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FAQ & Troubleshooting
While using the latest technology, some users find themselves overwhelmed by the learning curve required for its proper use. This page offers these users a quick and easy way to find out answers to some of the most commonly asked questions by providing basic troubleshooting information.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I can't access the Internet. What can I do?
- The printer in the computer lab is not printing. What can I do?
- My computer is frozen and won't respond. What can I do?
- My computer is running very slowly. What can I do?
- Advertising windows intermittently pop up on my screen and I can't make them go away. What can I do?
- Windows Defender (Validation required)
- Adaware SE Personal
- Spybot Search and Destroy
- My computer seems to be infected with a virus. What can I do?
- Does WBS offer Student Discounted software or hardware?
- What steps do I need to take to connect to WBS Wi-fi?
- What can I do to get support for my personal computer?
- What do I need to make my computer secure?
- General Microsoft Office help.
- Should I save my documents on a floppy disk?
- What are some basic tips for safe computing?
- 1. You should know how to save and back up your work.
- 2. You and you alone are responsible for knowing your passwords.
- 3. You should know how to e-mail effectively, securely and efficiently.
- 4. Do your part to secure your workstation.
- 5. You should troubleshoot before calling for help.
- How do I open a Microsoft Office document that was created in a newer version than what I have?
Make sure your wireless network interface card (NIC) is switched on, is within range of a wireless access point, and connected. For instructions on how to connect to WBS Wi-Fi, click here.
Make sure that the printer is not out of paper, also make sure that you are printing to the correct printer.
Press the CTRL+ALT+Delete keys on your keyboard. Look at the "Applications" tab of the Task Manager to identify which program is not responding. Click on that program and then click "End Task."
If pressing CTRL+ALT+Delete on your keyboard doesn't do anything, press the reset button on your computer, or *hold the power switch in for 5-6 seconds to force the computer to shut down.
*Note: Only do this as a last measure.
There are many possibilities of what could be causing your computer to run more slowly than it normally does. Having a lot of programs running simultaneously will eat up system resources, especially if your computer doesn't have a lot of extra memory. WBS IT recommends that your system be equipped with at least 1GB of system memory.
Other possibilities include a hardware device that is faulty, a problem with the operating system, or even a virus or ad/spyware. To check for problematic hardware, right-click My Computer and select "Properties." Click the "Hardware" tab and look in the Device Manager for any devices that have an unusual status icon next to them. Windows has built-in troubleshooting helps for many common hardware problems.
To check for viruses and/or ad/spyware, see the FAQs below.
If your computer has recurring pop-up windows, even when you are not browsing the Internet, chances are your computer is infected with some form of malware. There are several free programs available for download on the Internet that can rid your computer of these malicious programs as well as prevent any future occurences. WBS IT recommends you download and install at least one of the following free programs:
If your computer already has an antivirus program installed, make sure that it is updated with the latest virus definition updates. If you don't already have antivirus software, WBS IT recommends you download and install at least one of the following free programs:
WBS does not currently offer direct discounts on software or hardware. Student’s do, however, have the ability to purchase "student discount" software elsewhere. Microsoft Office is offered in Student Editions at local retailers in the Jackson area, although Sun Microsystems offers a very adequate substitute for MS Office that is free for download and use. WBS also has an agreement with Apple Computers to get discounts on both hardware and software directly from their website.
Currently, all we require is for students to register their computer MAC (physical) address through the Angel Portal. Instructions for finding your machine's address are posted there. We are in process or reviewing our Internet registration process. For the technical settings needed to connect, see the How To Connect page.
The technology staff at WBS tries very hard to help students with their personal computers. Please keep in mind that we deal primarily with problems that deal specifically with services that we provide (Angel, e-mail, general Internet access). Problems caused by poor maintenance on the user's part or outdated software/hardware do not generally warrant staff time. However, the technology staff may offer more in-depth help as time and resources permit.
Please be aware that no computer is ever completely safe. However, there are some simple steps that you can take to make it as safe as possible.
First off, make sure that all your software is up-to-date and has all available patches applied. This includes service packs for the operating system and any office suites that you are using. All major OS venders (Microsoft, Apple, Linux) have a way to keep current. If the OS that you are using no longer offers security updates (i.e. Windows 98), look into upgrading to a newer OS.
Secondly, you MUST run a up-to-date antivirus program. Just having an AV program installed is not enough. It must be kept up-to-date to be able to catch the latest viruses. If your antivirus subscription has expired, you must renew or find another solution. If cost is an issue there are many free AV programs out there (see FAQ #6 above).
Thirdly, you must run some form of antispyware product, and you must keep it up-to-date. You must run these regularly to help keep your computer clean. There are many free antispyware programs out there (see FAQ #5 above). Also, it is general rule of Internet security that you avoid installing questionable software and visiting dangerous websites.
Lastly, you should run a personal firewall of some sort. Windows XP has a built-in firewall, but if you want additional protection, a good free firewall program can be obtained from Zone Labs.
Most questions concerning a Microsoft Office product can be answered using Microsoft's built-in help wizard. You can launch the help wizard by pressing F1 on your keyboard. Please check this before contacting an IT staff person concerning your issue. Chances are the IT staff person will simply check this help file to assist you, therefore doing it yourself can save everybody's time.
