in the box. If your printer was auto detected you can skip to the last step below.

	5. If the previous step does not succeed, you can set up the printer manually.
If you do not know the protocol and details for your network printer you should consult your network administrator.

Choose Printer > Add Printer.

	6. Select Network Printer and then select the appropriate connection protocol from the drop down menu.
	7. Insert the details of the network printer and click Forward.
	8.Select the printer model and then click Apply.	
	9. Finally, you can enter in a description and location for your printer.

Testing A Printer To test whether a printer works correctly:

	1. Choose System > Administration > Printing
	2. Right-click the printer Icon, and select properties.
	3. Click Print a Test Page. A page should be sent for printing.