Recent articles and announcements from the ITS Help Desk at the University of Iowa http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ The ITS Help Desk Articles and Announcements RSS feed has been updated to the following link: http://its.uiowa.edu/apps2/news/helpdesk/?feed=rss2. Please update your RSS reader to reflect the new feed. http://its.uiowa.edu/apps2/news/helpdesk/?feed=rss2 7/21/2009 A new variation of a spear phishing email claiming to be from the Iowa Webmail Center has been reported. The email claims that a new webmail system is being implemented an that you must confirm your identity and send your password or risk losing your account. NOTE: These are not legitimate messages. ITS will never request your password be sent in an e-mail. If you receive this message, delete it and no further action is required. If you responded to the message, change your HawkID password immediately. More information about spear phishing messages of this type can be found here. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/articles/fraudemail.htm 7/4/2009 The ITS Help Desk will be closing at 5PM on Thursday, July 2nd for the Independence Day holiday weekend. The Help Desk will resume our regular hours at 8AM on Monday, July 6th. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 7/1/2009 Beginning Monday, June 29th, the ITS Help Desk will be open extended hours, with evening and weekend availability. University customers will be able to get help by telephone, online chat, email, or in-person from 8AM until 10PM Monday through Thursday, 8AM-5PM Fridays, 12PM-5PM Saturdays, and 6PM-10PM Sunday evenings. See the ITS Help Desk Contact page for location and contact information. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 6/26/2009 A fraudulent email is circulating with a "uiowa.edu" email address warning of an issue with your webmail quota. The email warns of loss of information in your mailbox unless you click a link to validate your mailbox and increase your quota. This is not a legitimate message. A copy of the email text can be found here. If you receive this email, you can delete it with no further action. If you have additional questions about this email or email security in general, contact the ITS Help Desk. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/articles/fraudemail2.htm 6/23/2009 ITS has negotiated educational and volume discount pricing with several computer vendors, including Apple, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Click the Get a Computer tab above to view special pricing, configurations, and ordering instructions. The ITS Help Desk also maintains a computer demo center at the University Capitol Centre. Feel free to stop by during regular business hours to try out the computers and have your questions about ordering and configuring your computer or what software you may need answered by Help Desk staff. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/demo 6/15/2009 Each year, ITS reserves a few days to perform infrastructure work at critical campus facilities, such as our data centers. These days are known as “infrastructure days.” The next infrastructure day is Saturday, June 13, from 5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. See the Help Desk Planned Outages page for more information. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/alerts/alert.asp?id=274 6/8/2009 The ITS Help Desk is open during the summer sessions and summer recess, maintaining telephone, e-mail, online chat (Help Desk Live), and walk-in support. See the Help Desk contact information page for specific hours and a map of our locations. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/contact.htm 5/13/2009 A new round of fraudulent e-mail messages claiming to be from ITS, helpdesk, UIOWA Support, UIOWA.EDU, Webmaster@uiowa, etc. have been reported. These e-mails claim you must reply with personal information, such as your username and password, or risk having your accounts deactivated. These are not legitimate messages. ITS will never request your password be sent in an e-mail. See the ITS Security Center for more information. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/articles/fraudemail.htm 5/4/2009 Power Down for the Planet is an awareness campaign which urges students, faculty and staff at colleges and universities to reduce their IT power consumption. The program is a collaboration between the Climate Savers Computing Initiative and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. The University of Iowa is a founding member of Power Down, along with the University of Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State and the University of California, San Diego. Learn more about the Power Down effort and your part in helping reduce power consumption at http://www.powerdownfortheplanet.org/. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 4/7/2009 Media outlets have been reporting the potential for a widespread outbreak of a malicious attack on Windows OS personal computers set for April 1, 2009. (See the following articles from CNN.com.) The attack is the result of computers infected with the Conficker worm, a program that could cause major problems for those infected computer users. More information is available on the ITS Security Center. