Information Technology Operations (ITO)

Faculty/Staff Help Desk Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General

Getting Help

See also FAQS on: Citrix | GroupWise | Network Passwords |Portal | Xerox | Voice Mail

What is the Faculty/Staff Help Desk? back to top

The TMCC Computer Help Desk provides computer workstation technical support for administrative staff at Truckee Meadows Community College. In addition, we take work order requests for Academic Computing, network, and telephone problems as well as for Media Services (multimedia and Elmo, LCD or slide projector technical problems, and Information Technology Services software application or database problems). Once the Help Desk receives the call, a work request is created and dispatched to the appropriate personnel.

What is the best way to contact the Faculty/Staff Help Desk? back to top

The best way to contact the Help Desk is to send a message via their Web form, send an e-mail to helpdesk@tmcc.edu or call them. You can also use the Help Requester icon on your PC desktop.

How do I request a network account/access to the network or Internet? back to top

To request a network account for any TMCC employee, the supervisor of the employee fills out the Network Access account application.

What are these ZEN icons on my computer desktop for? back to top

Zen Folders — This icon is the place at which current and future applications will be delivered, upgraded and repaired, i.e., Office 2000, other updates, patches, etc. Additionally, the ZEN product allows us to "push" the latest virus protection software to your desktop automatically. This automatic push keeps your anti-virus software current and eliminates the need for departments to purchase their own anti-virus software. Furthermore, we will be able to personalize applications for use by user or by group.

How do I access the mainframe? back to top

Finally, we will eventually be able to solve software problems without visiting the workstation by remotely controlling a workstation (only after permission has been given); We hope that these tools will help you concentrate more on business productivity and not on maintaining your PC while allowing the Help Desk to respond more efficiently and effectively to problems you encounter.

What are the priority codes of Track-IT and what do they mean? back to top

Track-It! priority code's explained:

  • 1 = Urgent. An urgency rating of one (1) is used only when the situation is determined to affect a entire campus or a building. An example of this would be entire campus or building has no network connection or no connection to a server or service like e-mail or network printing. Urgency 1 assignments should be completed with in 3 hours if possible.
  • 2 = High. An urgency rating of two (2) used only when the situation is determined to affect an entire classroom or an entire office suite. An example of this would be entire classroom or office suite has no network connection or no connection to a server or service like e-mail or network printing. Urgency 2 assignments should be completed with in 4 hours if possible.
  • 3 = Single client outage. An urgency rating of three (3) used only when the situation is determined to affect a single client. An example of this would be a single pc won't boot or is affected in some other way as to stop or severely impede the work of the operator. Urgency 3 assignments should be completed with in 2 days if possible.
  • 4 = Single client partial outage with workaround. An urgency rating of four (4) is used to indicate tasks that typically are the nuisance type issues in which there are workarounds for the user. Users are typically ready to accept the inconvenience for a short period of time. Urgency 4 assignments should be completed within 4 days if possible.
  • 5 = Single Client minor problem. An urgency rating of five (5) is used to indicate value-added work that could make life better, but is not essential to daily operations. Urgency 5 assignments should be completed within 5 days if possible.
  • 6 = Self Service Technician is responsible for Priority. An urgency rating of six (6) used only when a self service ticket is placed with the Track-It! System. Self service tickets are set with a default of ten working days, however after review of Help desk staff they will be prioritized accordingly.
  • 7 = Project. An urgency rating of seven (7) used only by ITO staff for project tracking.

If due date is calculated to be on a weekend, then it will be moved to the next Monday.

If you feel or observe that a job has been given an inappropriate priority, contact David Misner or Bill Marble directly and clarify what you feel the prioritization should be.

Scope is the second part of the priority indicator. It indicates how widespread the problem is.

  • Scope (A) problems affect the entire college or college site. Examples of this scope would be catastrophic network or server problems.
  • Scope (B) affects a large geographic area, but not the entire system. A sample of this scope would be that all users in a building couldn't access the network.
  • Scope (C) affects a smaller population or is isolated in a building to a specific room or segment of the local area network.
  • Scope (D) affects two to five people. They are all experiencing the same difficulties because of the same problem.
  • Scope (E) affects only one individual.

