USB issue will not be fixed, new info on rebooting scanner/copier

After a lot of correspondence over the past 8 months, Ricoh has replied that it will not fix this issue due to the machine being out of manufacture. I assume this means parts would have to be remade, and they are busy putting their efforts in to parts for new models, not older ones they no longer manufacture.

Our lease on these goes until 2016 or 2017.

Follow these steps to help with USB flash drives not being recognized: 

Always remove the users TCard and/or USB flash drive from the machine before proceeding.

STEP 1
-if a users device is not recognized then do a soft reboot (hold down "*" and "#" until the display turns off, let go and wait for it to start up on its own)

STEP 2
-if Step 1 fails then do a hard reboot (press the green power light on the top of the machine, the light should go out...then locate the orange power switch on the front panel of the machine and switch it to "sleep". Turn it on after a few seconds)

STEP 3
-if Step 2 fails then loan the user our USB

Any time our USB fails, follow Step 1, and if necessary Step 2 as well. It should work.
If it doesn't then put an out of order sign on the "scan" card unit. (the machine can still be used as a photocopier)

Public PC's - auto-deletion of user files

In the past, if a user left their personal documents on our public computers within the My Documents folder, those files would be saved there for a week. After that the network would automatically delete them.

This has now changed to 4 days. After that the network will automatically delete any files left in the My Documents folder.

This is not something users do a lot of. It is more of a "safety" feature in case someone forgets their files.

This only applies to the My Documents folder. Files left elsewhere are automatically deleted as soon as the user logs out of the desktop.

TCard Cleaning Wipes

Cleaning the chip on cards can eliminate errors.
We used to keep a small bottle of rubbing alcohol to wipe the chip clean, but we now have some packaged "wipes" that I got from Mike at the TCard Office.

I keep a supply of these in the Infodesk printer cabinet. (lower shelf on the left)

They are about 1" square in size.

They are to be used by staff at either of our public service desks, so please help yourself when needed. And let me know if you think we need more.

If there are no wipes available, the old trick of using some cotton fabric to clean the chip is also useful.

Holidays and public equipment support

Holidays and public equipment support


This is to clarify any potential public PC or public printer problems which may occur over the holiday period (Dec 22- Jan 6)

Please note the Information Commons will be providing some basic support coverage for emergent problems regarding the public PCs and printers.


1) For problems with public PCs and public printers:

a) Problems can be reported via e-mail at icicle.support@utoronto.ca (with a cc to Jeff so he can track problems as well). Include in the email: time, date, machine #, problem details

b) Requests can also be made via phone to the Info Commons staff at 416-978-0429.

c) If applicable put a pink out-of-order sign on PC (signs kept in lower reference drawer)




2) For network problems (e.g. staff or public PCs not connecting to Internet, etc)

• call ITS at 8-5555

4) Patrons with problems with their laptops or other devices

• advise them to follow the handouts on the Info Desk
• cables (From the Loans Services Desk) can be loaned to patrons who have wireless problems (take ID from patron)
• if handouts and cables do not help with the problem, patron can be advised call the IC Help Desk (978-HELP)**** The Info Commons Help Desk is phone-in only during the holiday period. No walk-in or email service. See: ******

Public Printers - the Suspend/Resume button

The "Suspend/Resume" button is on the lower left of the printers display panel and sometimes people accidentally hit it.
Doing so makes the button go green, and immediatly stops all printing.

To start the printer again, press the "Suspend/Resume" button once. The green light should go out and printing will continue.

Public Printers - display says "energy saver mode"

If the public printers say "energy saver mode" it is okay to print.
On one occasion someone thought the printer was not working when like this. Just tell users to print as they normally would, the printer will "wake up" automatically.

If you want to manually "wake up" the printer, just press one of the keys on the panel.
Doing this is useful if you want to see the regular display. Because it shows how much toner and paper is left.

Public Equipment and Lab support staff at the Information Commons (Icicle)

I recently saw this photo on the InfoCommons support staff web page and thought i'd share it.
I know their faces well...but i think many of you do not. And it would probably be helpful to be a bit more familiar with the staff who support all our public workstations, public printers, and our instruction lab equipment.

If, in my absence, any of you have to call the "Icicle" phone number for support, these are some of the people you would be speaking with.

http://support.icicle.utoronto.ca/support_photos.html

The only one missing here is Brett, who works in the same capacity as Eugene.
Mark oversees the group. Eugene and Brett work in the background as administrators most of the time. And Antonio, Jennifer, Leon and Ming are typically answering phones and coming over to Gerstein to fix problems for us.

Public Scanner - USB drives not working

April 2013 Edit:
Please see the more recent blog post on this topic.

Staff are still consulting with Ricoh technicians to help use reduce the number of problems we are experiencing with usb drives.
In the meantime, if a user needs helps and the usual technical support is not around (photoduplication staff) there is one thing you could try that may help.

I had told some staff already that turning the scanner/copier on and off would resolve some problems with usb drives not being recognized. However Julian mentioned it is gentler on the scanner/copier if you do this instead:

Press the “*” and the “#” on the keypad at the same time and hold for 10 seconds, the control panel will go blank and reboot. (about 30 seconds in total)

Remove the users TCard and usb drive before doing the above.

Please try this whenever a usb is not working.

If it doesn't work, try another usb if possible.

Scanners at Gerstein

Here are the basic points, please refer to the signs posted at each scanner/copier for more specific instructions.

-only two of them (STL and in front of ILL)
-cost is free...but card with value on it must be inserted
-default is pdf (jpg is an option)
-user must select orientation (same as choosing a copy...letter portrait, letter landscape, etc)
-nothing is saved to the usb until the user presses the "#" sign. So with a pdf...most people scanning in an article will want to scan repeatedly until the article is done...then press "#" sign. This will give them the whole article in one pdf.

User quota on wireless is discontinued

As of May 7, 2012 the University of Toronto wireless network no longer uses a "quota" system.

This previously limited users to 1-2GB of upload/download data per week.

Whether one connects via UTORwin, UofT, or Eduroam...there is no longer a quota. This includes both wired and wireless connections to the network.

There has never been a quota on public or staff workstations. So there is no scenario where this restriction applies.