UC Davis Information & Educational Technology

Bits & Bytes

Bits and Bytes

Archives

Aargh! What Do I Do Now?

Published in the Aggie on October 6, 2004
by Alexa Carleton

Computers. Without one, you might feel stuck in the mud on the side of the road while the rest of the world races by, yet even with one, you may still find yourself spending hours chugging along with a clogged engine. Computers are like cars: they’re great when running well but they cause a lot of headaches when they malfunction. If something went wrong with your car, though, you wouldn’t push it off a cliff screaming, “That’s the last time you stall on a date, you worthless pile of scrap!!!” You would take it to a mechanic. Likewise, if your computer is acting funny, resist the temptation to go for the sledgehammer and instead, take advantage of campus tech support resources to help fix your problem.

One of our goals at Information and Educational Technology (IET) is to make you aware of the many computing resources available to you here on campus and to help you make the most of your computing experience. Here are some of the more common questions we get regarding computers:

Q: What do I do if my printer dies printing my term paper at 3:00 A.M. the night before it’s due?
A: If the problem is just your printer, you’re in luck. Save your term paper onto your slick new USB drive or in MySpace and then head to a computer room the next morning to print it (see http://clm.ucdavis.edu/ for hours). Once your paper is turned in and you have a stress-free day or two until the next one is due, call Campus Printer Repair at (530) 752-7762, check out their Web site at http://cpr.ucdavis.edu/, or visit them at 1440 Surge II. They can repair most models of Apple and HP printers (for a fee), and can advise you about other printer models.

If the problem wasn’t with your printer, you may have a software problem, and your best option is to visit IT Express, the campus computing help desk. Located at 182 Shields Library, IT Express provides free assistance to students, faculty and staff. Drop in any time during their open hours (Monday-Friday from 8am-6pm, or on the weekends from 1-4 pm). If you can’t get your computer to recognize the new printer you bought, have forgotten your password (bring a photo ID), or need a general computer question answered, the IT Express consultants can help solve your problems (well, at least your computing problems). Monday through Friday, you can also reach them by phone (530-752-HELP) and by email (ithelp@ucdavis.edu). You can also visit them on the Web at http://itexpress.ucdavis.edu/.

Q: I think my computer has a virus. What can I do about it? How do I keep it from getting another one?
A: Viruses have made headlines around the world and become a major concern at UC Davis. These pesky bugs can compromise your email accounts, infect your computer software, and slow down your system. Luckily, the campus provides Symantec AntiVirus free to all students. You can download it at http://my.ucdavis.edu/software/, or purchase the UC Davis Internet Tools CD for about $7 (including tax) at the Bookstore Computer Shop. Along with Symantec AntiVirus, the CD includes the latest versions of Mozilla, Eudora, and other useful Internet software, and will help you create a computing account from off- campus. The campus also has free Windows XP Service Pack 2 CDs available at IT Express, all the computer rooms, and the Bookstore Computer Shop. Service Pack 2 includes the latest patches and updates to the XP operating system, as well as new features and technologies to better address security threats.

We have a lot more to share with you, so look for this column every Wednesday in the Aggie. Each week, we’ll discuss some new aspect of computers or technology; future articles will cover file-sharing, campus computer rooms, and multimedia. In the meantime, visit the Student Computing Guide on the Web at http://scg.ucdavis.edu/ to get the latest on technology at UC Davis.

Bits & Bytes Archives

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004