Technology Services Tech Tips

Tech Tip: Password Security

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

For this month Technology Services would like to highlight password security. We will have a display up near the elevators on the first floor of Swenson Hall. Here are some quick tips about passwords to help you keep your accounts safe:

The UW-Superior password security policy requires that your password meets the following criteria:

It must contain at least 7 characters.
It must have at least one upper case letter
It must have at least one lower case letter
It must contain at least one number

These additional tips will help increase the strength of your password for your UW-superior account, or any other account:

Don't use any part of your username, full name, address, birth date, and so on. This data may be readily available to those wishing to do harm.
Don't use English or even words from another language.
Use different kinds of characters in your password such as #@!&.
Change passwords often (every month to six weeks).
Don't write your passwords on a sticky note and post it on your monitor/computer/desk.
Use Passwords for your mobile devices like iPads and smart phones.
Use a different password for each log-in account you have. One for the bank, one for school, one for work, one for facebook, etc...
Don't give your password to others

If you have any questions about this Tech Tip or any other Campus Technology issue please contact the Technology Helpdesk.

For a complete archive of Tech Tips, click here

Tech Tip: Protect Your Data: Stop, Think, Connect

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:39:42 +0000

For this tech tip we wanted to focus some attention on Data Privacy and ways you can help to protect your personal data and the campus network.

Watch a short video that will give you some ideas on how you can help protect your data and our campus network.

Stop, Think Connect is a national initiative to help protect personal data. Before you click on links or give personal information, Stop, Think, then Connect.

If you have any questions on this or any other campus technology issue please contact our Technology Help Desk at by calling 715-394-8300 or via an e-mail.

Also visit our display board outside the Help Desk in Swenson Hall for some more helpful tips and information.

For a complete listing of Tech Tips please visit our Tech Tips Website.

Tech Tip: Random Tips

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Tip 1 - Logging into Windows 7 computers.
Windows 7 is installed on all computer labs and teach stations. Sometimes you may see the previous user's username displayed above the password field. You cannot delete their username and type your own as you could in Windows XP. Instead, you have to click on the Switch User option listed below the password field, and then type in your username and password.

Tip 2 - Learn@uwsuperior / D2L Stack Overflow error.
If you have Learn@uwsuperior saved in your "favorites" or "bookmarked", you may encounter errors after logging in from your saved link. The solution to this is to go to the uwsuper.edu website and click on the Learn@uwsuperior link in the lower left corner. This will spawn a new window and you may log in with no errors.

Tip 3 - Emailing staff and student digests.
You may get an error if you attempt to email either of the digests using a "saved" version of the email address. What this means is, when you are typing the address for one of the digests, i.e. _digest_staff - if the address pre-populates your address field, that means you have a saved or cached version on your computer. The server address for the digest you are trying to email may have changed. It is recommended that you use the most recent version of the address by selecting it from your address book rather than using the pre-populating one.

Tip 4 - Print Credits.
Many students from previous semesters are used to seeing their account balance by interacting with a small dollar sign ($) symbol in the lower right corner of any campus computer. Unfortunately, the upgrade to Windows 7 has caused an incompatibility with the software that displays the printing balance. A fix is in the works, but in the mean time, feel free to contact the Helpdesk in Swenson Hall 1061 at 715.394.8300 or the computer lab in Swenson Hall 1021.

Tech-Tip: Instruction for classroom Audio/Video equipment

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Instructions for classroom Audio/Video equipment

Did you ever need to find some information about a particular classroom on campus or wonder what audiovisual equipment that room has available? Simply follow this link and it will take you to our Classroom Technology page http://www.uwsuper.edu/technology/resources/classroomtech/index.cfm

Once you are there, you can simply click on the picture of the building that you are interested in and it will give you a list of the Classrooms in that building. If you click on the room name, for example Erlanson 102, a picture and some statistics for the room appear. If you click on the Instructions PDF file the actual printable equipment operations manual appears which give you step by step instructions.

If you need to navigate to another building simply select another building from the pictures on the right side of the room selection page.

View our complete archive of Tech-Tips.

