Welcome to the Northland College Information Technology frequently asked questions page.  Below you should find answers to common questions students come across while on campus. Click on one of the four sections below.

The Northland Network

Northland Email

Your Computer

Miscellaneous

The Northland Network

Q: I didn’t bring a computer to school. Is there somewhere I can go to use one?

A: The Northland College Informational Technology department maintains two different computer labs on campus. These labs are staffed by lab attendants who are there to assist any problems you might have. The labs also provide free printing services for all Northland College students. These labs are located in the Larson-Juhl Center for Science and the Environment room 236, and in Wheeler Hall room 012. Please see the entrances to these rooms for more information regarding their schedules.

Along with the campus computer labs, Northland College also equips each residence hall with a few computers for student use. These computers do not offer printing facilities, but do offer students a chance to work in an area where they live.

Q: How do I pay for the internet and network service on campus?

A: Starting the 2005-06 academic year, all residence hall internet connection fees are included in your campus housing bill.

Q: How do I get a user logon and password?

A: Once you have paid your security deposit a new student user account will be set up for you. An email will be sent to the email account that you provided on your application to Northland. If you do not have an email account this information will be mailed to you. This information will include your user logon and password as well as how to log in to your Northland College email account and the Bridge. By receiving a User & Email account, you are agreeing to abide by the Northland College IT Department code of Ethics and all applicable policies and procedures as found on our policies page.

Q: How do I change my password?

A: Your Northland College login password can be changed when you are first logged into a campus computer. This can be achieved by logging into a computer, and pressing the key combination Ctrl , Alt , and Delete simultaneously. Then click on the Change Password… button.

Passwords should be a unique combination of letters and numbers. Remember to never give your password out under any circumstances. The more complex you make your password, the more your security, privacy, and safety increases.

Q: When I try to log on or off the campus computers, it seems like it takes forever. What is wrong?

A: When you log on to a campus computer, your profile folder is then uploaded to that computer. This has information specific to your logon such as wallpaper, start menu programs, "My Documents" folder, Desktop items, etc. When you save files in these locations, they go to your “Profile” folder,  within your user folder, this will increase the information that needs to be transferred when you log on and log off. To avoid this, do not save files in these locations. Instead, save them to your personal folder on the T: drive. This drive is located in My Computer, and will be labeled with your username. In your personal folder is a “Profile” folder. Do NOT save anything in this folder. Instead, create new folders to save your files in.

Note: There is a 300MB limit on your T: drive folder.  Going over this size limit may result in loss of data.

Q: What should I do if I am locked out of my account?

A: Many times, students get locked out of their accounts by simply typing in the wrong password. Even if you believe you are typing in the correct password, it is an easy mistake to type the wrong key in the process. Please make sure that the Caps Lock key is not activated when you type in your password, as it makes entering in a case sensitive password more difficult.

If you have tried multiple times, and have not been able to access your account, please contact the Information Technology department at 682-1855.  

Northland Email

Q: Why is my e-mail box over its size limit?

A: If you experience a temporary disruption in e-mail service, it may be due to your e-mail box being over its maximum size limit. If you are experiencing this problem, you will not be able to send outgoing e-mails.

In order for this problem to be fixed, please delete all unnecessary e-mail from all folders (Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, and Deleted Items) in your e-mail box. Please note that e-mails containing attachments may cause an e-mail box to fill up quickly. If you must save an attachment, it is recommended that you save the file to a drive on your computer or to a disc.

It is also important to remember that once you delete an item from your box, you must go into the Deleted Items folder and delete the item again before it is permanently removed from your e-mail box.

Mailbox size limits for students are:

• 8MB - you will receive a warning
• 10MB - you cannot send emails
• 50MB - you cannot send or receive emails

Please contact Information Technology at 682-1855 if you are still experiencing e-mail problems only AFTER you take the preceding steps.

Q: How long will my e-mail address be activated after I graduate?

A: Graduating seniors will have access to their student e-mail until the end of June following commencement. Information Technology strongly advises all graduating seniors to obtain a new e-mail address from another source for professional development purposes prior to graduation. Please note that after your Northland College e-mail account has been deactivated, it is not possible to retrieve any lost information from your account.

Your Computer

Q: Do I need to sign a form in order to get a User and Email account? 

A: No, there are no forms to sign. New students agree to the student computer use contract electronically the first time they log on to the Bridge. If you are a returning student and already have a user account you don't need to complete this again. By receiving a User & Email account, you are agreeing to abide by the Northland College IT Department Code of Ethics and all applicable policies and procedures as found on our policies page.  Any violation of this contract may subject you to a suspension of computer privileges and/or prosecution under College conduct codes and/or appropriate State and federal laws.

Q: What are my options for saving and transporting large files on campus?

