Patron PC Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a USB "Thumb Drive" or "USB Key" on your computers? Thumb drives are very picky what computers that they function with, for security reasons we have many features locked down on Patron PC's in the library system. However, the two computers that will allow some drives to work are the ORANGE and BROWN computers at the Mount Vernon location.

I have a resume made on a program at home, can I bring it in and print the resume out or load the program on your computer? We do not allow the installation of any programs to any library access computer for security and licensing reasons. In most cases it is illegal to install more than one copy of the software. If your resume is in Word, Works, Wordperfect, or Adobe PDF format you can print it out.

Can I view my pictures from a CD if I bring it in? Computers are locked down for security reasons and to prevent the loading of illegal or non-permitted applications. In some cases the photo CD provider will require you to install software to view pictures so it may not work.

My email from Yahoo, MSN, or GMAIL is not working, can you fix it? While it is a problem that your email is not working, the unfortunate part is that 99% of the time the issue is actually with the provider of your email. Typically email outages from providers only last a few minutes and you can try the service again. Our technicians cannot provide assistance with email.

I can't access a video, or a certain file on your Patron PC, but I can at work/home...why is that? We do not have certain web features enabled for security reasons and not all files are playable or can be viewed on the Patron PC's. If the website works on your home computer, chances are you have different software on your system.

Why does my game not work on the Patron PC? These computers are not set up for "gaming" or to install certain software that the games require. Many games that are only from Yahoo, MSN, and other providers install tracking "cookies" and spyware on your system in order to operate and these are things that we cannot have installed on our network. While it is unfortunate that the game does not work, we cannot make exceptions and install or troubleshoot the software.

Why does Yahoo Chat, AOL IM, and other chat programs have problems? Chat programs, like games install software to the computer that can alter settings and cause system problems. We DO NOT block the Chat services, however the security settings on the computers do not allow you to install the required files on the Patron PC's.