HomeContact StaffFAQ  

Helpdesk
Statement of Mission
Outlook Web Mail
News
What We Do
Planning
Tech Support
Lab Information
Telecommunications
Virus Information
Forms
Policies
Links
Printer Cartridges
 
 
Listed below are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).  They are common questions that many users ask.
 
Click the underlined question to view the answer.
Computer Labs
bullet Where can I find assistance in the computer labs?
bullet We have a number of Lab Monitors that cover the labs thoroughly. They are available to assist you with general problems you may have in the labs.
bullet What are Lab Monitors job duties?
bullet The job duties of lab monitors are to provide basic help to students experiencing problems with lab equipment. They also help Information Technology by performing general routine maintenance in the labs including cleaning monitors and desks.
bullet Where can I see a listing of software available for use in the labs?
bullet This information is posted under the Lab Information page as well as on the wall of each of the labs.
bullet Why can I not bring food and drink into the labs?
bullet Food and drink can be accidentally spilt on the keyboard and/or other components causing damage that would require replacement. Crumbs from food may also get under the keys of a keyboard causing a key to stick or not function properly. We ask that you please leave all food and drink outside the lab.
bullet What supplies are available to me in the computer labs?
bullet We keep ample supplies of paper available for academic printing in each of our labs. Information Technology does not supply floppy disks, pencils, or ink pens in the computer labs.
bullet What are the hours of operation for the labs?
bullet See the Lab Information page for more details on lab hours.
bullet Can I check my Hotmail from the computer lab?
bullet Yes. As long as you are a registered student, faculty or staff member you may have access to resources in the computer labs.
bullet Where are the computer labs located?
bullet On the main campus we have several computer labs available for use when no class is in session. We also have labs in Clifton, Lewisburg, Lawrenceburg, and Williamson County. Please see the Lab Information page for more details.
General
bullet How do I request software installation?
bullet You may request software installation by filling out the Software Request form and having your supervisor sign it and return it to Information Technology.
bullet What program do I use to type a paper for a class?
bullet There are several choices available for typing papers. In all labs we have Microsoft Word 2002 installed as a part of the Microsoft Office 2002 package. This is recommended program to use when typing papers, letters, etc. You can find Microsoft Word by clicking the Start button at the lower right of your screen, click on program and look near the bottom of the list.
bullet Is the Internet down?
bullet The Internet is never down. There are several possibilities why one may not be able to access a web site from no network connection at the PC to the end site being down. If you are in doubt, try this. See if you can get to a local web page such as http://www.columbiastate.edu. If you can then your PC is functioning correctly and the local network is up. Try accessing a well known and reliable web page such as http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.yahoo.com. If either come up then the original problem is with the site you were trying to reach. If neither come up then contact Information Technology because there is very likely something wrong with the college's connection to the Internet.
bullet Can I access Columbia State's network from home?
bullet Yes and no. Columbia State does provide very limited text only dial up service for special applications. Your instructor or supervisor will notify you if you need these applications. Several of Columbia State's services are accessible from the Internet such as email and Web pages. Other services are made available on a special request basis and must be approved by the Associate Vice President for Information Technology.
PVT
bullet How do I change my PVT password?
bullet If you know your current password, follow these steps:
  1. Log into the PVT domain. Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE one time.
  2. You should now see a dialog with a button that says “Change Password”.
  3. Click “Change password”.
  4. Type in your old password in the box labeled “Old Password”.
  5. Type in your new password in the box labeled “New Password”.
  6. Type your password again in the box labeled “Confirm New Password” and Click OK.
  7. You should receive a message box that states your password was changed.

