SPF-SD Technology Department

Email Attachments

In an effort to protect our system from incoming viruses and other malware, as well as to ensure the efficient operation of the email network, we take several precautions you should be aware of because they affect what you can send and receive.

Most computer files have what is called an extension at the end of the file name. This extension tells the operating system (i.e. Windows) what to do with the file. For instance, a file ending in .exe is a program; a file ending in .doc is a Word document, and so on. Spammers and hackers have been known to send viruses as attachments to email in the hope and expectation that the unsuspecting recipient will open the file and cause the computer to become infected.

While we always recommend that you don’t open attachments unless you know what they are and are expecting them, we also take certain precautions. We examine incoming mail for viruses and spam and block those that are known to be infected. We also prevent the receipt or transmission of a number of different file types which can cause a computer to be infected.

Attached is a detailed description of the files that are blocked. Blocked Attachments

Adding a Printer to a Mac

Here are directions for adding a printer to your Mac laptop. Please note that there are slight variations in the instructions depending upon what version of the Mac OS (Jaguar, Panther, or Tiger) your computer is running.

Adding a Mac Printer

Out of Office Email Message

If staff would like to put up an ‘Out of Office’ message for their email, please download the following instructions:

Out of Office Email Message

Step-by-Step, Secure Your Home Wireless Network

For directions on how to set up a wireless network in your home, please check out the following website:

http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=1629

Screen Shots (on a Mac)

Did you know… if you hold down the Command (open Apple) and Shift keys and hit the 3 key, you get a snapshot of your entire screen. If you hold down those two keys and hit the 4 key, you’ll get crosshairs with which you can select a portion of the screen and get a picture of that. And if that weren’t enough, if you add the Control key to the first two before hitting the 3 or 4 keys, the computer will put your screenshot onto the clipboard from which you can paste it into the body of your document. Seriously.

Moving Your ‘old’ eMail

Below are instructions for moving your old (iMail) email over to the new (KERIO) email system.

Please note that the items circled in red, must be enter exactly as typed. Those circled in green, must be modified for your individual settings.

Instructions for Moving Old eMail

Using WordPress Widget to Post

If you are using an Apple computer with Mac OS 10.4.x (Tiger) installed, you can easily update your blog with a Widget. You can go to Apple’s website to download the widget. Once it is installed, you need to configure the settings. For the district’s blog server, your blog address is in the format:

http://www.spfk12.org/blogs/(blog address)/xmlrpc.php

Enter your username and password. You are now ready to post using this Widget!

Password Security

Password SecurityHear a podcast on password security.

IT Work Orders

If any staff member has a problem with their computer, please use the web interface at http://www.spfk12.org/tech to enter an IT Work Order. The instructions are attached. IT Work Order Requests Manual

Getting Ready

As the start of the 2006-07 school year approaches, the SP-F Technology Department has been busy getting all equipment ready for staff. Besides upgrading software and hardware, as you can see from this blog, we have also been looking into integrating new technologies into the curriculum. We are looking forward to another exciting year!