[labnetwork] Getting files off older computers

[Dennis Culver]

Hello Kevin,
I run into this issue with systems running WIN 3.1 & Win 98.  On the process equipment, disable USB support in BIOS so your process systems don't get infected and allow a "print to file" option as this isn't bi-directional.  Then, just install a wireless network card to each system PC so that those files could be dumped to a dedicated PC for file retrieval or directly sent to each students Email address through that PC.  There is an inexpensive program called Nitro Reader that can create *.pdf files at your source PC's as well so there aren't any compatibility issues with software. 


Dennis



-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin McPeak <kmcpeak at lsu.edu>
To: labnetwork <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
Sent: Mon, Sep 10, 2018 4:56 am
Subject: [labnetwork] Getting files off older computers



Dear Colleagues,

Here at the LSU cleanroom, we have several older computers (e.g Win XP and Win 7) which are not allowed on the network. These computers are connected to instruments (e.g. SEM and AFM) that we often need to get files from. Unfortunately, the instruments do not run on Win 10 (our network administrator won't allow Win 7 on the network as well). 


The current protocol to get images etc. off these older computers is to use a cleanroom owned USB stick to move the file to one computer in the cleanroom which is on the network.


I do not like this protocol. It is very difficult to stop users from using their own USB stick, which could be infected. Also USB sticks grow legs.


I suspect other facilities on the list have faced these same challenges. I am curious how you have resolved them. Thank you in advance for your input!


Regards,
Kevin

-- 
Kevin M. McPeak
Assistant Professor
Louisiana State University
Dept. of Chemical Engineering
3307 Patrick Taylor Hall
Baton Rouge, LA  70803
email: kmcpeak at lsu.edu
phone: 225-578-0058



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