Floppy disks are old and outdated. Not only are they highly unreliable, but they can only hold 1.44 MB of data per disk. WBS IT recommends that you save your documents to a CD or USB flash thumbdrive. CDs can hold up to 700 MB per disk, and you can buy a cheap thumbdrive that can hold anywhere from 250 MB to 4 GB. The computers in the WBS computer lab will accept both CDs and thumbdrives.
The following 5 points come from an eWeek article entitled, Five Ways to Stay in Your Help Desk's Good Graces:
Almost every person with a personal computer has a tendency to assume that it will never die, yet every computer sooner or later does just that.
"That general assumption is what drives all the stupidity that happens around simple things. Most IT emergencies on a daily basis are because someone's laptop dies on the same day they need a proposal or report into someone. It always comes down to backup," said Jeff Reed, chief technology officer of global technology provider Logicalis, in Seattle.
Reed noted that many people wrongly assume that they have no role in the backup or recovery process, and are often surprised to learn that their work isn't automatically backed up for them.
"Educate yourself on how your company backs up and recovers PCs. Reading the manual could save you two weeks' trouble. It's pretty easy to save your work to the network or any drive where it can be backed up," said Reed.
In addition to understanding the different places that their work can be saved, workers should also understand the difference between "Save" and "Save As."
"If you are collaborating with someone, or even working on your own, it will help you to keep a legacy of your work, versions A, B, C, etc., until you come to a final document," said Tomlinson.
No matter how friendly they appear, IT professionals are never happy to hear that your forgotten password needs to be reset.
"You should know how to create, remember and change secure passwords for all personal accounts, applications and resources on the network," Richard Tomlinson, director of records and registration and assistant professor at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, in Harrisburg, Pa., told eWEEK.
Better yet, if you need to write down your password, you should do so in a way that does not announce to all passers-by your low opinion of the importance of network security.
"We see people with their passwords on a sticky note on their monitor all the time. 'Because I wanted to remember it!' they'll say. But what they meant was they didn't want to be inconvenienced by having to look it up," said Tomlinson.
It may seem common sense to not respond to an e-mail phishing attempt or spam, or to not click on an attachment in an e-mail from an unknown source, yet as long as these security threats exist, someone will inevitably, either by accident or because they were markedly misinformed, fall for them. The results could cripple an entire data network.
Beyond the obvious "big bads" of e-mail security are the effective managing of the quantity and information contained in electronic messages. Unnecessary messages should be deleted, sent and deleted items shouldn't be used as a saved items repository, and folders should be created to organize saved items, said Tomlinson.
"There are users that absolutely don't know how to manage their e-mail or storage space. Their mailboxes end up filling up and they can't receive mail anymore. The more users you have that don't understand that, the more storage space your IT department requires," said Tomlinson.
And most gravely, IT pros told eWEEK, don't send a piece of chain mail to 20 people that you know.
"E-mail was meant to be short, concise communication. Before you forward something, just assume that you're really not that great of a source of information. You're not a journalist. You send something to 10 people who each send it to another 10, and it's a huge drain on resources," said Ken Colburn, president of Data Doctors Computer Services, in Tempe, Ariz.
While the onus of the daunting responsibility for securing a corporation's network falls predominantly on the IT department, there are no shortage of things that employees can do to ensure that their computer is not the station that waves the bad guys in.
Among these, not opening risky attachments or downloading spyware-ridden programs and screensavers are near the top of the list. Not much further down, however, is the need to lock your workstation when you are idle or walk away from your computer, especially if your computer is not set up to do this automatically after a set period of time.
More so, don't assume that because you are not handling classified information that your computer is not vulnerable to attack.
"People have said to me, 'But I'm just using Word! I'm not doing anything risky.' But any time you are logged into an enterprise network, you are doing something that poses as a security risk to it," said Tomlinson.
In the case of the stranger (cough) who hit the panic button and called for help when his computer seemed to be broken, any number of troubleshooting techniques may have averted a help desk ticket.
John Baschab, co-author of "The Executive's Guide to Information Technology" (Wiley 2003) and president of the management services division at Technisource, a provider of information technology and engineering services in Little Rock, Ark., gave a few examples: "Things that could have saved a call: Is the computer plugged in? Are the lights on the printer on? Is there paper in the paper tray? Is the right tray selected? Is the network cable plugged into the wall as well as your computer? Is your monitor turned on and is your docking station locked in?"
Another item that any worker can easily check for is repeatability.
"Is the printing problem in more than one program? You can quickly figure out if it's a printing issue or an application issue," said Colburn.
On the more technical side, but still a potential timesaver, is to learn the basic first-response tasks that any help desk worker would try first.
"There are really simple commands [they] could [use to see] if they have a network connection, or [workers could learn] to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to see on the task manager what's stalling them so they can shut that application down instead of rebooting the whole machine," said Tomlinson.
But without question, the most basic, elemental and primitive triage workers should be able to perform on their computer is the good, old-fashioned flick of the power switch.
"It's amazing how many people don't reboot before calling for help. It solves a million problems," said Colburn.
Chances are you need to download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats. If this doesn't work, have the person who sent you the file send it again as a rich text format (.rtf) document.
>Not finding what you're looking for? Contact WBS IT for help.
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