If you do not know your old password, you will need to contact Information Technology, located in Warf 110 or call (931)540-2650 for further assistance. You may also change you password online by visiting: http://helpdesk.columbiastate.edu/chngpswd.
bullet What is PVT?
bullet PVT is the name of our private domain used at Columbia State. Logging in to this domain allows us to better control security and improve reliability of PCs.
Exchange (Outlook) Note: OWA = "Outlook Web Access"
bullet When is the change going to happen?
bullet Now! We are in the process of upgrading staff and faculty computers. If you have not been upgraded yet, you will be contacted to setup a time to do so. If you would like to be put on the "hot" list, send an email to Tom.Winters@ColumbiaState.edu
bullet Should I do anything to prepare for the change?
bullet Yes. Please clean and organize your mail folders. Delete any unneeded messages. If you use Outlook Express and have email stored on the VAX, copy any email you wish to keep to a personal folder on your computer.
bullet Will my email address be the same?
bullet Yes. All email addresses will remain the same, in the form "xyz@ColumbiaState.edu".
bullet Can I keep my current email aliases and/or mail forwarding?
bullet Yes. No changes will be required to existing email addresses.  We can have your email forwarded to any account of your choice; however, to obtain full functionality of the Columbia State Email server, email should be accessed at Columbia State.  Any calendar, public folder, tasks, or contact (address lists) information will not be forwarded.
bullet I like my current mail software. Can I continue to use it instead?
bullet For faculty and staff, the Exchange platform offers a web interface and a proprietary MAPI interface used by Outlook. The only officially supported options are Outlook (XP) and the web interface. (The Exchange web interface is intended for remote use, such as from home or on the road. It is not meant to be a general, long-term solution for on-campus use.  Note: Students will ONLY be able to access their email through the web interface.
bullet What will happen to all the messages I have saved?
bullet If the messages are saved to your office PC they will be retained through the conversion process.  If the messages are stored on the VAX, they must be moved to your office PC prior to conversion or they will be lost.
bullet What is the difference between Outlook and Exchange?
bullet Exchange is the software which handles the back-end mail and calendar processing and storage. Exchange is installed on the server located in Information Technology. Microsoft Outlook is the client software which communicates with Exchange for accessing your mail messages and calendar events. Outlook is the software that is installed on your local machine.
bullet Is training available for the new system?
bullet Yes (sort of).  Training will be available in three phases.  Phase one will be training on the use of the Outlook application.  Topics will include, how to send and read email, how to use the calendar, how to set up contact and address lists, and so forth.  Phase two will be training on using the features of Exchange.  Topics in this session will include: how to share calendars and folders, how to set up public folders, how to control access to the folders and the information within and so forth.  A schedule will be announced when available.
bullet What are the minimum hardware and software requirements for using the new system?
bullet Requirements vary according to how the system would be accessed.
Access to either the Outlook web mail interface obviously requires a machine capable of running a web browser. Any hardware that can run a minimum of nternet Explorer 5.5 or Netscape Navigator ??? Should be fine.
Although any version of Microsoft Outlook should work, only Outlook XP (2002) is supported by Information Technology.  All computers at Columbia State should be capable of running this software.
bullet How do I set up my mail software?
bullet As part of the phased implementation, a technician from Information Technology will visit your office to make these changes for you. You will need to be available at that time.
bullet Is there a limit on the amount of mail I can store on the server?
bullet Yes, there is a limit. Once you exceed the limit, you can no longer receive any new mail.
For the Exchange system, there is a 14 MB quota per account for server storage. This amount may change as utilization grows. Included in this amount are email messages (including those in the Deleted Folder), attachments, and calendar entries. You will receive notification when you are approaching the quota limit.  At that time, you have two options: delete email (including emptying the "Deleted Folder"), or move the messages to your "Personal Folder" on your office computer.
bullet How can I tell how much of my quota I am using? Will I get a warning when I get close to the limit?
bullet When in Outlook, right-click the "Outlook Today" folder and click on "Properties".  click the "Folder Size" button.  At the top of this page the "Total size (including subfolders):" will be listed.  A breakdown of how much each subfolder contains is also shown.  You will be notified when you are approaching the maximum quota allowed.
bullet What should I do if I am over the quota?
bullet You need to delete unneeded messages from the server, or else move them to personal folders on your local hard drive.
bullet How do I forward my mail to a different address?
bullet Send an e-mail to Helpdesk@ColumbiaState.edu requesting that your email be forwarded.  Note, you must either send the request from the Columbia State account you wish forwarded or you must physically appear at Information Technology.  Forwarding requests will not be accepted by phone.
bullet Is there a limit on the size of email messages I can send?
bullet Yes, mail messages are limited to 2 MB in size, including attachments.
bullet Can I access the Personal Folders on my office workstation from my computer at home?
bullet No.  Messages must be moved to the Exchange Server before they are available to the Web Client.
bullet How do I set an automated response message for vacations or other extended periods out of the office?
bullet The Exchange system does not have an "out of the office" setting.  Outlook does have such a setting which is under your control; however we strongly recommend that this feature is not used!!  There have been several documented instances of criminal elements using automated replies as an indication of when a residence will be unoccupied and therefore vulnerable.  Do not use this feature unless you have a very specific need and are fully willing to take the associated risks.
bullet Is there a spell check facility in OWA?
bullet Yes!!  A spell check addition was added to OWA along with a thesarus. The Spell Check appears as the icon.
bullet Can I use my signatures in OWA?
bullet There is no insert signature function within OWA.  One option is to create it in a local text file and cut and paste it into your messages. An alternative is to e-mail the signature to yourself in an otherwise blank message which you can then use as a template.
bullet How do I tell if I have replied to or forwarded messages I have received in OWA?
bullet Unlike Outlook, the message icon in OWA does not reflect this.  You can however select  to display the Sent Items folder and check the contents.  All emails sent or forwarded will be in there.
bullet How do I set options for message importance and sensitivity in OWA?
bullet

