Computers

## Hardware History

### Primary Corridor

From ? to 2012/2013, there was Acer Aspire laptops running Windows XP Professional in the corridors behind the primary classrooms on the 3rd floor. These laptops were also used during Year 6's exhibitions. These were apparently taken away due to students mistreating them. During the times that there were no laptops in the corridor behind the classrooms, there was also a few desktop computer using iCute cases in both the 2nd and 3rd floor. Technically, iPad's replaced the Acer Aspire laptops after a few months however jugging by yearbooks from latter years, desktops computer eventually were placed in the corridors.

### 2nd Floor E-Block ICT Lab

For a few years, a classroom on the 2nd floor in the E-block was converted into a ICT classroom comprising of the familiar Acer laptops previously found in the 3rd floor corridor, a newer Acer Aspire and some newer Dell Latitudes, most likely E6400.

### Library

For a very long time, they’ve been desktops computers at both the primary and secondary library. The primary computers have mostly remained unchanged consisting of Dell Optiplex 380 running Windows 7 Professional connected to 17” 4:3 monitors. During the times the secondary library was in a portable cabin, most of the library computers were connected to 15” 4:3 Samsung monitors.

When the library moved into former DT classrooms, while one end merged with an former IT lab, the other end of the library initially had no computer though soon, five computers were soon added all connected to miscellaneous accessories and 17” 4:3 Dell monitors. The computers were Dell Vostro 220s. One of the Dell Vostro 220s computers was changed for a Dell Optiplex 390 with it’s expansion cards slot covers being missing and instead being covered with black coloured with colour pencil white paper.

In April 2018, 7 Dell Optiplex 390 replaced the previously found Vostro 220s. These computers login in significantly faster due to the use of Kingston SA400 SSD's in the 240GB capacity. However, these computers speakers was unpluged from motherboard as in Volume Mixer, it’ll report “No audio device installed” and no audio devices would be detechted in device manager.

### Secondary ICT Lab's

When the Batu Ferringhi campus first opened, the secondary ICT lab was located at B-101.

During the portable cabin era, above the senior library was two ICT classrooms. When the portable cabins were removed from the campus, one ICT classroom moved to where a humanities class was and half of another classroom. The other ICT classroom from the portable cabin merged with the secondary library taking over the previous design technology classrooms. Goodbye we say to the old 15”monitors and we said hello to 19” widescreen Dell’s.

### Cafeteria

When the cafeteria switched to digital payments, the monitors used were 4:3 Acer monitors with built in speakers. There was initially only two computer but due to expansion in the canteen capacity, an extra two computers were added. One of which consisted of a compact HP unit was added. Also, a flexible monitor arm were installed for the monitor in the cafeteria that serve both lunch and snacks.

### Science Classrooms

Many science classrooms had computers in them. They were taken away sometime in during the one year that they cleared out a lot of old computers.

### Teachers

Teachers recently have moved to Dell Latitude 3350 from various desktops, but some stuck with using desktops mainly the language department and art classrooms.

## Software

### Operating System

Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 10 are the primary operating system used in computer at TISOPU. There was a Dell laptop running Windows 8 spotted at an assembly and a laptop running Ubuntu spotted at the ICT service and off course there are several computers running OS X and IOS.

Some computers in the school were originally meant for Windows Vista. I think that for a brief period of times there were computers running Vista and latter upgraded to Windows 7.

In Windows 7, students were only given the basic look however running “Windows Anytime Upgrade” (WindowsAnytimeUpgradeResults.exe) would actually enable the aero theme.

There were certain times that computers running Windows 10 would display an error preventing the ability to login in where the computer reports too many users have login in.

### Web Browser

Internet Explorer was the default choice and would automatically launch upon logging in. However, as the school started to use Google services such as Google Drive, the switch to Google Chrome was made. Certain computers automatically launch Google Chrome into incognito mode.

### Microsoft Office

Early on, computers had Microsoft Office 2003, followed by Microsoft Office 2007. They stuck with Microsoft Office 2007 for a very long time before switching all computers to Office 2013 at around the time Office 2016 was becoming available. However, Microsoft Office FrontPage being discontinued after 2003 was still installed on computers alongside a full suite of Office 2007 applications which included Microsoft Publisher.  The suite of choice for Microsoft Office 2013 was Professional Plus. A few computers around TISOPU did had non-activated copy of Microsoft Office 2010 namely the DT department of Dell Latitude 3340 initially.

## Peripherals

Common computer mouses: Dell MOC5UO, Dell N231,

Common computer keyboard: Dell SK-8115, Dell SK-8175, Dell KB2176,

Common computer speakers: Logitech Z323 and other Logitech speakers.

There are of course other keyboards and mouses used around the school
over the years, but those were the most common. In some classrooms and
laboratory, USB camera was available for use.

Many classrooms had SMART boards installed  and when it came to the switch to laptop, the
science classrooms at least, used Dell docks.