Windows 7 and the College Network.

Gloom

Any date yet when W7 will work on the network?

Fedule

Several people report that it *does* work already even if not officially supported.

If all else fails, XP mode is your friend if you have it. Or, if you have multiple bootable volumes and one of them has XP/Vista/Linux/MacOS on it, you can boot into that, register, then switch back to 7. The same trick worked for me before they allowed Snow Leopard, so I imagine it'll work for 7.

snappieT

Fedule wrote: »

Several people report that it *does* work already even if not officially supported.

Everything works, it's just a case of do ISS have the software to verify you as secure/virus free that's the problem.

This gets asked again and again, so I'm going to write a foolproof guide. Here goes:


To get your laptop on the network, regardless of OS, do the following:

1. Download Ubuntu Linux
2. Burn the .iso you download onto a disc
3. Download libstdc++5. You'll need this later, save it to a USB key. (This is a version of libstdc++ that Bradford CSA needs to run, but isn't on standard Ubuntu.)
3. Reboot your laptop, selecting "boot from CD/DVD ROM". You may need to press "Delete" or F12 immediately as the laptop turns on to do this, or it may do it automatically.
4. Select "Try Ubuntu". This lets you run Ubuntu without installing it to your hard disk, thus leaving whatever OS do have installed unaffected.
5. Plug your USB key back in, and double-click on the libstdc++5 deb that we downloaded earlier. Then click "Install" (or similar) in the top right of the "Synaptics Package Manager" window that will open.
6. Connect to TCDwifi, using WPA Enterprise with PEAP authentication.
7. Open Firefox, and go to http://tcdnac.tcd.ie - the registration page.
8. Go through all of the standard steps, you'll then download a file called "Bradford_Dissolvable_Agent.sh". Save it to your Desktop.
9. Close Firefox, and all download windows, and wait 30 seconds to let it completely clean itself up.
10. Open a Terminal (Under Applications > System Tools on the top bar).
11. Change the working directory to your desktop by typing "cd ~/Desktop"
12. Run the script by typing "sudo sh Bradford_Dissolvable_Agent.sh"
13. A Firefox window will open, confirming you've been authenticated.
14. Reboot your laptop back into Windows 7, and connect to TCDwifi as per the standard instructions. You won't need to register again, you can just set up your proxies as normal, and browse away :-)
15. Enjoy!

-sT

d93c2inhxfok4y

snappieT wrote: »

Everything works, it's just a case of do ISS have the software to verify you as secure/virus free that's the problem.

This gets asked again and again, so I'm going to write a foolproof guide. Here goes:


To get your laptop on the network, regardless of OS, do the following:

1. Download Ubuntu Linux
2. Burn the .iso you download onto a disc
3. Download libstdc++5. You'll need this later, save it to a USB key. (This is a version of libstdc++ that Bradford CSA needs to run, but isn't on standard Ubuntu.)
3. Reboot your laptop, selecting "boot from CD/DVD ROM". You may need to press "Delete" or F12 immediately as the laptop turns on to do this, or it may do it automatically.
4. Select "Try Ubuntu". This lets you run Ubuntu without installing it to your hard disk, thus leaving whatever OS do have installed unaffected.
5. Plug your USB key back in, and double-click on the libstdc++5 deb that we downloaded earlier. Then click "Install" (or similar) in the top right of the "Synaptics Package Manager" window that will open.
6. Connect to TCDwifi, using WPA Enterprise with PEAP authentication.
7. Open Firefox, and go to http://tcdnac.tcd.ie - the registration page.
8. Go through all of the standard steps, you'll then download a file called "Bradford_Dissolvable_Agent.sh". Save it to your Desktop.
9. Close Firefox, and all download windows, and wait 30 seconds to let it completely clean itself up.
10. Open a Terminal (Under Applications > System Tools on the top bar).
11. Change the working directory to your desktop by typing "cd ~/Desktop"
12. Run the script by typing "sudo sh Bradford_Dissolvable_Agent.sh"
13. A Firefox window will open, confirming you've been authenticated.
14. Reboot your laptop back into Windows 7, and connect to TCDwifi as per the standard instructions. You won't need to register again, you can just set up your proxies as normal, and browse away :-)
15. Enjoy!

-sT

Massive, massive, MASSIVE thanks for this. Windows 7 is arriving in the post sometime soon, and I've been worried about the nightmare that awaited in trying to fiddle with setting and doohickeys and all sorts of other IT stuff. The key word up top is foolproof!
Cheers mate.

evercloserunion

Given the cutbacks and the fact that Vista was only installed on college computers relatively recently, I suppose it's too much to hope for that Windows 7 will be appearing on the PCs in the college computer rooms any time soon?

dermo1990

I already have a vista laptop registered on the network and have been considering upgrading it to Windows 7 for some time, should I be able to connect Windows 7 to TCDwifi after running a clean install?

snappieT

dermo1990 wrote: »

I already have a vista laptop registered on the network and have been considering upgrading it to Windows 7 for some time, should I be able to connect Windows 7 to TCDwifi after running a clean install?

