Frequently Asked Questions

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. The labs 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 on the main floor of the Dexter Library. Please see the entrances to these labs 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 get a user login ID and password?

A: Once you have paid your security deposit a network user account and an email account will be set up for you.  Information 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 network user login ID and password as well as how to log in to your Northland College email account and your My Northland account. By receiving User & Email accounts, you are agreeing to abide by the Northland College IT Department code of Ethics and all applicable policies and procedures.

Q: How do I change my password?

A: Your Northland College network login password can be changed when you are 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 tab.  Your Northland College email account password is web-based and can be changed anytime you log into your email account.

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: What information do I need to know about my student email?

A: All student email accounts are located at Microsoft Live@EDU.  The out-sourced service provides students with a high level of service and many features.

Here is a brief list of some of the enhanced features that Microsoft Outlook Live offers:

• Email—10 GB Mailbox limit with Spam and Virus Filter
• Messenger-- IM integrated
• Mobile – Anytime Access.
• SkyDrive –25GB Online Storage. Private and Shared.
• Spaces – Create your own web space.
• Office Live Workspace – Save, Access and Share Files Online.
• Windows Live Writer - Create blogs.

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

A: Students at Northland College will be able to keep their email accounts after they leave as long as they use the account. Your email account will become inactive if you do not sign in for 120 days.

Q: How do I connect to the network drives?

A: Your Northland account provides access to personal and group file storage through network folders. There are several different file folders that contain networked files, but the drives you will need are called Data (K:), Pubfiles (P:), and Users (T:). College owned computers will automatically map the network drives for you, and they can be found in My Computer after you log in. The NC file server contains personal storage space for each person on campus. When you connect to the server (see the instructions below for mapping the network drives), you only see your own space, so it looks like you have the whole server to yourself. You actually only have a storage space of 500MB. Once this allocated space is filled, you will no longer be able to put more information on your space on the file server.

How to map a networked drive:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon and select Map Network Drive.
2. Pick the letter you want to use for the drive. These should be:
   • Data              K:
   • Pubfiles         P:
   • Users            T:
3. In the Folder box type in the following:
   
   • Data            \\nc-filesvr1\Data
   • Pubfiles      \\nc-filesvr1\Pubfiles
   • User           \\nc-filesvr1\Users\(Your Username)
4. If you want the mapping to remain when you reboot your computer, check Reconnect at logon.
5. Click different username and enter:
   
   • username:  DOMAIN\(your username)
   • password:  (your Northland password)
6. Click OK.
7. Click Finish. The drive should now be mapped in My Computer.

Note: Each drive must be entered this way separately.

Q: My computer seems to be running really slow. I’ve also been having tons of popups. How can I remedy this?

A: Your computer may be infected with a virus and malware. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition are free programs that can keep your computer running well.

Q: What are the minimum requirements for my computer if I choose to bring one?

A: We maintain a list of system requirements for the Northland College network.

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

A: No, there are no forms to sign. By receiving Network User & Email accounts, 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.  One way is to save the file to your network user drive. The T: drive can be accessed from any computer on campus. Keep in mind, you are limited to only 500 MB of data space on your user drive. A more handy option is to purchase a USB flash drive. The third option for transferring and saving large data files is to use the SkyDrive option within your my email account on Live@edu. SkyDrive may be your best option because it gives you a size limit of 25 GB and it can be accessed anywhere you have access to the Internet.

Q: What tech support service does the IT Department offer for students?

A: The IT Department will troubleshoot and provide support for any network related or student-account related issue. Students are encouraged to complete 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). The student must call ahead (ext. 1855) to make an appointment.

The IT department does not fix students' personal computers for non-network related issues.

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 Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition.