Lab Contributors - 1999

	The North Bellevue Community & Senior Center and Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle: Teaming Up to Provide Service to the Community

Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle (KEGS) is a local computer user group that has teamed with the North Bellevue Community & Senior Center to establish and maintain computer training tools that will serve our senior community today and has the flexibility to evolve with future needs.

KEGS has provided the volunteer personnel needed to establish this computer lab and is committed to providing all the ongoing support needed to upgrade and maintain its efficient operation. KEGS has also actively petitioned vendors for contributions to the success of this effort. The responses to our requests have been phenomenal.

We want to thank the following contributors for their generous donations to the implementation and ongoing support of our computer training lab here at the North Bellevue Community & Senior Center. The development of this state-of-the-art training facility is a shining example of what can be accomplished with volunteerism and local industry's commitment to community.

Cash Contributors

• Allstate Insurance - Seattle ~ This donation of $120.00 was part of Allstate's 1998 contribution to KEGS continuing community involvement.

Training Material

• Ed Bott - Author ~ Ed is a prolific writer of user manuals as well as a nationally published reviewer of software.  While Ed was still living in the area he graciously contributed a number of Training and User Support manuals that have been of great help to the users of this computer lab.

Hardware Contributors

• 3-Com - www.3com.com ~ This major supplier of networking hardware has provided support to this computer lab through their local Bellevue offices and their California headquarters. Their contributions include the Network Switch, Network Interface Cards and two US Robotics 56Kb Courier Modems needed for system implementation.
• Advanced Cable Systems - Bellevue, WA ~ These local Network Cable Installation Specialists provided all the cable needed for the network and the cable and video amplifier needed distribution of the instructor's video to display monitors at the student stations.
• Cabletron Systems - www.cabletron.com ~ This worldwide business communications company contributed a Uninterruptible Power Supply to protect the labs' network server.
• City of Bellevue Parks & Community Services ~ Bellevue's commitment to this endeavor is reflected by their donation of sixteen Dell Pentium II, 350Mhz computers with Sony monitors.
• Electra Technical Sales - Kirkland, WA - www.electratech.com ~ As the local representative for Advanced Micro Devices they arranged for the donation of a new AMD K6-2 350Mhz Processor for our network server.
• HardDrives Northwest - Bellevue, WA - www.hdnw.com ~ This local computer vendor has negotiated to provide a discount for all new hardware purchased for the computer lab.
• Merit - Bothell, WA - (as of 2002, Merit is no longer in business) ~ Merit, a local Microsoft Direct Original Equipment Manufacturer, supplied the new motherboard needed for our network server.
• Panduit - Tinley Park, IL - www.panduit.com ~ A major manufacturer of Wiring and Communication Products, Panduit's President, Bernie Westpher, personally approved their involvement and their local representative supported our every request. Donations included wire termination jacks, wall plates, panels, surface ducting, and relay rack. Their contribution also included training tapes and the tools needed for installation of the network.
• WinStar Northwest Nexus - Bellevue, WA - www.nwnexus.com ~ This local ISP is donating both Dial-up Internet access and e-mail.

Software Contributors

• Microsoft - Bellevue - Pacific Northwest District Sales Office - www.microsoft.com ~ Microsoft has given continued support to the training of seniors at this facility and when we requested their assistance in the modernization of the computer lab, their generosity was boundless. All donations included licenses or quantities sufficient to support all students and instructor computers in the lab. The donations included:
  • Microsoft NT Small Business Server 4.0
  • Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Publisher 98 Deluxe Edition with PictureIt! 99
  • Microsoft Front Page 98
  • Microsoft Works

  We have been informed that when Microsoft NT Small Business Server 4.5 is released we will be given a free upgrade that will include Microsoft Office 2000.

• PowerQuest - www.powerquest.com ~ This utility software vendor provided us with formatting and drive duplication software that was essential in the initial set-up of the computer lab.
  • Drive Image - Professional
  • PartitionMagic
• Intuit - www.intuit.com ~ Richard Katz of Intuit was instrumental in seeing that we received the accounting software "Quicken Home & Business 99" for every student & instructor computer.
• Symantec - www.symantec.com ~ Symantec donated the utility software that will be used for ongoing maintenance and support of this computer lab.
  • Norton SystemWorks Professional for our Windows 98 computers
  • Ghost for Microsoft NT

Personal Donation

• Gary Skelton of Bellevue, WA ~ One of our KEGS members, Gary donated the case for our network server.
• Anonymous Donors are responsible for the following items:
  • Two roll-around carts
  • One VCR
  • And finally, all of our great members of the KEGS organization, who are too numerous to mention here, but who have selflessly donated so many hours of time to making this lab work for everybody.