For example, 3E is the typical priority assigned to a work order that an individual calls in to get a problem resolved as soon as possible. Priorities 1A and 1E have more priority than any priority with an urgency of 2, 3, 4 or 5. However, Priority 1A is more important than 1E priority. If you feel or observe that a job has been given an inappropriate priority, contact David Misner or Bill Marble directly and clarify what you feel the prioritization should be.

How do I log in to the Network? back to top

See Network/Remote Login.

My computer isn't working. What should I do? back to top

Call or send an e-mail to the Help Desk. Before you call though, try to have as much information about the problem as possible, such as:

  • How long has the problem been occurring?
  • Did you make any changes just prior to the problem?
  • Did you install any software just prior to the problem?
  • Write down any error messages exactly as they appear

In many cases, we can help you fix the problem over the phone if we have enough information.

I cannot login to Windows, Citrix, or GroupWise, What can I do? back to top

  • Check for any typos in your login name or password.
  • Make sure that Caps Lock is not on (passwords are case sensitive)
  • Check to see if you can use Internet Explorer or Netscape.
  • For GroupWise access problems, Go to the TMCC home page, Click on Faculty and Staff link (located at the bottom right-hand corner of the Web page). Next, click on the Check E-mail button at the top of the page. Then see if you can login into GroupWise. If you can, then the GroupWise access problem can be narrowed down to your computer.

How do I know my request is in the Track-IT job queue? back to top

When you call in a work request, ask the technician taking your call for a work order number. If for some reason our job tracking system is down at the time you call or if you email a request to the Help Desk, you will be automatically notified via Groupwise when your request gets entered into the system.

I called over a week ago and no one has been here yet. back to top

Each job is assigned a priority as it is called in. This priority is based on several factors, including the severity of the problem, number of people affected, and current work load. Given the amount of jobs we have and the amount of staff available to respond, the goal is a 7 working day turnaround for the 3E type calls.

2.0 FTE currently supports 500+ workstations covering all five TMCC college locations. The average work request takes approximately 1 hour for a technician to complete, which means that 60 work requests can normally be handled per week. However, each week we typically have anywhere from 75 to 125 jobs pending (with the assumption that the job can be done in one hour). For example, there have been occasions when the staff has already dedicated 20 hours of research into a problem and it still isn't resolved. Please be patient as we work to solve all the pending jobs.

Why does it take so long to get new software installed? back to top

All administrative computers are delivered with a package of supported software that includes everything needed to use the computer workstation effectively. Therefore, requests for additional software receive a lower priority when entered in the WorkFlow job queue. In addition, since TMCC does not have a blanket software license for all software, we will not install any software unless the customer has a valid license for it. Also, there are compatibility issues-we will not install software that is incompatible with the standard administrative software image for TMCC.

How can I get access to the Internet from home? back to top

Full-time TMCC employees who wish to access the Internet from home (point-to-point protocol {PPP} access) can do so if they first have a FALLON account. Employees can create their own account by going to the System Computing Services (SCS) Web site at and by following the instructions. Once the account is established, contact the Help Desk and provide them with your FALLON user id and a request to be granted PPP access. The Help Desk will enter your name to be given PPP access. Again, 24 hours must pass before this will become active. Directions for setting up a computer for dial-up access can be found on the SCS Support Web site. Customers should contact the Help Desk if they are unable to create a FALLON account. Contact the SCS Help Desk at 784-HELP (4357) for help using your PPP account.

How do I access/save my files on the network? back to top

Visit the Network/Remote Login Web page for detailed information on accessing/saving files on the network.

How do I access my files from a remote location/the Internet? back to top

Visit the Network/Remote Login Web page for detailed information on accessing files from a remote location/the Internet.

How do I download Symantec Anti-Virus software for Home Use? back to top

Download the Symantec Anti-Virus software documentation.

What are some useful tips for use with my computer? back to top

Visit the Tips Web page for information on how to help you operate your system with peak performance: