Looking through the ads I have noticed how many mega sized drives there are today, ( I call them flash drives its probably a brand name but ykwim?) so I am wondering if it would work to load say SOS onto a flash and work from it? I mean, some 20 years back our computers had as much as these things take now days. Less actually than some of them! So ... Could I have the little girl who is coming over keep her computer generated courses on a flash instead of a computer? She is going to be working with some SOS she has not finished from her school last year and then sheis also doing Charter School home schooling. Her mom is attending College so during her class time I am being designated teacher helper sitter only she is almost old enough to take care of her self, just not. So basically I am going to be helping teach her, some hours a day. Her computer is black screen at present an apart from trying the slave thing to try to get it to give up whats on it I am not sure what we can do about her work. The private school she was workign with last year has her back up I believe so I could get the teacher there to jump drive, flash drive it if its possible to do the full set up as well.. its cheaper than a new computer if she can do this? Is there anyone left here who is a Computer geek?
Not quite sure I'm following what you're trying to ask here....but I'm gonna give it a shot. If I'm missing the boat...clarification might help. I think what you're asking....is if this student can keep her curriculum program loaded on a stick drive....and bring it with her to use it at your house on one of your computers? A flash drive/stick drive....is just memory. Think of it as just a big file cabinet. You can put files, photos, videos in there. You can also put programs in there for storage. Some simple programs can even run from inside the big file cabinet....but most need to be loaded into the computer to do actual work. When you're talking about "many mega sized drives", I'm guessing what you mean is portable hard drives. They're also file cabinets...just really really big file cabinets. They work just like stick drives....just bigger. But to address your question....would it make sense for the student to bring her software with her on a portable drive and work on one of your computers? Well...if your house is the only place she's got access to a computer, and the only place she'll be doing computer work...possibly. If she does computer work at home...she needs to have her old computer fixed, or get a new one. There has to be hardware (a computer) to run the software. Does that make sense? Whether she's accessing the software online...or running it from a stored location (a drive, a disk) she needs a computer to run it. Am I correct in assuming SOS means Switched-On Schoolhouse software? Here's my advice. Talk to someone in customer service at Switched-On Schoolhouse, and at the Charter Home School. See how big the programs are...if they can run from a portable drive or if they need installation on a device, and if there's an option of just using them online at a site and keeping a user file. The user file would keep her work, her grades, and projects she's working on. Yes, the USER FILE could be kept on a stick drive. But the program that allows her to do the work probably needs to be installed somewhere. (be it online, on her comp, or yours) If the girl just signs in to the site to do her work from any location (the site holds the running program)....a stick drive is probably all she needs if she has computer access other places. That said...it would be really nice for her to have her own computer...keeps all your tools consistent and keeps everything in one place. If the program must be installed on a computer to use....she should have her own.
BestBuy has a recovery service offered through their "Geek Squad". They might be able to help recover her lost files, and figure out what the problem is. One possibility that comes to mind is battery failure.
Okay, you answered correctly. The problem I have is that the mom asked if I could just put her sos on my computer, well I can't as it is through the private school format and they have permissions that I do not have so legalities and all that aside I was thinking it would only work with a new computer. The new Charter school claims it will provide her one, so they will just have to accept it. I am trying to be helpful to her, it just gets annoying now and then when I want to be kind and helpful but get taken advantage of. Where do I draw a line? LOL Seriously though Thanks so much for clarifying the way these things work! Portable hard drive never even crossed my mind, that could be something she could bring with and like you said if I had the link on my computer for her to access via our connection... something to think about but, I think I will make them do the new computer.
If you wanted to run it on your machine...you'd have to make sure you have the system requirements for the software, enough systems resources (so stuff you use won't slow down) and an activation key that is legal to use at your house. This might not be a big deal....lots of software packages come with activation keys for a set number of installations. (for instance, if you buy a copy of windows office, you can install it on five machines under your purchase agreement...for example...you can legally put it on your comp at home, your comp at work, your kid's comp at college, and two others...and after that, you're out of luck). But yeah, you'd have to check with the publisher. I think they'd probably let you do it, since this child is the one using it, and it was purchased for her use...but I don't know their nitty gritty rules. Above and beyond whether it CAN work....is whether you should feel obligated to do this. Personally...I don't let anyone mess with my computer. I'll let Elle mess with it because she knows what she's doing....but hubby is banned from my machine. He has his own machine that I have to fix for him every few months because he's REALLY bad to step in electronic doo-doo. The man will click on anything...he's clueless. LOL!!! (Love him, though!) Kids usually do ok, particularly if you're protected with good security software....but I wouldn't risk it. For me, personally, it's a little outside my comfort level to have kids on my personal computer...the one I use for projects, bills, business, etc. Other people might feel differently. I'd probably let a kid in that situation use our old computer in the basement. I let anyone use that one for anything they'd like because it's not integrated into our home network and really can't harm anything I use or need. Sometimes Elle goes down there to write a paper because it's quiet. Other kids that come over have used it for homework, games, etc. But yeah..... I think you're well within your right to say you'd rather not. Suggest Best Buy's service....they might be able to sort the girl's computer out without breaking the bank.
I used SOS a couple of years ago and at that time there were two installations that had to be made. You had an installation disc for the SOS program and an installation disc for the particular subject (8th grade science, 6th grade social studies, etc.). The actual SOS program can only be installed on one computer. They check this by making you register with the pin number. The individual subject programs can be run with any valid SOS program. So if you bought, say, 3 subjects you would install SOS once and then install each individual program. Now if you had a valid SOS program on a different computer, you could take the subject program and install it on both computers. Legally? I don't know. As far as flash drives, I don't think the SOS program itself could be run from the flash but the individual subject probably could be copied and loaded from the flash. I know nothing about portable hard drives and running programs from them so I'm of no help there. PS I agree with Crazymom, if she gets a new computer - definitely at least take the old one and see if files can be recovered. Most of the time they can get a lot of it. I may have an older SOS program file that has not been used because I bought two or three subjects and only installed one SOS program. I won't be needing it! Debbie
There used to be a private school not too far from here, who used SOS. They would load the required classes onto the student's laptop at school, and the student would work on it at school, and take it home to finish whatever else they didn't get done yet. Then once a week, they'd take their work to school to have it loaded to the school's computer and take any tests needed. Is this the model her school uses? Then she needs a new laptop, or whatever other device will serve as one, to carry with her. I can't see that any other arrangement will work.
Recovery strategy: Boot from Windows CD then use dos type commands to access drive. Boot from a Linux DVD or CD based distro that is completely based on CD these are called Live Distros and then access the drive from their to see if it is still intact. or: Use a data recovery disk that contains the boot up and the basic data recovery program. Or: Boot from Windows CD rom or DVD and reinstall into another folder without reformatting the drive. Put it into windows2 and give any user names new names. THen boot into this new windows and recover files.
SOS is networkable. YOu can have it on a main system then let the others work as networked computers.
