Marsha Lynn
4th January 2007, 12:03 PM (12:03)
We have five school-owned laptop computers at the public library. They have extremely high security on them. There are no "file" menus and right-click is disabled in Windows and most applications. I have the program on a thumb drive to override the security, but it easily defeats me with "security by obscurity" - I have to wade through scores of options to figure out how to enable a particular feature.
Hard-drive failure on the library web-server took down the library website/e-mail in October. In the ongoing process of trying to get it up and running again, my husband temporarily left the library webpage one day this week in a state that crashed IE every time someone tried to access it. Since the library webpage is the homepage on the laptops, that locked users out of the internet, their almost exclusive use. The only way I could find to open a browser window and have it stay open was to sneak in through the online support of an application like Word, a rather clumsy process to access the internet. Dave suggested changing the homepage since we hope to completely revamp the library webpage and it may be down for a while. That seemed like a good idea.
So I grab a laptop that's not being used and go to Google, knowing that people have managed to circumvent the security on our desktops by clicking "Make Google my homepage". It doesn't work on the laptops. "Internet options" is not available to me. However, this particular laptop has somehow been upgraded to IE 7 and as I look around I see that I have the option to change the homepage - and do so.
The next laptop hasn't had IE 7 downloaded on it. I can't find any way to change the homepage to Google without plugging in the security program and wrestling with it. But wait! There's a way to download IE 7 and install it. I know that because someone has done it. Then I can get past the security to change the homepage. (Of course, the thought nags at my mind that library users can use the same method to entertain themselves and each other with creative homepage selections, but my goal for the moment is to simply find a way that a browser can be opened without crashing.) So I go looking for IE 7. It's a little more elusive than I expect, but I eventually find it and get it downloading. As I do, I receive a message that the purpose of this new version of IE is .... (drum roll) ... wait for it ...
... to address security issues!
:fav17
Ya gotta love it.
Hard-drive failure on the library web-server took down the library website/e-mail in October. In the ongoing process of trying to get it up and running again, my husband temporarily left the library webpage one day this week in a state that crashed IE every time someone tried to access it. Since the library webpage is the homepage on the laptops, that locked users out of the internet, their almost exclusive use. The only way I could find to open a browser window and have it stay open was to sneak in through the online support of an application like Word, a rather clumsy process to access the internet. Dave suggested changing the homepage since we hope to completely revamp the library webpage and it may be down for a while. That seemed like a good idea.
So I grab a laptop that's not being used and go to Google, knowing that people have managed to circumvent the security on our desktops by clicking "Make Google my homepage". It doesn't work on the laptops. "Internet options" is not available to me. However, this particular laptop has somehow been upgraded to IE 7 and as I look around I see that I have the option to change the homepage - and do so.
The next laptop hasn't had IE 7 downloaded on it. I can't find any way to change the homepage to Google without plugging in the security program and wrestling with it. But wait! There's a way to download IE 7 and install it. I know that because someone has done it. Then I can get past the security to change the homepage. (Of course, the thought nags at my mind that library users can use the same method to entertain themselves and each other with creative homepage selections, but my goal for the moment is to simply find a way that a browser can be opened without crashing.) So I go looking for IE 7. It's a little more elusive than I expect, but I eventually find it and get it downloading. As I do, I receive a message that the purpose of this new version of IE is .... (drum roll) ... wait for it ...
... to address security issues!
:fav17
Ya gotta love it.