Again, we want to thank all the contributors for helping us make this installation a real showcase of technology and community cooperation.

Bellevue Parks and Recreation Board Recognizes KEGS and Microsoft Corporation

The City of Bellevue Parks & Recreation Board recognized the Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle (KEGS) and Microsoft Corporation For their contributions to the community through their continued support of the Computer Training Lab at the North Bellevue Community Center.

The presentation took place on October 10, 2006 at the monthly meeting of the Bellevue Parks & Recreation Board in the Council Conference Room (1E-113) at the City of Bellevue's City Hall - 450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue WA, 98004. 

Following is the handout prepared by the administration at the North Bellevue Community Center that was given to the Board.

North Bellevue Community/Senior Center ~ Computer Lab Fact Sheet

• The modern Computer Lab began in 1999 with a donation of 16 computers from the City of Bellevue. With that as a starting point; KEGS negotiated donations from eight major hardware vendors, four major software vendors, monetary contributions from local business, as well as contributions of equipment and labor of their members. The initial value of the equipment, software and labor to set up the Lab was $95,000.
• The partnership with Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle (KEGS) was formed at this time, with the first project being the significant task of design, installation and setup of the Computer Lab. KEGS installed and networked the computers, solicited donations of software, hardware, cabling, and furniture, installed a server and assumed ongoing maintenance of the Lab.
• Microsoft Corporation has been a major contributor and has given continued support of the lab. Beginning with the initial 17 licenses for Office 97 and Small Business Server 2.0 and through three major upgrades to our current software of Windows XP, Microsoft XP Professional, Works Suite, and Small Business Server 2003, Microsoft has worked with KEGS to provide the Lab with software upgrades at every request. The value of the software updates donated through Microsoft since the lab was initially put into service is approximately $75,000.
• In 2002, a major hardware upgrade was funded by the North Bellevue Senior Advisory Board. This upgrade included larger hard drives and additional memory for each computer and Deep Freeze security software. All labor to install these components and software was provided by KEGS volunteers.
• This on-going partnership benefits the City, KEGS, and the community in many ways. In exchange for meeting space 2 evenings each week, KEGS volunteers maintain the Computer Lab, fix problems as they arise, upgrade equipment and solicit donations of hardware and software.
• The most recent lab upgrade is the addition of high-speed internet service via cable modem, allowing the Lab to offer a variety of courses on safely navigating the internet, e-mail, search engines, etc.. Equipment is in place to add wi-fi access for the facility which will allow people to bring their laptops to the Center and access the internet from the Coffee Bar and the Banquet Room, and depending on signal strength, the rest of the building as well. Wi-fi is a frequent request of potential renters and partner agencies.
• Over 600 individuals have taken a course in the Computer Lab. When the lab first opened, classes filled to 14 students and had waiting lists. Offerings were the very basics such as "Introduction to Windows" and "Introduction to Word". Over time, courses changed to meet the needs of students to became smaller, more specialzed courses such as: "Using Digital Cameras", "Photo Editing", and "Scanning". "One-On-One" help has been another popular addition, with nearly every available slot filling each quarter. The newest course offerings in the Computer Lab include, "Burning CDs", "Many Faces of Google", and "Internet Safety".

North Bellevue Community Center Lab

The North Bellevue Community & Senior Center and Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle: Teaming Up to Provide Service to the Community

In 1999 KEGS recognized the opportunity to further assist our community by enhancing a computer training lab at the North Bellevue Community / Senior Center. Using totally donated equipment and volunteer time, KEGS designed, built and installed a state-of-art computer training lab valued at $95,000.00.

KEGS continues to administer and update the lab and the Community Center provides KEGS with access to the lab and their meeting facilities for sixteen (16) Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings every month.

We're very proud of what we've done and we thought we'd give you a look at the Computer Lab. But before you look at the pictures, here's a basic listing of lab's current facilities:

What's in the Lab

Student computers: There are 14 student computers, two at each table. Also, on every student table is a third monitor that displays an image of the instructor's monitor.

