Limited account?

Solidworks Pro 2006 sp0.0
Winxp pro sp2

I have a user who insists on changing system settings and it's driving me
nuts! Auto hiding the task bar is one of the things I hate. No matter of
warnings etc.. has any effect, the only action left is the boot, but I don't
think I could get away with that,lol

I want all the workstations to be the same with the default settings so that
users can switch machines if required, or for fault finding Windows and/or
Solidworks.

Can he have a limited account and still be able to use solidworks, or is
there a way, (program etc..) that will stop any of his changes?

I could always get a baseball bat...... tut, that's against the law too,
sigh!

 

Rather than leaping through hoops to reset permissions, or buy
software, simply put a policy in place that prohibits certain changes.
Any manager worth his salt would see the sense of having the
workstations setup the same for ease of use (increased productivity,
yada, yada, yada), and should back up such a policy. If that doesn't
work, my Uncle Guido is looking for contract work...

 

Geez, why don't you guys making working for a living even more dull and
frustrating. So what if the guy wants to "Autohide" his taskbar, maybe
he likes the additional screen space. Or perhaps he likes it on the top
of the screen...big deal. Besides, aren't those settings "User"
specific anyway.

I now work for a company that's block users changing much on their PCs
but even they don't go that far, although they do block us from
changing the desktop picture so I had to "hack" the registry to change
it to something other than the company logo. Still can't install none
of the little freebie programs available out on the internet that
increased my "productivity" at my previous employer.

What's next, don't let people put their family pics in their cube so
they all look the same or maybe force left handed mouse users to use
their mouse on the right side so when other users drop by, they won't
have to move stuff around. Or maybe force me to stop using my
trackball, which purchased to combat my carpal tunnel, because no one
else that sits at my computer can use it worth a flip.

Yep, funny watching the IT guy come to my computer to make a change or
fix something only to have to get back up and have me "drive" cause he
can't work the trackball.

Lighten people and let people be people.

 

Pete,

While this "way over the top" solution may save you time, It will make the
users (the people that actually design the products that produce your
paycheck) miserable. Not all people are the "same".

If you were to approach me with this stupidity, I'd quit. But not until I
took you out back to teach you some manners.


Mark

 

Used to have hidden "executables" in the user's home directory ... log in ..
set the variables per that user's settings ... user makes changes to
their defaults, saved there too.

 

i freakin love ITS. they're like dr flunkies. they have a god complex
like a dr. and its just a freakin network!! i to am guilty of
installing productivity enhancing programs, some work some don't i hate
having to go ask to have it installed.....hey can you install this WHY?
because i want to try it NO! like right now he just installed 2006 and
it is all jacked up, my bluebeam doesn't work so i cant save as a PDF.
rather than fix it unfortunately my pdf writer does work so thats how i
have to make pdfs right now. mmmmmmm ITS cant live with them cant drag
them out back and beat them to oblivian. fact is there is no need for
an IT if there isnt engineers making $$$$ for the company. you want
some good IT stories ask BOB ZEE! his IT is a fn joke! but in there
defense it is for our own good because we are a bunch of fn morons
right.....NOT!

 

I gather that you've never walkied in those shoes ....
Though UNIX admins may support more workstations ...

 

a long time ago i was thinkin of going that route, thank gawd i didnt.
i have been the ITish guy keeping things running many times. I don't
know all the fancy shit these guys do but to me it complicates things
so much you are restarting the server every other day. turn on auto
update and install nortons, let the thing run! block out sales and the
floor let the engineers have full rights! full rights! full rights!
full rights! full rights! say it with me now!..............i can just
see these guys saying, yeah, he's the one that would f crap up on my
network! my network!! sheesh. BOB ZEE's IT had his network set up that
in the morn when you booted it actually said, and i quote: welcome to
my world!!!!!!! what a prick!

 

Yeah, when I first started here, I brought in my Logitech trackball
cause my wrist hurts using a mouse all day. Then I found out that I
didn't have rights to install software. So I put in a help desk call to
get the logitech driver installed so I could program the extra buttons
on my trackball. No they say.....Why? I ask.....because that software
isn't "Company Approved" software....it hasn't been approved and
validate to work with the system. So there ya go.....productivity out
the window. Of course, the IT managers would say it's for the users own
good and that more productivity would be lost if it wasn't that
way......probably the same jackass that said let's force the users to
have the company logo and screensaver.

