Basic, ACE Edition
Frequently asked questions and instructor notes
All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course. It includes minimum requirements for the students’ personal computers, setup information for the first time you teach the class, and setup information for each time that you teach after the first time you set up the classroom.
Hardware requirements
Each student’s personal computer should have:
· A keyboard and a mouse
· An Intel Pentium 4, Intel Centrino, Intel Xeon, or Intel Core Duo (or compatible) processor with a clock speed of 1.3 GHz or higher
· At least 256 MB of available RAM (512 MB recommended) for Windows XP, and at least 1 GB of available RAM (1.5 GB recommended) for Windows Vista
· 2.13 GB of available hard-disk space
· A CD-ROM drive for installation
· An XGA or better monitor, capable of 24-bit color or more (1,024
´
768 monitor resolution) with 16-bit video card
· A sound card and either speakers or headphones (If these
are not installed, students will not be able to complete activity B-2 in the
unit titled “PDF accessibility.”)
Software requirements
You will need the following software:
· Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1
· Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro or Acrobat 9 Pro Extended
· Microsoft Office Word 2002 or later
· Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
Network requirements
The following network components and connectivity are also required for this course:
· Internet access, for the following purposes:
– Downloading the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com
– Downloading the Student Data files (if necessary)
First-time setup instructions
The first time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Install Windows XP on an NTFS partition according to the software manufacturer’s instructions.
Note: You can also use Windows Vista or Windows Server 2003, but the screen shots in this course were taken using Windows XP, so students’ screens will look somewhat different.
2 If the operating system is Windows XP, then launch the Control Panel, open the Display Properties dialog box, and apply the following settings:
· Theme — Windows XP
· Screen resolution — 1024 by 768 pixels
· Color quality — High (24 bit) or higher
3 Display file extensions and hidden files.
a Start Windows Explorer.
b Choose Tools, Folder Options and select the View tab.
c Clear the check box for “Hide extensions for known file types.”
d Select “Show hidden files and folders” and click OK.
e Close Windows Explorer.
4 Set up Internet access for the students. Internet access is required; an e-mail account is not.
5 Open Internet Explorer and navigate to www.update.microsoft.com. Update the operating system with the latest critical updates and service packs.
6 Install Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro according to the software manufacturer’s instructions. Perform a typical installation. When prompted, accept the Acrobat license agreement, and then close Acrobat.
Note: You can also use Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which offers a superset of the features described in this course. RAM and hard disk requirements for Pro Extended are slightly higher than for Pro.
7 Install Microsoft Office. Install only Microsoft Word, unless you want to demonstrate interactivity with other Microsoft products. Only Word files are used in this course.
Note: You can use Office 2002 or Office 2003, but the screen shots in this course were taken using Office 2007, so students’ screens will look somewhat different. Word documents in the student data files are saved in the .doc format so they can be opened in previous versions of Word.
8 Create a folder called Student Data at the root of the hard drive (C:\).
9 Download the student data files for the course. You can download the data directly to student machines, to a central location on your own network, or to a disk.
a Connect to www.axzopress.com.
b Under Downloads, click Instructor-Led Training.
c Browse the subject categories to locate your course. Then click the course title to display a list of available downloads. (You can also access these downloads through our Catalog listings.)
d Click the link(s) for downloading the Student Data files, and follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
10 Copy the data files to the Student Data folder.
Setup instructions for every class
Every time you teach this course (including the first time), you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Open Internet Explorer and navigate to www.update.microsoft.com. Update the operating system with the latest critical updates and service packs.
2 If necessary, reset any defaults that have been changed in previous classes.
a Start Acrobat 9 Pro.
b Choose View, Toolbars, Reset Toolbars.
c Choose Advanced, Security Settings. In the Security Settings dialog box, select Digital IDs, select each digital ID (if any), and click Remove ID. Enter the necessary password and click OK (the passwords for this course were set to “password”). Close the Security Settings dialog box.
d Choose Edit, Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, select Commenting and check “Always use Log-in Name for Author name.”
e In the Preferences dialog box, select Identity and delete any text in the Name and Organization Name boxes.
f In the Preferences dialog box, select General and click Reset All Warnings. Click OK.
g Choose File, Organizer, Open Organizer to open the Organizer window. In the Categories pane, under Collections, click Progress report docs. Press Delete and click Yes to delete the collection. Close the Organizer window.
h Choose Advanced, Manage Trusted Identities to open the Manage Trusted Identities dialog box. In the Name list, select J Barclay (if present). Click Delete and click OK. Click Close.
i Close Acrobat 9 Pro.
3 Delete the contents of the Student Data folder, if necessary.
4 Copy the data files to the Student Data folder. (See the download instructions in the preceding section.)
CertBlaster exam preparation for ACE certification
CertBlaster pre- and post-assessment software is available for the Acrobat 9 ACE exam. To download and install this free software, students should complete the following steps:
1 Go to www.axzopress.com.
2 Under Downloads, click CertBlaster.
3 Click the link for Acrobat 9.
4 Save the .EXE file to a folder on your hard drive. (Note: If you skip this step, the CertBlaster software will not install correctly.)
5 Click Start and choose Run.
6 Click Browse and then navigate to the folder that contains the .EXE file.
7 Select the .EXE file and click Open.
8 Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions. When prompted for the password, enter c_acro9.
Topic B: Frequently asked questions
There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.
Topic C: Course notes
The original certificates used in the Document Security unit of this course have expired since the time of publication, meaning that students using files from the original data CDs will be unable to complete activities B-4 and C-1. The files affected are CertExchangeJBarclay.fdf and Check signature.pdf. Updated files are included in the Student Data files on the Axzo Press Web site (See First-time setup instructions).
Topic D: Additional information
There is no additional information for this course at this time.