Furman University

Information Technology Services- Fred Miller, Chief Information Office
Last Revised: 08/04/11

Title: ITS Support For Student Computers

Applicable: Furman University (Students)

Contacts: IT Service Center ext. 3277

Background:

Current Practice: The IT Service Center will help a student troubleshoot their computer software when the student's computer is having trouble connecting to the Furman network. If a student computer has a hardware problem, the Service Center will refers the to local vendors. Computers not meeting minimum requirements may also be returned to students. Professional staff from various ITS areas provide escalation assistance for this process.

ITS uses a network access control system to scan student computers for updated anti-virus software and windows security patches. This solution prevents ITS staff from needing to work on systems requiring with multiple attempts to repair and remove viruses over several days. Such time consuming troubleshooting can overwhelmed our support staff, requiring us to create a policy that limits the amount of man-hours spent on a single machine.

Policy: Student computers connecting to the Furman network must have Furman’s anti-virus software installed and updated, and be running a fully updated and supported operating system. Students are required to log in to the Network Access Control system with their personal network account information in order for their systems to be connected to the network. The Furman IT Service Center provides assistance for students in setting up their personal computers to access the Furman network.

Guidelines:

1. In order for a student to receive assistance, his or her computer system must:
   1. meet the minimum system and operating system requirements published on the Information Technology Services web site.
   2. be able to power on
2. If a machine is brought to the Help Desk and found not to meet these criteria, it is the student's responsibility to bring the machine into compliance. The Help Desk can provide information regarding local computer service professionals willing to assist students on a fee basis if such assistance is needed.
3. The IT Service Center will provide no more than two hours of technician assistance before recommending a system restore or a clean installation of the operating system and applications. In this event, the student is responsible for backing up any data needed prior to bringing the system to the IT Service Center for technician assistance. Properly licensed system restore or installation media must be provided by the student. Such an installation may result in the inadvertent loss of system or data files currently installed on the system. A signed Release of Liability form will be required before the IT Service Center or other ITS staff will attempt a system restoration or new operating system installation. Students are generally encouraged to bring installation media and other media provided by their computer system manufacturer to campus to enable quick recovery in the event of a major system problem requiring a clean installation.
4. It is strongly recommended that all students run both virus and spyware scans before the machine is brought the IT Service Center. Students are also encouraged to have all current Windows Updates installed before bringing their machines to the IT Service Center. These processes can take an more than two hours, thus making the machine an immediate candidate for system restore.