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/articles/conficker.html 3/27/2009 At the request of the University of Iowa Student Government (http://uisg.uiowa.edu/), ITS has modified all capable ITC Printing facilities to default to double-sided (duplex) printing. Single-sided printing will continue to be available, but it will be a user option to choose single-sided at the time of printing. All default printing will be duplex mode. A duplex printing FAQ page has been assembled to help inform campus about this printing modification. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/printing 3/23/2009 The ITS Help Desk will be open during Spring Break. The Help Desk Main Library location will be open for walk-in support all days during Spring Break according to the Main Library North Entrance schedule. The Help Desk UCC location will be open for walk-in support Monday, March 16th through Friday, March 20th from 8AM to 5PM. Telephone support will also be available Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM during Spring Break. The Help Desk will resume regular business hours, including evening telephone support, on Sunday, March 22nd. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 3/9/2009 An essential part of protecting your personal data on your computer is making sure you have antivirus software and that it is kept up to date. Many new computers come with trial versions of antivirus software that may run out after 60 or 90 days. The University of Iowa provides Symantec Endpoint Protection antivirus software for free to students, faculty, and staff. See the ITS Security Center for more information about keeping your computer and personal information safe, as well as instructions for downloading and installing Symantec Endpoint Protection software. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/ 2/17/2009 Several variations of fraudulent e-mail messages claiming to be from helpdesk, UIOWA Support, UIOWA.EDU, Webmaster@uiowa, etc. have been reported over the last several months. These e-mails claim you must reply with personal information, such as your username and password, or risk having your accounts deactivated. These are not legitimate messages. ITS will never request your password be sent in an e-mail. See this article for more information and examples. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/articles/fraudemail.htm 2/1/2009 Every student, faculty, and staff member at The University of Iowa is provided an e-mail "alias", which is usually some form of "firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu". Students, faculty, and staff are also eligible for a Hawkmail e-mail account. What's the difference? Your e-mail alias is just a "pointer" to your real e-mail account. That account could be Hawkmail, or it could be another e-mail account like Gmail, AOL, etc. But if you have a University Hawkmail account and choose to "point" or forward your University alias to another e-mail account, there are some important things you should consider to be sure you are receiving all of your e-mail. Click here for more information so you don't miss those important messages. http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/exchange/changroute.shtml 1/28/2009 As we become more mobile in our technology needs, ITS is striving to increase the presence of UI Wireless on campus and across different devices, while at the same time providing a secure environment to safeguard your digital information. To learn more about the UI Wireless network, including a complete list of UI Wireless hotspots on campus and configuration instructions for your laptop or smart phone, visit the Wireless Support Center at http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/wireless. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/wireless 1/20/2009 On Saturday, January 10th, the network routing infrastructure in the primary data center on the UI campus will undergo software updates and configuration changes. These changes will result in better reliability of network connections, both within the data center and to the rest of the campus network. While this work is in progress, access to services hosted in the primary data center, including email, ICON, and others, will be interrupted. See the ITS Planned Outages page for services that will be unavailable during this time and for more information. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/alerts/alert.asp?id=178 1/5/2009 The ITS Help Desk will provide telephone support and walk-in support at the University Capitol Centre location Monday through Friday from 8 Am to 5 PM during the winter interim. Walk-in service at the Main Library location will also be provided according to the Main Library North Entrance winter interim hours. Both locations of the Help Desk will be closed for all University Holidays (December 25th-28th, January 1st, and January 19th). The Help Desk will resume regular hours of operation on Tuesday, January 20th. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 12/17/2008 Did you know you can print to an ITC printer using your UI print account from your personal computer? The iPrint service allows you to connect to an ITC printer from your dorm room, wirelessly, or even off campus and send your documents to the printer remotely. Then, when you arrive at the ITC, you can use the release stations to print your documents immediately. See the iPrint Support Site for a list of available printers and configuration instructions. