Frequently Asked Questions
On this page you will find answers to questions you might have about the Virtual Computer Lab. Reading this page will help you learn how to use VCL.
How can I print from VCL?
Printing within VCL can be difficult due to the number of different printers that exist. Some printers that are locally attached through Remote Desktop Connection will be reconigized by the default Windows printer drivers, others printers will not. To work around this, most VCL windows environments should have Adobe Acrobat installed. Adobe Acrobat will show up as a virtual printer and is selectable as a printer within the windows applications. This will print the output to a pdf and then you can copy this pdf file to your machine and print as you normally do.
If your local printer is not supported by the default windows drivers, then you must select the pdfFactory and print to a pdf file.
What happens at the end of my reservation?
You will recieve a 10 minute warning before your reservation expires. When the time is up the reservation will be terminated and the image will be deleted from the server. You need to save your files to your local computers or local devices. A new reservation brings up a fresh image and it will not be the same image as before.
Where should I save my files while I'm connecting to VCL?
You can save your image to the local drive of your computer, or to a flash drive that is connected to your computer.
What rights do I have on the machines?
On a Windows XP/7 environments, you have administrative rights.
If I close the VCL website by mistake, how can I lookup my username and password?
Just return to the VCL website and click on "Current Reservations". Click the "Connect" button Your connection details will be displayed. Your username is usually your CWID but your password is generated randomely.
I'm trying to log in with my campus username and password. I can only see the "Local Account" and my campus credentials do not work. How can I fix this?
You are not able to log in with your campus credentials when you choose "Local Account". You'll need to use the "CSUF Login". If you've accidentally pulled down to "Local Account" and checked the "Remember my Selection" box, you won't have a "CSUF Login" option. VCL stores the "Local Account" as the preferred selection as a cookie in the browser. The VCL cookie will need to be cleared before the "CSUF Login" will be shown again.
How can I adjust the screen resolution so I can see bigger screen?
Under "User Preferences", click on "RDP File Preferences" and change the resolution under the "Resolution" dropdown menu.