Yes. Your MAC address is what's registered, and that won't change between installs. However, ISS do randomly pick people/times for reauthentication, and you'll have to do the procedure I outlined above if this happens to you (as it effectively deactivates you again).

BTW, you know you don't have to do a clean install? You can just do an in-place upgrade from Vista to 7, keeping all of your existing files and programs.

dermo1990

snappieT wrote: »

BTW, you know you don't have to do a clean install? You can just do an in-place upgrade from Vista to 7, keeping all of your existing files and programs.

Well, since I have 7 Professional, I will be needing to do a clean install since an in-place upgrade from vista home premium to 7 professional wouldn't work

Gloom

Ok, so I tried doing this and I couldn't get past step 3. <_<
When I reboot my laptop, press F12, and choose boot from CD/DVD. I get an error message. "Invalid system disc".

Is there anyone in Halls who could burn the disc properly for me? I can provide the disc. >_<>

gaybitch

Ah, is it really that hard? I just got a new laptop there and it has Windows 7 and I'm not sure if I can do all that. If I bring it to IS Services will they help me get connected on the TCD network?

snappieT

Gloom wrote: »

Ok, so I tried doing this and I couldn't get past step 3. <_<
When I reboot my laptop, press F12, and choose boot from CD/DVD. I get an error message. "Invalid system disc".

Is there anyone in Halls who could burn the disc properly for me? I can provide the disc. >_<>

How did you burn the disc? Did you burn a disc just containing the .iso file that you downloaded (i.e. if you put the disc in when in Windows, what do you see on the disc?)

Download and install ImgBurn. Use this to select and burn the .iso file. Make sure you're using a blank CD, not a blank DVD (while the burn will succeed if you do this, some computer's can't boot a CD image from DVD properly, in my experience).

snappieT

gaybitch wrote: »

Ah, is it really that hard? I just got a new laptop there and it has Windows 7 and I'm not sure if I can do all that. If I bring it to IS Services will they help me get connected on the TCD network?

No. Windows 7 is not officially allowed on the network. That's why you have to jump through fire to get it working. It's ridiculous.

lucernarian

snappieT wrote: »

No. Windows 7 is not officially allowed on the network. That's why you have to jump through fire to get it working. It's ridiculous.

O RLY?:)

http://isservices.tcd.ie/general/windows_support.php#nac

Windows 7 is now accepted on the student network in college. The NAC now passes windows 7 machines when you attempt to register them, I assume.

Gloom

Hmm, one other question, Sorry to all:

Last night in Halls, I was writing up my notes and I was checking the Wireless Connections (I'm in Cunningham) and I noticed that it no longer said "TCD wifi" but "Other Network"?? Is this normal for everyone?

SnappieT wrote:

How did you burn the disc? Did you burn a disc just containing the .iso file that you downloaded (i.e. if you put the disc in when in Windows, what do you see on the disc?)

Download and install ImgBurn. Use this to select and burn the .iso file. Make sure you're using a blank CD, not a blank DVD (while the burn will succeed if you do this, some computer's can't boot a CD image from DVD properly, in my experience).

I have a Toshiba Laptop and used Toshiba Disc Creator. (Is this even the right thing to use?)
Oh, at the start I was trying to use CDs but was unable to because the max they could hold was 700mb and the Unbuntu Linux .iso I downloaded is 702/709mb. So, that is why I was forced to use a blank DVD.

O RLY?

http://isservices.tcd.ie/general/win...upport.php#nac

Windows 7 is now accepted on the student network in college. The NAC now passes windows 7 machines when you attempt to register them, I assume.

Does this mean if I go into college tomorrow with my laptop, they'll set up the internet for me?

snappieT

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

O RLY?:)

http://isservices.tcd.ie/general/windows_support.php#nac

Windows 7 is now accepted on the student network in college. The NAC now passes windows 7 machines when you attempt to register them, I assume.

To be fair, that was only announced yesterday

Gloom wrote: »

Does this mean if I go into college tomorrow with my laptop, they'll set up the internet for me?

You can just go onto the NAC yourself as every other XP/Vista user has up to this point, and go through the authentication without any of my aforementioned hax.

Gloom

I'm unable to do it at home in halls because when I look for open connections, all I see is "Other Network". When I do try to connect to them, I am asked for an SSID.

I'll pop in tomorrow (my day off :mad:) and ask them to help me out. Hopefully, it works.

goingnowhere

Its been working since the 18th

http://isservices.tcd.ie/general/windows_support.php#nac

Gloom

Went it today with high hopes to get connected and it turns out my wireless card or whatever, won't connect to TCD-wifi.

JFC. :rolleyes: Typical.