Service and Support

The Student Help Desk is the main channel for students to communicate campus issues relating to technology, contact information is listed below.

For issues specifically regarding Laptops, please contact the Laptop Helpdesk.

LAPTOP HELPDESK POLICES

• Operating Systems that we support.

The Laptop Helpdesk fully supports Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional. Windows 98 SE is supported on a college owned laptops that cannot support Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Window XP Home, ME, 9x, and Mac OS or any other operating system's not named above, will not be supported or put on the network. If a student needs help with one of the above operating system they need to contact their laptop vendor for support.

• Students that can receive laptops or wireless cards.

Framingham State College started the laptop requirement for freshman in fall of 2002 and for transfers in spring of 2003. All students admitted before that time are eligible to borrow a laptop from the school for the next semester if they are in a course that is designated to be a laptop course. Any student that has a non-recommended laptop and enrolled at FSC prior to the implementation of the laptop requirement is eligible to be loaned a wireless card for the semester.

• Laptops we support.

The Laptop Helpdesk will fully support all laptops owned by the college and the recommended models bought by students. There will be very limited support for non-recommended laptops. For non-recommended laptops we are limited to installation and configuration of wireless cards and configuring the laptop to the network. If time permits the helpdesk staff can do basic troubleshooting of the machine to determine the problem, so that the student can call the individual vendor support number for their laptop. We cannot replace the hardware or software of non-recommended laptops.

• Software we support.

While working at the Laptop Helpdesk you may be required to help a student or faculty member with the following software:

• Microsoft Office XP
• Microsoft Office 2000
• Microsoft FrontPage
• Microsoft Publisher
• SPSS
• Jump
• Minitab
• Roxio Easy CD Creator
• Casio Photoloader
• Diet Analysis
• Arcgis
• Any other faculty requested software on college owned laptops

• Software we can put on college owned laptops.

We can only install "supported" software and software required by a faculty member for a class.

Software we can install on student owned laptops.

Students will have access to a server were they can download and install freeware and certain software packages that are site licensed for student use. (Ex. Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2000, WinZip, Winamp, etc.)

• Switch hard disks when laptops are in for repair.

The Laptop Helpdesk staff cannot switch hard drives from personally owned laptops with loaners. If the laptop is college owned then the hard drive can be switched with a loaner.

• Loaning laptops while a student's laptop is being repaired.

Laptops purchased by the school or by a student through the laptop purchase program will receive on site maintenance and support from the Laptop Helpdesk in coordination with the vendor and/or local service provider. This support includes a loaner laptop for any laptop that is out of service for more than 48 hours. This loaner program is only available for students who have chosen to purchase the "recommended laptop" of FSC and have used the Laptop Helpdesk as the support site. If the student goes to the vender directly for support we cannot lend the student a loaner.

• Physical damage to collage laptops.

All students that borrow a laptop from the college are responsible for the laptop and it condition. The student will be billed for all non-warranty damage or stolen laptops.

• Spyware and virus issues.

As of March 22, 2004 all students having spyware or virus issue must first try to remove the virus or spyware themselves with the appropriate software utilities. If the issue cannot be resolved using available tools then we can re-image the laptop. Student workers may also walk the student through the removal of spyware and/or viruses if time permits.