The software in question is a rather good maths program called RM Maths, provided by Research Machines. Unlike some of the software, which will be replaced as soon as my ability to get it all done using Group Policies matures, I have no trouble recommending RM Maths. The teachers like it, because it allows for a nice 20 minute session where the kids log on, and are presented with maths problems, all the while actually being taught. The teachers like it because the kids like it, and actually spend those 20 minutes quietly trying to get a 100% score. I don't know that it's the most exciting piece of software, but I don't get many complaints - and when you've been in the education sector for any length of time (I know, it's only 6 years), sometimes NOT getting complaints is as good as effusive compliments.
The problem is that on migration to the new server, the new program doesn't work. Now, I've gone through the registry (I know, "Just how badass can this girl get?" I hear you cry) and changed the keys pointing to the old server and share, making them point to the new server. And, just for a moment, I can get the software to work. And then I reboot my machine, and the keys are back to pointing at the old server again. What? WHAT?
So I did an experiment. I completely removed the software from my machine. I trawled through the registry, removing every instance of the software in there. EVERYTHING! All of it. Nothing left - Nada. You're getting the picture here. And I rebooted.
And there it all is again. No sign of the software on the PC, all evidence of it erased from the registry, but it's all back on reboot. In fact, I bet if I simply logged off and back on again, it'd be there again. I think that sometime, somewhere, someone has made up a little script/Group Policy/whatever to add those bits of information to the registry on logon. The only problem is that I can't find the offending piece of policy/code/whatever.
OK - while I'm not going to give up completely, let's take a step back, and see if we can have some kind of success, just to encourage us along, shall we? There's something that's been bugging me for the last two years. Well, about that long. For quite some time now, the students in the school have been able to see the System Tray (or Notification Area, as it's now called), and the staff haven't. It's not a really big deal - it's not as if they really need to see this. It's just annoying, because it means they have to search for an icon on the desktop to adjust the volume, and they can't see if the machine has the Sophos blue shield. I'd even logged a call to my technical support (yes, I have an extra layer of technical support behind me - I can't do it ALL!), who were unable to help.
Well, since I completed my Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment course just after Christmas, I've felt ever so much more confident in messing with such things as Group Policies - and not just for the local machine. I'm up for tinkering with ALL the group policies available on the whole network! Despite having Googled for "hide system tray" for ages and coming up with nothing, I'd never put in "group policy hide system tray", because I wasn't sure that was it. Well, after a very short search, this popped up, giving me exactly the information I needed.
A quick change, a quick "gpupdate /force", a quick test logon as a member of staff - Eureka! You'd think, by now, the children in school would be used to my somewhat ungainly Victory Dance!
Still no solution to the old RM Maths problem, but sometimes just getting a solution to any problem will make the search seem worthwhile. I'd better get back to it...
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