A: There are multiple ways to transfer data over the network. The most common one is to save the file to your user drive. The T: drive can be accessed from any computer on campus. Keep in mind, you are limited to only 300 MB of data space on your user drive. A more handy option is to purchase a USB flash drive. These drives can be purchased online or from retailers. Their price can range from $15 to $80 depending on the size you purchase. 2 GB flash drives are also available from the IT Department for $15, while supplies last. All computers on campus have USB drives so that these drives can be easily utilized. The third option for transferring and saving large data files is CD-R media. Both the Wheeler Hall lab and the Larson-Juhl Science Center computer labs are equipped with CD-ROM burning capabilities.

Q: I have a CD-R that I want to burn a file onto. How am I able to achieve this in the computer labs?

A: Each computer’s operating system is Microsoft Windows XP. Windows XP allows for dragging and dropping files onto a CD. To perform this, open up the CD by clicking on it in My Computer. You can then drag your file into the CD window. The window should now show your file, with bold writing at the top that reads “Files Ready to be Written to the CD.” On the left side of the window you should see a section entitled “CD Writing Tasks.” Click on Write these files to CD. You will then be prompted by the CD Recording Wizard. Follow the step by step instructions on the screen to create your CD.


Q: What tech support/troubleshooting services do the IT Department offer for students?

A: The IT Department will provide support for and troubleshoot any network related or student-account related issues.  However, the IT Department will not help troubleshoot student computer connection issues until the student has performed the three steps listed below.  If a student does not know how to do these steps, they can make an appointment (depending on IT availability) to bring their computer into the IT office (Brownell 001) and a technician will walk them through the process.  The student must call ahead (ext. 1855) to make an appointment.  The technician will explain how to do this, but the student will be required to do all the work of updating and scanning for spyware.  This process can take 1-2 hours or more.

The IT department does not troubleshoot of fix students' personal computers for non-network related issues.  However, if a student is having trouble with their computer they can make an appointment (depending on availability) to bring the computer to the IT Department and do their own work on their computer.  Our technicians will walk the student through the troubleshooting steps, but the work will be done by the student.  Students must call ahead of time (ext. 1855) to make an appointment.  Troubleshooting and resolving computer issues is time intensive so the student should plan on spending at least 2 hours (and possibly more) working on their computer.

Before you contact the IT Department about a computer problem, please perform these three steps:

1. Update Microsoft Windows - Visit Windows Update to make sure that your computer has received all available updates.
2. Update and Scan Sophos Anti-Virus - Make sure that Sophos is up to date and perform a virus scan of your entire computer.
3. Run and Anti-Spyware Program - Visit our Virus and Spyware Protection page for more information regarding free programs to scan your computer.

Q: How do I view my paystub online?

A: As of February 29^th, 2008, Northland College uses a new payroll processing system. Paychecks dated before February 29^th, 2008 can be viewed on the Bridge. For paychecks issued after February 29^th, 2008, paystubs and information can be found using ADP iPayStatements.

To View Paystubs on the Bridge (checks prior to February 29^th, 2008)

•  Go to www.northland.edu and click on the link to The Bridge found in the upper right-hand corner.
• Log into The Bridge using your Northland logon and password.
• Once logged into The Bridge, click on the School Services tab.
• Click on Campus Services in the center pane.
• Once you are into the Campus Services menu, your choices are Personal Information, Employee, and Student & Financial Aid.
• To view your paystub, click on the Employee link.
• Next, click on Pay Information, then choose Pay Stub.
• Determine which year you would like to view and click on Display.
• Finally select the paystub you wish to view.

To View Paystubs using ADP iPayStatements (checks after February 29^th, 2008)

Each employee will receive a pay statement/check stub via campus mail for the payroll dated February 29^th (and only this payroll). You will need this voucher in order to register for the on-line statements. You will especially want to register if your pay checks are direct deposited.

• Go to https://paystatements.adp.com.
• Click on “Register Now.”
• Click on “Register Now” again.
• Enter the Self Service Registration Pass Code which is: Northlandc-Northlandc
• Click “Next."
• Enter your Identity Information:
• First Name
• Last Name
• Social Security Number
• Date of Birth
• Click “Next.”
• Select iPayStatements as the Self-service Product.
• Select Paystatement to enter additional information if your identity was verified.
• From your most recent pay statement, enter the following information:
• Company Code
• File Number
• Check/Voucher of Advice Number
• Pay Date or Advice Date
• Enter your personal contact information:
• First Name
• Last Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number

You will then be prompted to complete a registration process during which you must answer a few security questions and select a password. Your password must contain between 8 and 20 characters and at least one alpha and one numeric character. You will be assigned a system generated User ID. They security question will be used to verify your identity if you ever forget your User ID or password. You will receive and email confirmation after registering.

Upon completion of this registration process, you may access your pay statements at https://paystatements.adp.com.