It's no wonder everything moves at a snails pace around here. A smaller
company doing the same thing would run circles around this place. My
old employer gave all users admin access to their computers and we had
no more problems there than we do here. Maybe even less since myself
and several other users had enough computer skills to fix the problems
our selves.

 

It's these, control freak, attitudes that made me a contractor.

I have a lot of custom keyboard shortcuts and I use a Spacemouse and a
mouse with custom settings, which makes me a HELL OF A LOT more
productive than I used to be with standard settings!

These settings are defined by user login, so I don't see the big deal in
having several logins in windows.

Sorry for the rant, but this petty stuff is what really stuffs
productivity and makes people that are forced to work for corporate
Nazis stare at the clock with frustration.

 

PS I hide my task bar to give me more screen space on my dual monitor (2
x 21") 1600 x 1200 set up.

 

Well, their reasoning about the desktop was so when vistors come by all
computers "look" the same. And so that any user sitting down at your
computer has the same setup.

If I find another decent job, I'll never work for a company like this
again. They can keep all the drab workers who just do what it takes to
get by during the day but this user is history. They don't get that the
kind of people who typically push the envelope, the people or are
creative, the people they claim they want to attract and keep, are the
people who like to tinker and do more than just their job description.

 

Novice operators leave the taskbar in it's upright, loud and proud
position. first impressions are strong. whenever bob z. approaches a
computer with the taskbar showing, he automatically assumes things.
None of these assumptions are positive.

bob z.
p.s. keepin a low profile in the taskbar and in life...

 

OK, now you're getting personal. I hate a taskbar that keeps jumping
around, and just as much I hate to have to move my mouse down there just to
look at something. I would much rather give up the very small amount of
real estate that it takes up, to gain the advantage of being to flick my
eyes there to ascertain something, rather than wait for the delay of the
brain-hand command to go hit it with the mouse.

Oh, nice to see you back, Mr. bob.

WT

 

Hmm.....if only they could make it pop-up....when you just "looked"
down there.

 

Set up a little script in a sysadmin's account once.
Turned off output to his screen & then logged him off.
Every time he logged on .....

 

Cool idea - I could go for that!!!

WT

 

I know some women that have that capability.

 

Cool, lots of replies! lol

In a big company with an IT department and one-man-one-job approach, the IT
guys have lots of time to think and play around.
I am in a small firm where one guy does many jobs, so the quicker I can get
problems sorted, the less hassle I get.

I am one of the design workers, design office manager and the firm's IT guy,
so I can see it from all of your angles.

Our loved ones are special to us, but not to others, some big heifer with
wonky teeth and a tash on their top lip, staring back at you when you are
trying to fix a PC is not the best start to the day.

We have spaceballs, wireless mice and marble mice connected to help with
aching hands.

No software should be installed, without some kind of control in place, that
is just plain stupid. All production enhancing programs are first tested on
a test PC and tested fully by all users and then put in place, if it does
indeed, increase production. Wayne Tiffany's macros are great and are in
place.

Having all of the PC's the same, works both ways, as others hate the way
mine is set up and so we do have meetings and "everyone" agrees on what the
ideal setup should be, but "only one" person then changes his PC back to his
own way. The Pc's are not setup as per installed standard, but setup so that
everyone is working the same way and can jump from one machine to another
without having to figure out where everything is and how to use some new
fangled software that no other person has seen before.

Everyone is an individual, if you wish to work that way, work for yourself,
that is your choice, but if you work for a firm and are in a team, then
being selfish, will not do you or the team any favours.

PS ... the big heifer with the tash is not related to this guy, lol.

waiting for the flames!

 

So why do you allow different types of mice, with your line of reason
regarding PCs, then everyone should use the same input devices so they
don't have trouble on another computer.

The way I see it, you're wasting time with unneccessary meetings trying
to decide on some setup everyone can live with. Just let everyone be.
And if you need some special permission just to try out some demo
software that may increase your productivity, then I bet that most say
"forget it, it ain't worth the red tape".

And not all firms share your philosophy. Some are worse, some better.
Wonder how much money a company loses on this?

I swear, I think all these IT guys are just trying to create more job
security for themselves by putting this type of thinking in place. That
we are all so computer illiterate that we need to be protected from
ourselves. These companies just don't get it, they are saying "lose the
tie" to promote a more relaxed environment and to attract the "best"
people only to turn around and do this sort of crap. Hey let's take
solitaire of his computer while we're at it.....guess I can just play
the online version on my lunch break.......except that they use
"websense" to block access to any sites that have to so with games.
Funny, sports sites are wide open though.