The instructor's computer is identical to the student computers and sits on its own table at the front of the room where the instructor can face the students.

At the back of the room is a computer used as a student Scanning station. This computer also has a CD burner.

The Server for the lab's network is also located at the back of the room. Adjacent to the server is a relay rack that holds the network switch and battery back-up for the server. Attached to the server are three printers that can be accessed by any of the lab computers: one laser printer, one inkjet printer and one dot-matrix (impact) printer.

There is also one old 486 computer at the back of the room. This computer is exclusively used by KEGS for attendance records of its SIG meetings.

There is a Portable/Demonstration computer on a roll-around cart that can be used outside the lab. There are two locations in the center that have been wired to provide interconnection by this computer to the lab's network. This is the only computer equipped with a DVD and a sound system.

OK, take a look around. Just click on a picture to get a close-up look. If you want in-depth info on the lab, see the information below.

Current Lab Hardware Configuration Information

The Server was built by KEGS and consists of:

• AT Server Case with 550 watt power supply and 7 fans.
• Asus P5A Motherboard
• AMD 500Mh processor
• 393 Meg of RAM
• Two 60 Gig Hard drives in removable mountings (2^nd drive is back-up)
• One CD ROM
• Two external US Robotics Courier Modems. One for shared Internet access & one for shared FAX & Modem. (FAX / Modem is currently not in service.)
• One 3Com EtherLink III (3C509b) network card
• A Parallel interface card that adds two additional printer ports. The server supports three (3) network printers.
  • HP DeskJet (The default printer for all lab computers)
  • HP LaserJet
  • Okidata Microline dot-matrix impact printer

The non-portable Instructor PC and all 14 Student PCs are all:

Dell OptiPlex G1 Pentium II, 350Mh computers with:

• 288 Meg of RAM
• 40 Gig Hard drives (Formatted to provide a C: drive of 20 Gig. The rest of the drive space (Drive D:) is used to hold a maintenance image of the primary drive.)
• CD ROM
• NO sound

The Scanning Station PC is identical to the Instructor computer except that it also has:

• HP ScanJet 5100C scanner
• PlexWriter CD burner
• Soundblaster Sound Card

The Portable Demo/Instruction PC is a Seattle built, ACI computer with:

• Intel Pentium II, 667Mh processor
• 393 Meg of RAM
• Two (2) 20 Gig hard drives. (Only one is used by the user. The second drive holds a maintenance image of the primary drive.)
• DVD drive and associated software.
• Soundblaster Sound Card and speakers

The KEGS PC (to the left of the Scanning Station PC) is an old 486 running Windows 98se. It is used by KEGS SIG leaders for attendance administration of their groups.

• This is NOT a normal lab terminal.

Current Lab Software Information

The Server's software:

• Microsoft Small Business Server 2000
• PowerQuest's DeployCenter, licensed for 20 users (Drive image and image distribution software)
• That's it. No programs are provided from the server. All user software is individually loaded on each lab PC

The 14 Student PCs:

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Office XP Professional with Front Page
• Microsoft Publisher 2002 with full Media Content
• Microsoft Works Suite 2002 offers Works & Word and adds:
  • Encarta 2002
  • Money 2002
  • Picture It! Photo 2002
  • Streets & Trips 2002
• Quicken Home & Small Business 2002
• Norton Anti-Virus
• Deep Freeze (Prevents any drive deletions or unauthorized installations.)
• We've also added things like WinZip 8.1, Adobe Acrobat reader 5.0, Microsoft Power Toys for Windows XP, and several Genealogy programs that were requested by users of the lab.

The non-portable Teachers PC has everything a Student PC has plus:

• When logged on as the Visiting Instructor, you can also find and run PeachTree accounting software Ver. 2002.

The Scanning Station PC has everything a Student PC has plus:

• Microsoft's Windows XP Scanning software
• Roxio's CD burning software
• A sound system and associated software

The Portable Demo/Instruction PC has everything a Student PC has plus:

• A copy of QuickBooks used for SIG training
• A joystick and associated software. (Sorry, still not working properly.)
• A DVD drive using Microsoft's Windows XP software
• A sound system and associated software