Tech Tip: Learn @ UWSuperior (D2L) Help Resources

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Learn@ UWSuperior (D2L) Help Resources

· Teaching and Learning Tools web site -

o For Students http://www.uwsuper.edu/teachingtools/learn/student/index.cfm

o For Instructors http://www.uwsuper.edu/teachingtools/learn/instructor/index.cfm

· Technology Helpdesk - Swenson Hall 1061, 715-394-8300 (x8300 on campus) helpdesk@uwsuper.edu

· Technology Services web site - http://www.uwsuper.edu/technology/index.cfm

· Technology Helpdesk Request system - http://www.uwsuper.edu/technology/help/requests.cfm

· Atomic Learning Tutorials - Coming soon

If you are contacting the Technology Helpdesk for Learn@UWSuperior help, make sure you have the course name and number (ex: Comm 110, Introduction to Comm…), section number (ex: SEC 001), and semester (F10) ready when you call or put in a ticket request.

New in Learn@ UWSuperior

This summer there was an upgrade to the Learn@ UWSuperior system, some changes you will notice are:

· Navigation Bars - Both the My Home and Course Home navigation bars now match the UW-Superior website design. You will also see icons next to the various tool links.

· Classlist Images - If an instructor or student has uploaded a photo of themselves into their profile, it will now display on the Classlist next to their name.

· Discussion Posts - Profile photos will also display next to any message an instructor or student post in the Discussions area.

· Content Manage Files (for instructors and assistants) - You can upload more than one file at a time by clicking the add button for each file you would like to upload on upload screen. You can also create Content Topics for the files using the file's dropdown menu on the Manage File screen.

Learn@ UWSuperior Tips

· Don't use Beta internet browsers, these browsers may not work properly with the tools and features in Learn@ UWSuperior. Tested and confirmed browsers are:

o PC - Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) or 8 (IE8); Firefox 3.5 or 3.6

o Mac - Firefox 3.5 or 3.6; Safari 3.1 or 4.0

· Turn Pop-Up Blockers off for Learn@ UWSuperior (as well as those included with toolbars from Google, Yahoo, etc.), and make Learn@ UWSuperior a trusted site on your personal computers.

· The Email tool in Learn@ UWSuperior allows you to send emails to others in your class, but it does not save a copy of your sent messages - Cc yourself or check the email preference to send it automatically.

For a complete archive of Tech Tips, click here

If you have any questions please contact the helpdesk at 8300 or helpdesk@uwsuper.edu

Tech Tip: How to Export contacts from Entourage

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0000

A continuation from last week's Tech Tip on How to Email a Distribution List from Outlook

Exporting contacts, mail, or practically any data from Entourage is easy. With Entourage open click on File > Export. In the Export dialog select "Contacts to a list" and then click on the right arrow. Give the file a name and then choose where to save it. You can now save this file to a flash drive or other removable media, or email it.

To import contacts into Entourage click on File > Import, and select "Contacts or Messages from a text file" and click the right arrow. On the next screen select "Import contacts from a tab- or comma-delimited text file". Next, select the file and then click "Import". The screen that comes up is asking you to verify the fields are correct in the data you are importing, if everythig looks ok then click "Import". Click "Finish" and your contacts will be shown in the contact list.

For a complete archive of Tech Tips, click here

If you have any questions please contact the helpdesk at 8300 or helpdesk@uwsuper.edu

Tech Tip: How to Email a Distribution List from Outlook

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0000

A question we often receive at the helpdesk is "Can I share a distribution list with one of my colleagues?" The answer is yes, and the procedure is simple.

First go into the contacts area of Outlook by clicking on the Contacts button in the lower-left of the window. Find the Distribution List you want to share and right-click on it. From the drop-down menu that appears select Send Full Contact and then In Outlook Format. This will open a new email with the Distribution list as an attachment. Simply address the email to whomever you would like to share the distribution list with and send it. After receiving it your colleague would simply drag the attachment and drop it onto the contacts button. This will place the distribution list into the contacts area and make it accessible to your colleague.

Contact The Helpdesk if you need further assistance - helpdesk@uwsuper.edu or 715-394-8300

For a complete archive of Tech Tips, click here

Watch next week for a tech tip on how to import/export the contacts in your Mac address book

Tech Tip: Phishing Scams Revisited

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The scammers are at it again. Recent bouts of 'Phishing' emails have again hit the campus. We'd like to use this week's Tech Tip to review some of the Do's and Don'ts concerning scam emails. Our original Phishing Scam Tech Tip, based on advice from the FTC can be found here.
In this review, we will use the recommendations provided by the University of Madison.

