Our cash-to-card and change machines usage of $5 bills.
The signs saying these machines do not accept the new $5 bills have been removed.We've discovered that if the bill is inserted with the shiny stripe 'down' they are accepted.

Some users can't open the login page for hotmail.

This is not a problem with our network or equipment.
It is a problem at Microsoft.

The solution I have hasn't been tested thoroughly but may help you with a user in my absence.
Tell them to try "login.live.com" or "hotmail.com"...and to avoid "http://www.hotmail.com/".

Again...the only thing i'm certain of...is that it is not the fault of our network.


Don't confuse this with the year-old problem we've been having with attachments in hotmail.
The solution for that is to get the user to access hotmail using Firefox instead of IE.

How to Manage Slow Print Jobs at Public Printers

For those working nights and weekends...or when Jeff is unavailable:

1. Call Jeff as he may be in late or on the same shift.

2. If i'm not here, ask the person how long they have been waiting.

3. Wait and watch to see how long it takes for one page to come out. (typically 30-60 seconds)

4. Ask the user how many pages were sent for that 'one' job. (typically 5-10, but if it is 20 or more it will take too long and you should stop everyone else from paying for print jobs and go to step "6")
Sometimes they've sent more than one job. It is safe to assume that the one coming out now is the only 'slow' one.

5. Now you can estimate how long it will take using what you learned from step "3" and "4".
If your estimate is under 10 minutes, let everyone that's lining up know. Reassure everyone that it will complete, but they have to wait.
If your estimate is over 10 minutes, stop all other users from printing by placing an out of order sign on the card reader. (this is temporary...do not do it for the whole shift or weekend)

6. Your solution for jobs taking more than 10 minutes (or any person who cannot wait) is to print the job for them from a staff computer. (this is done to hurry the process up and to so they don't lose what they already paid for)
- If you are doing this for the person who has the slow print job...then you want to first delete the slow print job from the printer so others can use it. Most of the time you can do this by turning the printer off...then on. If it doesn't work, call Eugene. On weekends or evenings you can call Mark Leighton if both printers are out of order.
WARNING: if you are successful in deleting the slow print job...you have also deleted any other print jobs that were paid for at that print station. You are responsible for reimbursing them all for the loss.
Reprinting the slow print job at a staff PC may have the same problem. With PDFs you can avoid this by going "Print/Advanced/Print as Image".
- If you are doing this for people who have paid for jobs stuck behind another users slow print job...then you just need to print it for them again at a staff PC. You may want to sit them down and have them bring up the job themselves so you can help others at your desk station in the meantime. You must send the print job for them when they are ready because you have to select the proper printer from the list. (remember...Loan desk stations now have connections to staff printers)

7. If you cannot delete the job, cannot locate Eugene...then the station must be put out of order and all users will need to be reimbursed for lost money using the grey form we've used for years. (the infodesk cabinet has a supply)
If it is just one printer that's not working, leave a message for myself and/or Eugene, put the station out of order and refer students to the other printing station. You will need to reimburse users for any print jobs paid for. Fill out the grey form or redo their jobs at your desk.
If it is both printers that are not working and it's the weekend, leave a message and number for Mark Leighton to call you back. Put the station out of order and refer users to Robarts. You will need to reimburse users for any print jobs paid for. Fill out the grey form or redo their jobs at your desk.

This is regarding changes to UofT's dialup service, CD sales of related software and information handouts.

UTL is no longer selling any CDs.
All have been removed from the Loan Services desk at Gerstein.
The dialup service still exists, but all related software that was on the CDs must now be obtained by users from the Internet.

We retain documentation on the following:

-Setting up Email and Dialin Internet Accounts
Out of date regarding dialin...see:
http://www.utoronto.ca/ic/utordist/general/utordial.html
...and for software see:
http://www.utoronto.ca/ic/utordist/pc/
http://www.utoronto.ca/ic/utordist/mac/
-Symantec Antivirus Installation
-Mac OS 8 - 9
-Windows 2000
-Windows XP

All other documentation has been removed.
The Information Commons no longer supports Windows 95, 98, or ME.
First time users cannot purchase tokens until they've registered for the UTORdial service.