Click when composing your message to set importance and sensitivity options and to track the delivery and reading of emails.

 
bullet How do I address a message to someone in my personal contacts in OWA?
bullet When you click on the button, you will only see contacts from the Global Address List (GAL).  To display details of your personal contacts, do not use the To button, but use the Check Names feature instead. Enter the first letter or letters of your contact's first name or surname (such as si for Simon) in the window then click the(Check Names) icon.  This will either auto-complete the name if it is unique or bring up a list of possibilities from which to select.  The more exact the entry, the smaller the selection list will be.
You can specify whether this feature searches the GAL or your personal contacts first in the options settings.
bullet How do I cut and paste text within OWA? There appears to be no cut and paste menu options.
bullet Use the standard Microsoft shortcuts of Crtl + X (cut), Crtl +C copy) and Crtl+ V (paste). These are available from anywhere within OWA.
bullet Is there a plain text option when sending messages using OWA?
bullet No, all messages sent using OWA will be formatted as HTML.  This is a widely used standard and should not cause compatibility problems with other mail systems.
bullet The “To” line in OWA does not anticipate frequently used addresses?
bullet There is no automatic control of frequently used addresses.  You can use   to check names. This will auto-complete any address you have started to type, or will display a selection box of matching addresses.
bullet How do I organize my mail folders in OWA?
bullet OWA supports all the folder management functions available in Outlook.  Just right click on the folder you wish to organize and the click on the required option.  You can also use standard drag-and-drop techniques to move folders and message around, just like you can in Outlook.
bullet I have added a name to “to”, “cc”, etc, and now I can’t remove it!
bullet To remove an address, simply click on the relevant name and select from the dialogue box.
bullet Can I use rules within OWA?
bullet Yes and No.  You can set up server-side rules within Outlook on your Office PC (for example to move certain messages to a folder as soon as they are received) which will continue to run whether you are connected to the server or not.  Consequently, these will appear to work in OWA as well as Outlook.  However, you cannot create new rules or manage existing rules from within OWA.
bullet Must I remain connected to the Internet to read my mail?
bullet Yes. As with all web-based applications, offline browsing is not supported.
bullet Can I synchronize OWA with my PDA?
bullet No but it is possible to synchronize your PDA with your Outlook on your office PC.
bullet When I begin typing an email address in Outlook, my email suggests bad email addresses. How do I delete these suggestions from the cache?
bullet To remove one address from the list so that it won't be suggested again, open a new message and begin typing in the address. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the address to be removed from the addresses suggested. When the address to be removed is highlighted, hit the Delete key.
To remove all the saved addresses, delete the .nk2 file where Outlook stores them. The file is normally located in Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder for eachOutlook profile.
Microsoft Office 2007
bullet How do I save a file?
bullet To save a file, click on the Office Button in the upper left hand corner of the Office application window. Select Save. The default format for Office 2007 is OpenXML. If you would like to save your file in a format that is compatible with earlier versions of Office, choose Save As and select Word 97- 2003.
bullet You can now save PDF files in Microsoft Office 2007.
bullet Here's how: Go to the following Microsoft web page for the Add-In for Microsoft Office 2007

Add-In for Saving PDF Files

 

Columbia State Community College is a Tennessee Board of Regents Institution and is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer committed to the education of a nonracially identifiable student body.

©2007 Columbia State Information Technology
This page was last updated November 16, 2007