Phishing is the use of email and fraudulent web sites to trick people into disclosing personal financial or identity information, such as credit card or Social Security numbers, user names (e.g., NetID), passwords and addresses. Although most "phishes" come as email, phishing scams can also come in the form of text messages and phone calls.

An email message may look harmless. Posing as your credit card company or even the University of Wisconsin, it alerts you to a problem with your account and urges you to respond immediately by clicking a web link and "verifying" or "updating" your account information. The email and the web site may appear official, with all the familiar logos and corporate phrases. But they're bait, presented to fool you into divulging your personal financial information.

Don't click any links in the email. Instead, phone the company or do an Internet search for the company's true web address.
Don't use forms that are embedded in the body of an email (even if the form appears legitimate). Only provide information over the phone or on a secure Web site (look for a Web address that starts with https://, not just http:// and for a padlock icon in the corner of the browser window).
Don't open email or attachments from unknown sources. Many viruses arrive as executable files that are harmless until you start running them. .jpg file attachments have recently become a new format for spreading viruses.
Do use common sense. If you have any doubts, don't respond. Contact the Tech Services Helpdesk at 8300 to ask for advice.
Do be wary of unsolicited messages. Even though you may recognize the name of the sender, scam artists sometimes use these tactics to get personal information from you. Never give out your username, password, credit card or social security number in response to an unsolicited request.

Please direct any questions to the Helpdesk at x8300 or email helpdesk@uwsuper.edu.

For a complete archive of Tech Tips, click here.

Tech tip: PeopleSoft Effective Dates and the the proper use of the Correct History action

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Some might think that the definition of Effective Dating is "one that ends in a long term relationship". While that may be true in life, PeopleSoft's effective-dating logic enables you to maintain an accurate history of information. Effective dating allows you to store historical data, see changes in your data over time, and enter future data. For example, you may want to track several events in the academic career of Tom Sawyer: what were his majors at different points UW-Superior career. By inserting rows of data based on his ID and significant dates, we can see a history of his academic goals at different points in time. We can then use that data for statistical and historic reporting.

When you enter new information related to existing data, such as a major changes, terms attended, student group status', you do not want to lose or overwrite the data already stored in the database. To retain history we add a data row identified by the date when the information goes into effect: that is the effective date. The PeopleSoft system categorizes effective-dated rows into the following basic types:

· Current- The data row with the date closest to-but not greater than-the system date. Only one row can be the current row,

· History - Data rows that have effective dates earlier than the current data row and

· Future - Data rows that have effective dates later than the system date.

The types of actions that you can perform on rows of data depend on the data row type. When you retrieve, modify, or insert rows in a table, the Update/Display, Include History, and Correct History actions apply specific rules based on the effective date:

· Update Display - Retrieves only current and future rows. You can change future rows but not current rows. You can also add a new current row.

· Include History - Retrieves all rows. However, you can modify future rows only. You can also add a new current row.

· Correct History - Retrieves all rows and allows you to change or correct any row and insert new rows regardless of the effective date or sequence number.

The improper use of the Correct History action provides the most negative impact on data integrity in PeopleSoft because it does exactly what its name implies… it allows you to change historic rows. The PeopleSoft Security team is currently implementing new security standards and will be applying those standards to all users in the coming months. One of the new standards is to carefully review access to the correct history action. Where this access is provided, users will need to ensure that sound audit practices (either programmatically or procedurally) are in place to track the use of that action.

If you want to learn more about effective dated rows in PeopleSoft, click the help button on any PeopleSoft page and search for "effective dates". If you want more information of effective dates in life you may want to check out E-HarmonyJ

For an archive of our tech tips, please see our website.

Tech Tip: PeopleSoft Search Pages

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Understanding Search Pages

There are two types of search pages: basic search pages and advanced search pages. When you select a page, the system often displays a Find an Existing Value tab (or something similar) that enables you to do a basic search and also provides an Advanced Search link

A basic search page enables you to search by just one field at a time, and then only using the "begins with" operator. To designate the search field, if more than one is available, select the desired field from the Search by drop-down list box and then click the Search button to display the results of your search. You can perform a partial search by first entering part of a name or description in the begins with text box. For instance, if you want to find all fields beginning with the letters PS, you would type PS in the begins with text box before clicking Search.

