Laptop Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I name my laptop?

2. How do I add my laptop to the domain?

3. How can I protect my laptop- (PC Checklist)

 

1. How do I name my laptop?

Student computers need to be named using this convention:

FRCID#-LT (laptop) Example: FRCzz99-LT

•  Log on to your laptop as Administrator.

•  Right click on the icon for My Computer and then select Properties.

•  Click the Computer Name tab.

•  Click the Change button.

•  In the Computer Name field name your computer as stated above (FRCID#-LT). Click OK. Restart the computer.

•  What is the domain and why would I want to be on it?

Being on the student domain will give you access to all out network printers, certain networked academic software, automatic access to your “Y' drive or network storage.

2. How do I add my laptop to the domain?

Step 1 : Connect your laptop to the network. (You must be on campus to do this)

If you have a Wireless connection you must configure your wireless card to connect to the FSC network

•  Use your wireless configuration utility to add the FSC wireless network name (fsc_wireless) to the available profiles.

•  For Windows XP, click on “Check All Available Profiles” and chose fsc_wireless. (It is recommended that you keep the default profile as an option.)

*If you bought a new Dell D600 through Framingham State College, this step should already be complete. You may check under the Wireless configuration utility to see if fsc_wireless is already there.

If you have a Hard Wired connection, c onnect your Ethernet cable to the jack in your residence hall room. You must have an Ethernet cable (a.k.a RJ45 or CAT5).

 Step 2: Add your laptop to the STUDENT domain.

•  Log on to your laptop as Administrator.

•  Right click on the icon for My Computer and then select Properties.

•  Click the Computer Name tab.

•  Click the Change button.

•  Repeat steps 1-4 Select Domain in the “Member of” section and type in STUDENT.framingham.edu. Click the OK button.

An information box should pop up asking for you for a username (put the prefix student\ before username) and password of a user allowed to join the computer to the domain.

Your username will be your student ID with the prefix FRC (Example FRCzz99)

Your default password will be your birth date as follows mmddyy. (Example Sep.15 1985 would be 091585)

After 30 – 45 seconds, if you did everything correctly, you should see a box welcoming you to the Student Domain. Click ok.

•  After clicking OK, another box will pop up telling you that you must restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Click OK.

•  After clicking OK, the computer name box will reappear, with a small yellow exclamation point at the bottom saying that the computer needs to be restarted for the changes to take effect. Click OK.

•  You should see another dialog box pop up saying that the computer needs to be restarted to for the new setting to take effect, and do you want to restart your computer now. Click Yes.

•  Your computer will then reboot, and you will see a new login prompt. Click Options to show the Log on to (also called the Domain) field.

•  You should now see the Log on to box, with your computers name in it. Click the small down arrow next to the box to get a list of domains available for authentication. Choose Student from that list, and then type your username and password in the appropriate boxes.

•  If you log on successfully, the logon box will disappear, and you will now be logged on to FSC's Student domain on your machine.

3. How can I protect my laptop- (PC Checklist)

•  Keep Anti-Virus up to date

Make sure an Antivirus program is installed on the laptop. This is a required piece of software. Students may receive a free copy of Norton Antivirus, available for download, from the school. Once a program is installed, update the virus definitions at least once a week and remember to scan your computer on a regular basis. To run Live Update, you must be logged on as an administrator.

•  Make sure Windows Updates are done.

Scan for and download all Critical Windows Updates . These will help seal the computer off from Viruses and unwanted hacker attacks. There have been some viruses that take advantage of these security vulnerabilities in un-patched Windows computers, so it is very important that you keep your computer up to date. To install items from Windows Update, you must be logged on as an administrator.

•  Keep Spyware off the Computer

Download programs to search for and delete Spyware. Recommended programs are Spybot and Ad-Aware. Install these programs as an administrator and run these programs in the SafeMode of the laptop by pressing F8 on startup and selecting safe mode. These programs will delete unwanted programs from the laptop.

•  Pop-Up blockers

Pop-ups can be stopped by certain Pop-Up blockers. A recommended pop-up blocker program would be the Google Toolbar. Certain websites such as Blackboard and many academic sites and software require the use of pop-ups. Holding Control (Ctrl) can enable needed pop-ups where and when needed.

•  Be sure the Laptop is named correctly

The computer should be named with FRC and the student's ID number –LT, example: FRCAB01-LT. This will allow the college to better manage access on our network and help to the ITS department to notify students if their computer is found to be infected.

All of these links (Antivirus, Windows Updates and Spyware blockers) can be found at http://its.frc.mass.edu/students/software.html . If students need assistance with any this, please go to the Student Helpdesk in Hemenway Hall room G17.

For a list of other FAQ see http://its.frc.mass.edu/students/faq1.html