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/printing/instructions/iprint/ 12/12/2008 The ITS Help Desk will observe Thanksgiving Recess hours beginning Friday, November 21st at 5:00PM. The Help Desk will provide telephone support and walk-in support at the University Capitol Centre location from Monday, November 24th through Wednesday, November 26th, 8:00AM - 5:00PM. Telephone support will be closed Thursday, November 27th through Saturday, November 29th. The Help Desk will also provide walk-in support at the Main Library location over the Thanksgiving Recess according to the Main Library North Entrance hours. Telephone and regular support hours will resume on Sunday, November 30th. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu 11/18/2008 Over the past several months, a malicious program disguised as an antivirus or antispyware program has been circulating online. The program, known by multiple names, including Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, and XP Antivirus, indicates that your computer is infected with a virus and directs you to a web site to purchase antivirus software. This program is malicious and you should not click on any links provided by the program. More information, including removal instructions can be found on the Symantec web site. In many cases, ITS recommends a system reformat to remove the virus completely. Contact the ITS Help Desk if you have further questions. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security 11/10/2008 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. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/softwarerepair 10/22/2008 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. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/windows/instructions/slowcomp.htm 9/26/2008 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. http://hawkid.uiowa.edu/ 9/2/2008 Several variations of fraudulent e-mail messages claiming to be from helpdesk, UIOWA Support, UIOWA.EDU, Webmaster@uiowa, etc. have been reported over the last several months. These e-mails claim you must reply with personal information, such as your password, or risk having your accounts deactivated. These are not legitimate messages. ITS will never request your password be sent in an e-mail. Please delete the message if you receive it. These "spear phishing" e-mails are particularly difficult to block at the gateway because they are so targeted. However, ITS does its best to block these e-mails from coming through as soon as they are detected and to block responses to the address from which they are sent. If you accidentally replied to one to these messages with your password, change your Hawk ID password immediately at http://hawkid.uiowa.edu. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 8/27/2008 The ITS Help Desk will be closed for telephone support for the Labor Day holiday weekend beginning Friday, August 29th at 5:00PM. The Help Desk will be open for walk-in support at the Main Library location from 1:00PM - 5:00PM on Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st, as well as from 1:00PM - 9:00PM on Monday, September 1st. Telephone and regular support hours will resume on Tuesday, September 2nd. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 8/24/2008 The ITS Help Desk will be providing on-site support for students in University Residence Halls on Saturday, August 23rd from 9am - 6pm and Sunday, August 24th from 10am - 5pm. The Help Desk will also be available to assist with Hawk ID password and ResNet issues by telephone (319-384-HELP) during those times. Regular telephone support will resume on Sunday evening at 6pm. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/ 8/22/2008 TWe are all only one computer virus, hardware failure, or user error away from potentially losing our important digital information, such as school work, pictures, music, etc. To reduce that risk, the ITS Help Desk encourages everyone to backup their personal data often. This can save you a lot of time and frustration if your computer has a major failure or has an issue that requires it to be reformatted. There are several methods for backing up your personal data. The Help Desk Personal Data Backup Support Center has more information on some of these options. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/backup/ 8/18/2008 The start of the new academic year has arrived, and with the start of the semester brings the possibility of people in various departments on campus leaving on University related business (e.g. conferences/workshops). An emerging risk is the loss and/or theft of mobile devices, more so if the device contains University-owned data. What would you do if you lost your mobile device en route to a conference? In a bid to assist University travelers, the IT Security Office has put together a list of suggested security checks you should consider before you leave on your trip. See http://cio.uiowa.edu/ITSecurity/bestprac/travelchkls.shtml for details. http://cio.uiowa.edu/ITSecurity/bestprac/travelchkls.shtml 8/7/2008 ITS has negotiated educational and volume discount pricing with several computer vendors, including Dell, Apple, HP, Lenovo, and Gateway. Click the Get a Computer tab above to view special pricing, configurations, and ordering instructions. The ITS Help Desk also maintains a computer demo center at the University Capitol Centre location. Feel free to stop by during regular business hours to try out the computers and have your questions about configuring your computer, what software you may need, or ordering instructions answered by Help Desk staff. