L4L Tips & Tricks

Here are step-by-step instructions on some of the common OIIT Service Desk questions related to setting up L4L laptops. For step-by-step instructions and video tutorials on using the L4L laptops as instructional tools in the classroom, visit the current L4L resources page.

"How do I add a local USB printer to OSX (mac os)?"

1. Shut down Windows XP and the Parallels application. (this is very important, printing from XP via the Passthrough Printer will not work unless this first step is completed.)
1. Plug the printer in to your macbook.
2. Open System Preferences from the dock
3. Open Print & Fax Preference Pane
4. Unlock the Preference Pane by clicking the padlock icon in the lower left and entering your password.
5. Your USB printer should automatically install itself and appear in the "Printers:". Please verify that it is installed, and print a test document to it.
6. Once you have added a printer successfully and have printed a test document you can re-launch Parallels/XP. You will now be able to use the "Passthrough to Default OSX Printer" printer selection in XP to print. Please keep in mind that this particular printer will only print to the printer which you have selected as default in OSX. If you want to change the OSX default printer and still be able to print from XP to the new printer, you will need to completely shut down Parallels/XP before making this change.

Adding a network printer to OSX (mac os)

1. Shut down Windows XP and the Parallels application. (this is very important, printing from XP via the Passthrough Printer will not work unless this first step is completed.)
2. Open System Preferences from the dock
3. Open Print & Fax Preference Pane
4. Unlock the Preference Pane by clicking the padlock icon in the lower left and entering your password.
5. Click the "+" icon under the white "Printers" box
6. You will be adding network printers by their IP address, so click on the IP icon in the menu bar. You will need to print a network configuration page on the printer which you wish to add so that you can get the printers IP address. If you have problems completing this step please see your TST for assistance.
7. When the IP printing tab appears, make sure that LDP is selected and the Protocol. Enter the IP address of the network printer into the "Address:" field. Leave the "Queue" field blank.
8. You may need to select the correct printer driver from the "Print Using" list. You can also name the printer locally via the "Name:" and "Location:" fields.
9. Once you have added a printer successfully and have printed a test document you can re-launch Parallels/XP. You will now be able to use the "Passthrough to Default OSX Printer" printer selection in XP to print. Please keep in mind that this particular printer will only print to the printer which you have selected as default in OSX. If you want to change the OSX default printer and still be able to print from XP to the new printer, you will need to completely shut down Parallels/XP before making this change.

Connecting external monitors/LCD projectors in OSX (mac os)

1. You will need an Apple Macbook display adaptor to connect your Macbook to an external display. This list of Apple adaptors is as follows:
a. Apple Mini-DVI to VGA Adaptor ($19 from the Apple Store) - this adaptor is what you need to connect InFocus LCD Projectors or VGA monitors. We are including several of these adaptors in your school's TST kit.
b. Apple Mini-DVI to DVI-D Adaptor ($19 from the Apple Store) - this adaptor will allow you to connect to any display that has a DVI-D port (digital video interface - digital).
2. Select the Displays icon from the top menu bar.
3. Select "Detect Displays", which will search for any connected displays, including the laptop's internal display. Both your primary display and your projector should flash their screen while detecting.
4. Turn on "Mirroring" so that the LCD projector/external monitor displays the same image as is displayed on the laptop's internal display. Mirroring may be selected by default. The native resolution of most LCD projectors is 1024x768. Display Preferences should automatically pick the best resolution for both your primary display and your LCD projector. You should now see exactly the same thing on the projector as you are seeing on your primary display.
5. In order to project Powerpoint presentations in Office 2003 (Windows XP), you must put Windows XP into full-screen mode via the Parallels View menu. This applies to any XP application you wish to show in full-screen mode.

Burning a CD in OSX

Since Parallels auto-launches at login, and is set to take control of the CD/DVD-Rom drive, you will need to disconnect the CD/DVD-Rom drive from Parallels/Windows XP. Please follow these steps to accomplish the disconnection and burn of a CD in OSX. Windows XP does not have a CD burning application installed, so you will need to use the Mac side (OSX) to burn CDs. You will also need to have your Macbook plugged in to its power adaptor. Please DO NOT move your Macbook while a CD is spinning in its drive. Place your Macbook on a flat, level surface before initiating a burn session.

1. With Parallels up and running, select the Devices menu in the top menu bar. Select CD/DVD-ROM 1 and click "Disconnect". This will enable control of the CD/DVD-ROM drive in OSX.
2. Insert a blank CD. We suggest Sony CD-R media.
3. A window requesting a user action will pop up. Select "Open Finder" and click OK. This is the default action. If you want some other application to open the blank CD, please choose it from the drop down list.
4. A new Finder window will appear. You will see the "Untitled CD" in the left side bar.
5. You can now drag and drop files onto the blank CD. When you are ready to burn the files to the CD, simply click the black/yellow icon next to the "Untitled CD" in any Finder window.
6. A small window will pop up upon clicking on the burn icon. You can name you CD in this window, as well as select burn speed, and save the contents of the "burn folder" to your hard drive for future copies of the same CD. Verify you settings, leaving the burn speed at 24x, and click burn.
7. When the CD is done burning you can either verify it or eject. You should now have a fully functional data CD. For burning music files, please use iTunes.