Meeting Room PC Checks
Tip of the Month - March 2025
Nobody likes running into problems while running meetings. If you are relying on a shared meeting room computer for your meeting, here are some tips to make sure that part of the meeting goes smoothly.
Before the Meeting
Allow for at least 10 minutes before the meeting to make sure the computer is working properly.
- Check that the computer turns on.
- Check that a picture appears on the screen.
- Check that the cordless keyboard and mouse are there and charged.
- Check that any applications you may need are available and working.
Remove any USB drives that may have been forgotten from previous meetings.
While likely innocent, untrusted USB drives can be security concerns. If it’s not yours, and is not needed for your meeting, it shouldn’t be part of your meeting.
Restart the computer.
A simple restart will help ensure that any user sessions and applications used in previous meetings are cleaned up, and will not affect your meeting.
Shut off any applications that produce notifications that you don’t need.
The major culprit is your email client. The last thing you want to appear during your meeting is a confidential or embarassing notification.
Ensure all presenters sit within range for the cordless keyboards and mice.
If the keyboard and mouse will be passed around a table, reduce disruptions by having the presenters positioned nearer to the computer.
During the Meeting
If using a web browser, use Private Browsing or Incognito Mode.
This will prevent the browser history associated with your meeting from being saved on the computer and becoming available to the next user.
Never save passwords. Never “Remember Me”.
This will prevent credentials from being saved that could allow others access to accounts after the meeting is over.
After the Meeting
Log out of websites and applications.
Don’t trust the computer to log out of things for you.
Delete any downloaded files.
Files left behind on the desktop or in the download folder will be available to the next users. Remember to clear the Recycle Bin too!
Remember to take any USB drives you used.
You don’t want to lose them.
Restart the computer.
This will ensure any applications you ran during the meeting (or may have left running) are properly cleaned up.