Instructions for Connecting Palm TX Wireless Handheld to U of T Wireless Network

1. Click on the grey wifi control button along the bottom of the screen.This button has an icon that looks like a bar graph and will include anexclamation mark when you are not connected to a network.
2. Choose Scan/Setup.
3. Select UTORwin as your network.
4. Click on the Edit button and in the submenu that pops up choose configure.
5. Under Security, select WEP.
6. Click on the grey box beside key. The key type is 104-bit ASCII and the WEP key is UToronto1home
7. Once you’ve connected, launch the web browser and go to http://login.wireless.utoronto.ca. Enter your UTORid and password. As you needto log in every time you use this network, you might want to set this page as your browser's homepage. This can be done by choosing preferences under the menuitem entitled options.

Handouts are available with this information on it.
They'are on the Information Desk near the other wireless handouts.

WiFi Information

The nearest location for free wireless:
Fox and Fiddle Pub 416-966-4369 http://www.bloorfox.com/
280 Bloor St. West (between Spadina and St. George)

A Toronto wireless directory and map:
http://wirelesstoronto.ca/
http://auth.wirelesstoronto.ca/hotspots_map.php

Public PC Monitors - resetting
I've created a help sheet to show staff how to reset the public PC monitors to their original state.
It is located at the reference side of the Information desk and is for use by staff only.
I've included the text from that help sheet below.

This is for those times that users complain about not being able to use a PC because they cannot see the taskbar or toolbars.

1. Press the center button first to activate the monitor menu
2. Press the up arrow or down arrow button to highlight the “Reset” option. (Zuruckstellen)
3. Hit the center button to select it.
4. Press the up or down button to highlight the “Reset All Mode” option.(Alles Zurucksetzen)
5. Press the right arrow button to reset the monitor settings.
6. Press the center button to exit to the main menu.
7. Press the up arrow or down arrow button to highlight “Ende” and hit the center button to exit.

Most of the monitor menus are in German to deter users from adjusting the contrast and brightness.
NOTE: this problem arose from one particular user who has since been banned. Many monitors in the building since then have been replaced and have different settings that the above will not apply to.

PDFs print out with a full or partial blank page.

When a user experiences this problem from our public PCs, print it out at the Information desk using this method and it should work:

1. Click the Acrobat Reader print icon as you would normally.
2. When the window opens look in the lower left corner and click on the "Advanced" button.
3. Another window opens and you check the option "Print as image" then "OK".
4. Complete the print job as you would normally.

The print job comes out a little slower when doing this.
Please report these 'problem documents' to me. Preferably email them to me if you can.

Public PC Login Issue

PROBLEM: users UTORid and password suddenly don't work. Public PC responds as if it is incorrect. (may occur on more than one PC)
SOLUTION: If the network cable of the public PC is removed and put back, and you hit 'Cancel' at the login prompt, the PC logs in fine afterwards.

But for us to track this problem and resolve it, I need to know the time of the incident and the PC number.
So please call me immediately if i'm here.
If i'm not around, you may try the solution yourself (email/phone me the day/time/PC#)...or put an out of order sign on the PC and email or phone me.

This problem is extremely rare now, but may still occur. Jeff - Feb/08

Copycard Errors

Be it a TCard, Staff Card, Visitors Card or Department on Account card, various errors can occur when cards are used for copying or printing.

For all card errors:
1. Dirt on the chip can cause errors so first try wiping it with something cotton.
2. Push down on the chip while wiping it. Sometimes parts of the chip 'pull up' a bit causing errors.
3. Always try it in more than one card unit before being certain of the error you are seeing. (the three copiers by ILL have newer units and may be more reliable for what the error really is)

Card Expired
All cards have a hidden internal expiry date.
The expiry date is set for about 5-6 years so we usually don't see it as many users are not here that long.
When this appears, send the user to the TCard office for a replacement.

Card Flagged
This means the card reader they last used to print or copy something, has tagged the card as having an improper transaction. (e.g. user was not properly charged)
I see a lot of users pulling their card out of the unit before it says to. This may be the cause of most 'card flagged' errors.
When this appears, send the user to the last card unit they printed or copied with...or to the TCard office to have it fixed.
When a flagged card is inserted into the correct card unit, it will be kicked back out without any indication it was fixed. In other words...it won't lock into the unit and say "Card Flagged" or show the value on the card. Always put the card back in after it gets kicked out like this. In that way you can be certain that is was fixed.

Invalid Card
I cannot recall hearing any specific 'meaning' for this so I simply consider it a general error or fault in the chip.
Most times I find cleaning the chip fixes the problem.
When cleaning does not resolve this, send the user to the TCard office to have it fixed.