September/October 2008 articles

10/22/2008 - ITS Software Repair and Troubleshooting Service

The ITS Help Desk provides a computer software repair and troubleshooting service at no cost to University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff.  If initial troubleshooting efforts over the telephone or by e-mail are not successful, customers can drop their personal laptop or desktop computer off at the Help Desk for "hands-on" assistance.  See the Software Repair and Troubleshooting Service Support Center for information about the types of services provided, details on backing up important data, and instructions for dropping off your computer for service.

9/26/2008 - Is Your Computer Running Slowly?

As you use your computer, over time you may start to notice it running slower than it used to run when you first got it.  It might take longer to boot up, load programs, or load web pages.  These can be normal things that happen naturally as your computer gets older, or it could be due to viruses or programs called spyware that run in the background and use your computer's resources. This article provides some tips for helping your computer to run most efficiently.

9/2/2008 - How to Reset Your Hawk ID Password Yourself

It's 3AM on a Sunday morning, you've forgotten your Hawk ID password, and you have to check for that important e-mail, sign in to ICON, or access one of the many services that uses your Hawk ID password, such as ISIS or HR Self-Service. How can you reset your Hawk ID password when the Help Desk is closed? If you've set up your password hints ahead of time, you can do it at http://hawkid.uiowa.edu. To set up your password hints, click on the "Provide password hints" link and provide answers to a few security questions. Then, the next time you forget your password, you'll be able to reset it yourself, any time of the day or night, by clicking on the "Forgotten Password" link.