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/demo/ 7/29/2008 The 2008 edition of the ITS Technology Survival Guide is now available! The Technology Survival Guide provides information about IT services for students, faculty, and staff at the University of Iowa. Topics include the availability of computers and software on campus (including discounts for purchases), how to get connected to the Internet, setting up and accessing your e-mail, and online academic and employment resources. The Survival Guide can be found at http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/survival. Print copies are available at the ITS Help Desk locations in the University Capitol Centre and the Main Library ITC. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/survival/ 7/7/2008 The ITS Help Desk will be closed for the Independence Day holiday weekend at 5pm on Thursday, July 3rd. The Help Desk will resume regular hours on Monday, July 7th at 8AM. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/contact/ 6/30/2008 For security reasons, UI-Wireless-WEP is being retired on June 30, 2008. If you are configured to connect to the UI Wireless network using UI-Wireless-WEP, you will need to update your configuration and possibly your wireless drivers and/or card to connect to the UI Wireless network on campus. The UI Wireless network is currently accessible using WPA2 (UI-Wireless-WPA2), a more secure and standards-based security protocol supported by many modern wireless devices. See the UI Wireless Support Site for UI Wireless configuration instructions using the UI-Wireless-WPA2 network. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/wireless/ 6/24/2008 Several ITCs on campus have been closed due to flood-related building closures and staff relocations. See the ITC - Known Issue for a list of available computer labs. In addition, the Laptop Checkout program from the Main Library ITC has been temporarily relocated to the ITS Help Desk in University Capitol Centre. Three hour, twenty-four hour, and three day laptops are available for loan to UI current students. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/alerts/alert.asp?id=63 6/23/2008 Some ITS services are unavailable at this time due to flood and power-related issues. ITS is working on restoring essential services as quickly as possible. See http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/flood2008.htm for more information. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/flood2008.htm 6/15/2008 Due to the high water concerns with the rising Iowa River and the necessary shift in resources to address the flooding issues, the Jessup generator work that was scheduled for Saturday, June 14, 2008 has been cancelled. This work will be re-scheduled for a later date. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu 6/12/2008 On Saturday, June 14, the primary data center on the UI campus will be prepped for the installation of a permanent generator. This will necessitate operating the data center on an uninterruptable power source (UPS) and generator power for the duration of the work, which is expected to last from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We do not anticipate any service interruption during this time. However, there is always some risk that the generator could fail and thereby cause an unplanned, extended outage. You can get more information about the work on June 14 by reviewing a list of FAQs. The ITS Help Desk website will be updated regularly on June 14 to keep the UI community informed about the progress of this work. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu 6/6/2008 The ITS Help Desk will be open during Spring Recess at both locations. The Help Desk Main Library location will be open for walk-in support all days during Spring Recess according to the Main Library North Entrance schedule. The Help Desk UCC location will be open for walk-in support Monday, March 17th through Friday, March 21st from 8AM to 5PM. Telephone support will also be available Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM during Spring Recess. The Help Desk will resume regular business hours, including evening telephone support, on Sunday, March 23rd. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu 3/10/2008 Every student, faculty, and staff member at The University of Iowa is provided an e-mail "alias", which is usually some form of "firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu". Students, faculty, and staff are also eligible for a University e-mail account, like Hawkmail. What's the difference? Your e-mail alias is just a "pointer" to your real e-mail account. That account could be Hawkmail, or it could be another e-mail account like Gmail, AOL, etc. But if you have a University Hawkmail account and choose to "point" or forward your University alias to another e-mail account, there are some important things you should consider to be sure you are receiving all of your e-mail. http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/exchange/changroute.shtml 3/5/2008 A fraudulent e-mail message with the subject of “CONFIRM YOUR UIOWA EMAIL ACCOUNT” requesting you to reply with personal information, including your password, or risk having your account deactivated has been reported. This is not a legitimate message. ITS will never request your password be sent in an e-mail. Please delete the message if you receive it. If you have already replied to the message with your password, change your Hawk ID password immediately. