From Userful Support

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(Updated 2010.6.03)

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FAQs: Getting started with Userful Desktop

If you can't find what you're looking for here, return to the Troubleshoot Start Page.

Contents 1 Beginners 1.1 Q: Why am I getting a black screen with a countdown message? 1.2 Q: Why can't I get into Administrator Mode? 1.3 Q: What does the ">" mean in your instructions?

Beginners

Q: Why am I getting a black screen with a countdown message?

A: You don't have a license key on that Userful Desktop.

Usually, when a new Userful Desktop is set up, the person installing it will register it with our server and a license key will be issued for that computer. If this has not been done for some reason (for example, your system is just a demo), you will get the black "nagging" screen. There is information about this in the Configuring Userful Desktop section of the Administrator Manual.

Q: Why can't I get into Administrator Mode?

A: Of course, there are a number of possible reasons for this. Here are some common ones:

Note: Entering Administrator Mode from the Welcome Screen is recommended. While it is possible to enter Administrator Mode from a session, doing so will end that session immediately.

• You need to press the keys together. Sometimes, when you press Ctrl-Alt-A, you might not be pressing all three keys together at the same time. This is important. It is best to do it in this order:
  1. Press and hold down the Ctrl key ("control key"). Don't let go! There are two Ctrl keys on the keyboard, either one is fine.
  2. While holding down Ctrl, press and hold down the Alt key. Either Alt key is fine.
  3. While still holding down these two keys, press the A key.
  4. Now let go of all three keys.
  5. You should see the small Administrator Login window pop up. You can now type in your password and press Enter.

• You can't see the Administrator Login window. You have done everything mentioned above but you still do not see the login window. This might be due to the Important Information window covering the login window. The Important Information window is one of the first windows that appears when you start a session (some kinds of sessions will not have this window at all). This window is very self-centered and always keeps itself on top of all other windows to make sure the user cannot ignore it. Try this solution:
  1. Click on the Close button on the Important Information window. It should disappear.
  2. If you have already pressed Ctrl-Alt-A, you should see the login window now. If not, press Ctrl-Alt-A.
  3. If, for some reason, you still do not see the login window, it is possible that it is behind another window (the browser, for example). If this is the case, look at the task bar at the bottom of the screen (some kinds of sessions will not have a task bar), you should see a bar that says "Administration". Click on this bar, and you should see the login window.

Q: What does the ">" mean in your instructions?

A: The ">" character is used to separate names of things in our user interface, and tell you which path to take in a program. For example,

File > Save As

instructs you to first click on "File" in the program menu, then click on "Save As" in the popup menu. Another example:

Userful Manager > My Computers > (computer name)

This means to click on the "Userful Manager" icon, and then find the "My Computers" icon and click on it. Then, select one of the computer names in the table and click on it.