On the advanced search page, you can narrow your search, both by searching based on more than one field at a time and by using a variety of search operators. A common example is the use of the "Contains" operator which searches for characters that may be contained within a field. This works particularly well when searching description fields.

Saving Search Criteria

If you are conducting an advanced search, you can click the Save Search Criteria link to name and save the specifics of your search. If you have saved one or more searches, you can use the Use Saved Search drop-down list box to select a saved search. Once you save a search, you can use that specific search record in other search pages that use the same search record. You can remove any saved searches by clicking the Delete Saved Search link.

For more information on using PeopleSoft, click the HELP link on any page to access the "Peoplebooks" help delivered with the software.

Tech Tip: Make use of your Windows Key

Mon, 24 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Make Use Of Your Windows Key

The Windows logo key, located in the bottom row of most PC computer keyboards is a little-used treasure. Don't' ignore it. It is the shortcut anchor for the following commands:

Windows: Display the Start menu
Windows + D: Minimize all windows and show the desktop
Windows + D: again, Opens all windows and takes you right back to where you were
Windows + E: Display Windows Explorer
Windows + F: Display Find all files dialog box
Windows + L: Lock the workstation
Windows + M: Minimizes all open windows
Windows + Shift + M: Restores all previously open windows to how they were before
Windows + R: Display Run dialog box
Windows + F1: Display Help and Support Center
Windows + Pause/Break: Display System Properties dialog box
Windows + U: Open Utility Manager
Windows + Ctrl + F: Display Search for computer
Windows + TAB: Cycle through the buttons on the Task Bar

Tech Tip: Telephone Call Forwarding

Mon, 17 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Most of us are comfortable with the way our voice mail system works once it is set up, however it can be turned off intentionally or inadvertently simply by entering *6 .

The system can be set or reset to forward calls in either a busy or no answer condition by entering *5 followed by the extension you want calls forwarded to, this can be another phone extension or voicemail's extension of 5000.

If you want all calls forwarded, enter *2 followed by the extension. This can be cancelled by entering *3.

Note: *6 only cancels *5 and *3 only cancels *2.

Tech Tip: Use a picture for your desktop background

Mon, 03 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Use a Web graphic for your desktop background

The Web has many beautiful pictures. If you find a picture you particularly like, such as an image of a puppy, you can make it your desktop background, so that you can see it whenever you use your computer.

To use a Web graphic for your desktop background
1. Use Microsoft Internet Explorer to open the Web page with the picture you like.
2. Right-click the picture, and then click Set as Background.

Microsoft Windows XP displays the picture as your desktop background. For best results, use large pictures that are wider than they are tall.

You can do the same thing with personal pictures you may have on your computer, by browsing to them with My Computer.

Tech Tip: Phishing Scams

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Below is a summary of tips published by the Federal Trade Commission that can help you avoid a Phishing Scam.

If you receive an email or a pop-up in your browser asking for personal information, do not reply. If the email contains a link, do not click on it or copy and paste it into your browser.

If you receive an email asking you to call a number to verify account information, do not call. If you are concerned call the number on your official statement.

Keep your computer updated with all of the latest patches. Run anti-virus and anti-spyware software and turn on your Windows or Macintosh Firewall.

Don¹t email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you submit it via a webpage make sure that the URL starts with "https:" (the "s" stands for "secure").

Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer¹s security.

Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.

Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have information on their websites about where to report problems.

If you believe you¹ve been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC¹s Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

To view the entire article go to
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt127.shtm

If you have any questions about this Tech Tip, please contact the Helpdesk at 715.394.8300.

Tech Tip: Printing Multiple Documents

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you just want to print out a whole bunch of files all at once. In the example below you will see how to print a bunch of word files all at once.
First, go to the location of the files you want to print. Then select all of the files that you want to print. You can do this by opening up the folder where the files are and then left clicking and dragging a box around all the files.

Right click on the selected files. Select "Print" from the menu that appears.

MS Word will automatically open each file and rather rapidly print them.

Please feel free to contact the Helpdesk at 394-8300 if you have any questions about this Tech Tip.