Knowledge Base
Helpdesk
I require technical assistance. Who do I contact?
Technical
assistance is available to FCOB-affiliated faculty and staff by calling 292-8976
or sending an email to helpdesk@fisher.osu.edu.
Should I call FCOB’s or OSU’s helpdesk?
It is generally a good
idea to call the FCOB helpdesk first to determine if the problem is with your
computer or not. Calling the FCOB helpdesk first should get you a much quicker
response should the problem be with your computer. If we determine that the
problem needs to be addressed by OIT, we will refer you to OSU’s helpdesk at
688-HELP.
What are the helpdesk's operating hours?
The helpdesk is available
Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. In the Summer Quarter, hours shift to
7:30am to 4:30pm.
How do I change my network password?
While logged into the
network, press Control-Alt-Delete and hit the button called "Change Password".
Where indicated, type your old password, your new password, and your new
password again to confirm the change. NOTE: This procedure will change your
password on the computer as well (for instance, on a laptop when logging in off
campus).
Where can I learn about software?
The OIT office on campus also
offers some computer short courses. More information can be obtained at http://oit.osu.edu/shortcourse/compcourses.html.
Where can I learn about Office 2007?
The Information Technology
Services Helpdesk has created three introductory e-learning modules about the
most commonly used Office 2007 applications. You may view them here:
Module
1: Word 2007
Module
2: Excel 2007
Module
3: PowerPoint 2007
Can I get discounts for computer software through OSU?
The Ohio
State University has agreements with many software vendors. OSU has contracts
that allow the University students, faculty, and staff to purchase software at
substantially discounted prices.
Updated information can be found at OSU's Office of Information Technology's
Site for Licenced Software.
Where do I get SAS, SPSS, etc?
Information on getting OSU Site
Licensed software, such as SAS and SPSS, can be found at: http://oit.osu.edu/site_license/.
Where do I get Travel System software?
Information on installing
Travel System software can be found at https://oit.osu.edu/TravelSystem/.
You will need your OIT supplied username (name.#) and password to log in. As the
software requires three components, please follow the installation directions
carefully.
What do I do for printer repair and cleaning?
All printers,
especially laser printers, should have routine maintenance and cleaning done to
them. It is the responsibility of each department to make sure that they have
their printers cleaned and serviced on a regular basis.
The FCOB helpdesk is unable to do hardware repair and maintenance on printers. Departments wishing this done should contact an outside company.
Please note that Information Technology Services does not endorse the work
done by any specific outside company.
What do I do when I get a “U drive out of disk space” error?
Some
people store a significant amount of data on their network drive called the U
drive. Everyone is given a certain amount of space on that drive. When the drive
is full, it gives errors. It is very common for Eudora users to store email on
this drive, and downloading mail is the most common occasion for encountering
this error.
Many people don’t realize that when they delete an email, the attachment is not automatically deleted with it. You need to go in and delete old attachments manually.
Double click the My Computer icon on the desktop. Once that opens, look for your U drive. The name of the U drive is usually "HOME." Double click the U drive then open the Win_net folder. Once open, look for either the attach folder or the eud_att folder. Inside these folders are attachments you have received. Deleting unwanted attachments should give you the needed room. If Eudora is still giving you an error, try clicking the retry button.
Please remember to go through and delete any unwanted attachments on a
regular basis.
What is backing up, and when and how do I do it?
Backing up the
data on your computer is where you copy important files from your computer onto
Zips, CDRs, external hard drives, and the like so that you will have access to
the files in case something happens to your computer. Additionally it is always
best to store at least one copy of the data that is not with the computer, such
as having backups from your office machine at your home. That will help keep
your important data safe in events such as fires.
Each individual in the college is responsible for keeping their own data safe by doing any backups which they feel necessary. There is no hard and fast rule as to how you should do backups or how often.
The vast majority of computers in the college come with drives which can be used for backups, such as Zip or CDRW drives. Please call the helpdesk if you are having difficulty with backups.
At a minimum, the helpdesk recommends that you do at least a partial backup
weekly, and a full backup monthly. Also you should do a backup before having the
helpdesk install software, perform an upgrade, or do maintenance. It is really a
matter of preference for the user, because only they can judge the value of the
data to them, or even know where the important data is located.
Should I have a firewall on my home computer?
Firewalls are
strongly recommended if you have an "always-on" connection (e.g., cable modem or
DSL). Windows XP comes with a basic firewall, but you must enable it. If you do
not have Windows XP, you may purchase a firewall product from a reputable vendor
(e.g., Norton or BlackICE) through a computer or office supplies store. Neither
the college nor the university provides firewall software.
How do I get a network account?
There are several accounts
available depending on your position in the college: FCOB network account (for
logging into college computers), email/calendar, Unix research, and web. To
obtain an account, you must fill out a "Network Access Request" form. This form
is available at the front desk of Mason 320. For your convenience, the form is
also available at http://fisher.osu.edu/staff/ (in the
upper right corner of the page). Account creation takes two to five business
days from the time it has been returned to Information Technology Services.
Please be sure to place a check mark next to all the types of accounts you need
(email, web, etc.). A hard copy of your account information will be returned to
your department after the account has been created.
Please be sure to fill out all areas of the form to ensure a quick return
time. If you have any questions about the form, please ask a member of
Information Technology Services.
What's the difference between my "smith_1" username and my "smith.1"
username?
Your FCOB username is derived from the username assigned to
you by the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Therefore, if you have been
assigned the name "smith.1" as your OSU username, Information Technology
Services assigns you "smith_1" for use of the college's computing resources.
These names are not interchangeable. Please remember that you cannot log in to
the FCOB network using "smith.1"--you must use the name that has been assigned
to you by Information Technology Services.
How do I forward my OSU email to my College of Business email? You
must contact OIT. Information provided by OIT is located at http://8help.ohio-state.edu/mail_forwarding.html.
Otherwise, you may email 8help@osu.edu, call 688-HELP, or visit their office at
512 Baker Systems.
How can I protect my home computer from viruses?
OIT allows the
download of McAfee VirusScan from http://softwaretogo.osu.edu. You need to
know your OIT-assigned username (e.g., smith.1) and password to download
software from OIT.
