Troubleshooting
Passwords
For security purposes, the Help Desk cannot change or reset passwords over the phone. You must present your Wake Forest ID card to the Help Desk walk-in area. Your network/e-mail/WIN password must be 6-8 characters and contain a combination of numbers and letters. Passwords are case sensitive. You will be prompted periodically to change this password.
Password expired?
- When you log on to the network a message box may appear stating that your password will expire and prompts you to select a new one. To select a new password, click OK and type in a new password twice for verification (you cannot re-use passwords). It may take an hour for the password to change across all University systems. During that hour, if your new password does not work, continue to use your old
password.
- You must connect to the campus network to change your password. If you are not able to connect to the campus network because you are traveling, on break, or off campus, use VPN or contact the Help Desk for assistance
Network/Internet
Wired/LAN—Accessing Internet Resources from Campus
Difficulty accessing web pages or e-mail, indicates a lost connection to the wired network.
-
 Check the Ethernet cable to make sure it is still plugged into the data jack on the wall and to the ThinkPad, and check to see if the network lights next to the connection on the ThinkPad are active. If you have an active connection you should see one solid and one blinking light.
- Restart the ThinkPad and log on to the DEACNET domain.
Wireless/WLAN (Wi-Fi)—Accessing Internet Resources
from Campus
Difficulty accessing web pages or e-mail, indicates a lost connection to the wireless network.
- If you have lost contact with the wireless network, you should see a red X on the Access
Connections icon in the System tray. You may need to change locations to resume wireless connectivity.
- Shut down the machine and log back on to DEACNET. Then select the appropriate wireless network (Faculty/Staff Connection for all
Faculty & Staff) from the Access Connections icon in the System tray.
If you are still unable to connect to web pages or e-mail,
contact the Help Desk or check the status line at 758-HELP,
option 1.
Data/Files
If you cannot find a file you created, go to the Start > Search > For
Files or Folders, and search by the name (or part of the name) of
your file. If you cannot open a file, please visit the Help Desk
walk-in area. The Help Desk has software tools that can help recover
files.
Program not responding?
Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and select the Task
Manager button. Choose the
Applications tab and choose the program that is not responding. Click
the End Task button.
ThinkPad frozen or will not shut down?
When unable to perform a normal shut down, press and hold the power button until the ThinkPad shuts off.
Liquid spill—ThinkPad got wet
If any type of liquid is spilled on the ThinkPad, DO NOT power it on. If the ThinkPad is on at the time of the spill, turn it off. Immediately bring the ThinkPad to the Help Desk walk-in area. DO NOT power on the ThinkPad even if it appears to be dry.
Limited Fonts
Font do not appear in some applications until a default printer has been set. See Hardware Specifications/Printer tab.
How do I prevent hard drive failure ?
Moving the ThinkPad while it is on can damage the hard drive. Always wait for the ThinkPad to completely power off before moving it.
Wait for the ThinkPad to completely shutdown or hibernate/stand-by before moving the ThinkPad.
What are some simple ways I can troubleshoot computing problems?
Performing a shutdown or restart will reset memory and software on the computer. Turn off the ThinkPad, wait 30 seconds, restart. If the problem persists, record any/all error messages or malfunctions to report to your RTA or the Help Desk. When contacting the Help Desk, please give your name, user name, phone number, and problem description.
What is Microsoft Remote Assistance and why might the Help Desk ask me to run it?
Using Microsoft Remote Assistance can help you get more extensive computing assistance over the telephone. With this tool, you can often get a solution over the phone that otherwise would require bringing the ThinkPad to the Help Desk walk-in area.
Returned mail: Insufficient permission?
The cause of this error is that one of the email addresses that was
sent a message is over the Wake Forest allotted mail quota. To
discover which email address did not receive the original message
look for the line below. The email address in the error message will
be listed in the same location as the one below in bold.
"bellmail: cannot append to /usr/spool/mail/userjd0"
Everyone did receive the original message except
for this one email address- so there is no need to
resend your message to everyone. Examples of common e-mail error
messages and solutions can be found at
http://help.wfu.edu/email/index.html
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