IT
Your current IT Rep is William Salkeld.
The College IT Office runs a website which has details on how to connect your computer to the College network (and forms to fill in for it), as well as information on viruses, 'spyware', printing and using OxLip.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR COMPUTER HAS THE LATEST SECURITY PATCHES INSTALLED AND ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE INSTALLED AND UP-TO-DATE, OR YOU MAY BE KICKED OFF THE COLLEGE NETWORK!
Below is information you'll need to keep your PC in one piece. If you are having problems, contact the IT Rep and I'll see if I can help you, or use the BNC IT office's contact form.
Windows Updates
Please make sure your computer, if you're running Windows, has the latest updates. You can tell Windows to automatically download new updates (Control Panel > System > 'Automatic Updates' tab), which is recommended, or you can download them manually from the Windows Update website. The IT Office (located in the Bursary) also has CDs with these updates on them if you do not have internet access.Viruses
A decent, free virus scanner is Grisoft Antivirus, which is free to update and use. ThePanda Software website also lets you run an online virus checker, which obviously isn't recommended as a permanent solution!
Note: There is no point in running a virus scan if you have out-of-date virus definitions, so make sure you keep these updated or else you won't be able to detect newer viruses.
Firewalls
A firewall is a program that will monitor your computer's network/internet connection, and help prevent hackers, trojans etc. from breaking into your machine. The University/College runs one to help prevent from outside attack, but be warned that you are still at risk from intrusions from within college- viruses often like to spread themselves over networks, and are often the reason why your PC has become infected, if you haven't downloaded any dodgy programs.Windows now has it's own Firewall, so make sure this is turned on via the Windows Security Centre (in Service Pack 2). Alternatively, Kerio have a decent, free firewall- please read the documentation provided as it requires a bit of PC knowledge to use.
Spam
Your Nexus e-mail account comes with built-in spam filters. To activate them and change their sensitivity, visit Webmail and click Options > Filtering. All e-mails sent to you are automatically scanned by the Webmail servers and assigned a 'spam score'- the higher the number, the greater the chance that the e-mail is actually spam. Typically, the first value you enter should be 5-6, and the second value you should be 10 or higher. You can review any junk mail that is not automatically deleted by clicking the Folders link at the top of the page, then Junk Mail. If you use e-mail software, such as Outlook, Outlook Express or Eudora, you should also have spam filtering options built in. In Outlook Express these can be added and changed by clicking Tools > Message Rules > Mail. Read the Webmail help guide for more information, or see the OUCS help page.