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security 2/17/2008 Did you know you can now print to an ITC Printer from your home computer, dorm room, or wirelessly from a personal laptop? The iPrint service allows you to print to specific ITC printers using the new ITC Print Accounting software and pick up your print outs later. Click here for more information, including installation and configuration instructions and a list of iPrint printer locations. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/iprint 2/14/2008 You've just clicked on a link you received from your buddy via an instant messaging program (AIM, MSN, etc.). What happens next? Unfortunately a lot more than you may think. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security/articles/imlinks.htm 2/12/2008 A malicious e-mail is circulating claiming to be from Veridian Credit Union. This email is fraudulent. The University is blocking all traffic to and from the originating domain. See the ITS Security Center for more information about this scam and how to protect you computer and personal information from security threats. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security 1/31/2008 A malicious e-mail is circulating claiming to be from the "UIOWA.EDU TEAM" and requesting e-mail account verification, including passwords. The e-mail is a phishing scam and was not sent by the University of Iowa. ITS is working to block all traffic to and from the originating domain. If you receive the e-mail, you can ignore it and delete it. If you responded to the e-mail and included any personal information, including your password, change your Hawk ID password immediately at http://hawkid.uiowa.edu. For more information on keeping your computer and personal information safe and secure, see the ITS Security Center. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security 1/23/2008 A phishing scam is currently being spread through e-mail that claims to be from the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice web site lists the following about the scam: The Justice Department continues to be aware of fraudulent spam e-mail messages claiming to be from the Department. THESE EMAIL MESSAGES ARE A HOAX. DO NOT RESPOND. More information about the scam, including how to protect your computer and personal information, can be found on the ITS Security Center. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security 1/16/2008 In order to best serve UI students, faculty and staff who use ITC computers and printers, ITS Campus Technology Services has changed the ITC print accounting system to improve print functionality and accounting across campus. The old print accounting system has been disabled and the new ITC Printing system is now active. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/printing 1/2/2008 The ITS Help Desk will provide telephone support and walk-in support at the University Capitol Centre location Monday through Friday from 8 Am to 5 PM during winter break. Walk-in service at the Main Library location will also be provided according to the Main Library North Entrance winter break hours. Both locations of the Help Desk will be closed for all University Holidays (December 22nd-25th, January 1st, and January 21st). The Help Desk will resume regular hours of operation on Tuesday, January 22nd. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu 12/17/2007 The ITS Help Desk will observe Thanksgiving Recess hours beginning Friday, November 16th at 5:00PM. The Help Desk will provide telephone support and walk-in support at the University Capitol Centre location from Monday, November 19th through Wednesday, November 21st, 8:00AM - 5:00PM. Telephone support will be closed Thursday, November 22nd through Saturday, November 24th. The Help Desk will also provide walk-in support at the Main Library location over the Thanksgiving Recess according to the Main Library North Entrance hours. Telephone and regular support hours will resume on Sunday, November 25th. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/contact.htm 11/12/2007 Several users have reported receiving an e-mail message with the subject of “Confirm Your Email Address!” that requests you to reply with your password to confirm your email account or risk having your account deactivated. This is not a legitimate message. ITS will never request your password be sent in an e-mail. Please delete the message if you receive it. If you have already replied to the message with your password, change your Hawk ID password immediately at http://hawkid.uiowa.edu. http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/security 10/30/2007 Hawkmail is the University of Iowa's newest e-mail system. ITS is currently completing a phased migration of UI students from the old Webmail (or Blue) e-mail system to the new Hawkmail e-mail system. This migration is set to be complete by the end of the fall semester. If you still have a Webmail account, you will receive notification prior to being migrated and an opportunity to move all of your saved e-mails in Webmail to Hawkmail. Hawkmail can be accessed via the web at http://email.uiowa.edu or through an e-mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook. More information about Hawkmail can be found here: http://hawkmail.uiowa.edu. http://hawkmail.uiowa.edu/ 10/12/2007