Helpful information to know

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Revision as of 14:40, 27 June 2012 by SjrIT@hampshire.edu (Talk | contribs) (HDD formats: What do they mean??)

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Websites

Student Tickets: http://sta.hampshire.edu

IT Tickets: http://ittix.hampshire.edu

Logins / where to find passwords

The usual DC username is 'labrats'. The STA password can be found on the bottom of the printed staff list. (Take the first letter of each word!)

IT username on Windows computers is 'Administrator' and on Macs is 'Admin'. Ask Chris or Rae if you need the IT Admin password.

What to do when you get in

  1. Login to http://sta.hampshire.edu.
  2. Read through ALL of the open tickets.
  3. Check that all computers in the DC have a ticket and that all tickets have a computer.
    • If there are tickets for loaned equipment, call the user. (Leave a message if they don't pickup.) And note it on the ticket.
    • If any computers are unaccounted for or their ticket don't accurately reflect their status, email the listserv at dc-sta@lists.hampshire.edu. Include the user's name, the computer model, and the latest comment with a specific question for information.
  4. Continue working on as many computers as you can.
    • If you don't know the next step for a certain machine, make sure you comment in the ticket that you're leaving it for the next person.


When someone brings in a machine:

  1. Talk to them about their problem.
  2. Ask if the computer is under warranty.
  3. Have then fill out a blue Machine Ticket. Add your own notes if their description excludes things they told you.
  4. Take the user's computer (and power adapter, external HDD, etc.). Tell them that we will call and/or email them with updates.
  5. Input the ticket to the online ticket system. (Be accurate!)
  6. Tape the ticket to the computer.
  7. If you have thoughts on the issue, begin diagnostics and repair. Otherwise note that you're leaving it for someone else.


  • If you have free time on your shift, clean up the counters, put screwdrivers away, wipe down the counters if they're sticky.

Phone Messages

Always include the following in your voicemail messages:

  • Your name
  • Computer Diagnostic Center
  • We are open from 9am-4pm Monday-Friday

Backups policy

Before doing anything software related with a computer, you must backup the user's Documents and Desktop folders.

  1. Choose an appropriate HDD to backup to. (see the list below)
  2. Name a folder "Firstname_Lastname-MM-DD-YY"
  3. Copy the user's 'Documents' and 'Desktop' folders. If they are a video or music student, copy the appropriate folders.

Always inform the user before doing something that will likely lose their other data:

  1. Ask if they have a full backup of their computer.
  2. If not, ask them for an external HDD.
    • If they don't have one, offer to help them find one (generally we go to newegg.com).
  3. Copy as much of their user folder as possible, or as much as they want.

List of HDDs and formats

Computers Format Enclosure Location Function
The Colonel HFS iMac 500GB, OS X 10.6 boot, temp backups on Desktop
Arrakis huge black box Windows 7/Ubuntu boot, backups
Elysian NTFS 320GB, Windows/Ubuntu boot, temp backups on Desktop
Outlaw Star NTFS 2 TB, NTFS backups
Jupiter II FAT 1 TB, backups
External Hard Drives Format Enclosure Location Function
Millenium Falcon HFS Mercury Elite-AL Pro counter 1 TB, backups
TARDIS NTFS WD Book counter 1 TB, backups
Tiny FAT32 OWC Mercury left cabinet 82 GB, backups
Serenity/BEBOP NTFS/FAT32 CoolMax left cabinet backups
Retired Hard Drives Format Enclosure Location Function, etc.
Granny Smith HFS CrossFire left cabinet backups, doesn't mount
Dennis Nedry NTFS i-rocks left cabinet
Malcolm FAT32 xcraft Cooler Master left cabinet

HDD formats: What do they mean??

NTFS (New Technology File System)

Developed by Microsoft for the Windows operating system.

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus)

Developed by Apple for the Macintosh operating system.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

Simple legacy filesystem.

Others

How to comment tickets