Y2K Desktop Preparation Instructions

Over the next two months, we will be working across campus to prepare office computers for the new year and for the new email system.  If you have been through a desktop session this fall, your computer is all ready for the new year.  If you have not been through a desktop session this fall, preparing your office computer for the new year entails activities similar to reformatting your hard drive (and may include the installation of additional memory or the replacement of your hard drive).  Just like preparing for a desktop session, there are some preliminary steps you need to take, and some things you will need to do afterwards.  But many of the changes should also boost the performance of your office computer and provide greater flexibility for those people who want to use the newest plug-ins, utilities, and program enhancements.

The process is slightly different for Macintosh and Windows users, but preparatory steps are the same.  To provide better service to campus users, we are concentrating our efforts initially in sectors of the campus, beginning in the northeast corner of the campus and working clockwise from building to building, ending up with Life Sciences.  If you are ready when the technicians come around in the next few weeks, you will also be ready for training on the new email system when it is launched early in November.

Why are we doing this?

This process will accomplish two things: it will make sure the operating system and software on your desktop computer are Y2K compatible, and it will provide greater flexibility and improved performance for users in their offices.  Specifically it will:

• Convert to Fat32 (on Windows) to support larger hard drives
• Install upgrades to the operating system and to standard software (including patches, enhancements and service releases)
• Install Netscape 4.6x  to support the new email system and provide an encrypted browser
• Install standard software on the hard drive (Windows only) to provide greater flexibility for plug-ins, utilities, and customization

There are three basic activities for getting ready.

• First, and most important, you should copy all personal files (documents, bookmarks, address books, email, etc.) off of  your computer, either to your personal storage space on Glory or to floppies or a ZIP disk.  Do not copy applications; they will need to be re-installed.

 
• Second,  you should identify all customizations (additional software, mapped drives, shortcuts) you have made so that you can restore them after reimaging.  The easiest way to do this is to print the screen.  If you want to save your customized toolbars, backup all your document template files (*.dot files).  Use the Find File command to locate them.

 
• Finally, identify non-standard software (if any) and find the disks needed to re-install after re-imaging.  There is no guarantee that personal software (or old versions of college software) will work in January.  List college-owned applications on the Ready Worksheet along with your IP address, subnet mask, and printer.

Watch your A-1s!

Beginning this week, technicians will begin scheduling buildings and departments for reimaging.  You should see a notice placed on your office door or computer monitor of the dates for your area.   If you are ready, fill out the Ready Worksheet and place it on your keyboard or monitor.  If you aren't ready, we will try to fit you in as we make a second pass around the campus, but you will want to go through this process before we launch the new email system in early November.  And  as it gets closer and close to the new year, all of us will become busier and busier, so be an early bird!

Restoring your customizations

After the re-imaging process, there will be a few steps you need to take to restore your Netscape preferences and customizations.   The instructions for these activities are well documented, and most people have gone through them a couple of times in desktop sessions.  We have linked to documents in the Desktop Project Workbook where those documents already exist.  If it has been a long time since you have been through the Desktop Project, some things may have changed.  If you have questions, ask!

URL: http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/desktop2k/index..htm
Page maintained by Karen Schwalm
Last update: Wednesday October 13 1999