Frequently Asked Questions
-
Data Protection
-
Email
-
Exams
-
Exam Software
-
General
-
Printing
-
Safe Mode
-
Spyware
-
Virus/Anti-virus
- Wireless
Data Protection
How can I back up my data?
Email
I can't compose or reply to emails from my NYUHome account. How can I fix this?
I prefer to use a 3rd party email client to access my email. How do I set this up?
I forward my NYUHome account to another email provider. How can I make sure that all forwarded emails go through?
Exams
Where can I find the link for THES (Take Home Exam System)?
Who can I talk to about my exam status?
General
What is a proxy and how do I configure it?
How do I assure that I have the latest Windows Updates?
Printing
Click here for information regarding printing.
Safe Mode
What is Safe Mode?
How can I get into Safe Mode?
Spyware
What is spyware?
How can I protect against spyware?
I may be infected with spyware. How can I clean my computer?
Virus/Anti-Virus
How do I protect against viruses?
Symantec says I have a virus, but it won't remove it. How can I get rid of it?
Wireless
I'm having trouble with my wireless at the Law School. What do I do?
Will connecting to the wireless at the Law School affect my wireless connection at home?
Data Protection
How can I back up my data?
Data protection is important. We can't stress that enough here at ITS. Backing up your data is the surest way to protect your data. Your best method for data backup will depend on how much you're trying to back up. What does this tell you? If you have a lot of files, including music, pictures and movie clips, a larger storage format is necessary. If you back up just documents (word processing files) a USB flash drive may be a good option. NYUHome is best for storing specific important documents, since storage is limited. CDs and DVDs are best for more permanent backup of documents that will not change over time (e.g. pictures, music). Several ways to back up are:
- CD-RW (~670 MB) or DVD/RW (~4.7GB)
- USB Flash Drive (variable, between 512MB and 32GB) ... sizes keep increasing as costs go down!
- File Space on NYUHome (50MB maximum for files, 100MB for email)
- external hard drive (up to 100's of GB)
I can't compose or reply to emails from my NYUHome account. How can I fix this?
Most likely you have a pop-up blocker either in your browser or internet security package. Look toward the top of your browser for an information bar when you click 'Compose' or 'Reply'. It will say that a pop-up was blocked from mail.nyu.edu. You need to click on that bar and select "Allow pop-ups for mail.nyu.edu".
I prefer to use a 3rd party email client to access my email. How do I set this up?
NYUHome provides instructions for configuring your 3rd party email client. These instructions can be found here.
I forward my NYUHome account to another email provider. How can I make sure that all forwarded emails go through?
In order to whitelist emails from the Law School, you can usually specify a domain that these emails come from, and mark them as a Safe Sender, or similar. Instructions for some popular email services and software are provided here.
Exams
Where can I find the link for THES (Take Home Exam System)?
The link for THES is http://its.law.nyu.edu/thes
Who can I talk to about my exam status?
All questions that are not related to ITS support should be directed to Academic Services.
Exam Software
Where can I download exam software?
Click here for instructions on downloading and installing exam software.
General
What is a proxy and how do I configure it?
Certain information sources, such as the Lexis-Nexis databases, are available to students and researchers at NYU only if access is made from a computer system attached to NYU-NET. This restriction presents a problem for people traveling or working from home who don't live on-campus.
You can configure your Internet browser to permit full access to these information sources from your external connection using NYU's proxy server. The instructions are provided in the student handbook.
How do I assure that I have the latest Windows Updates?
Your computer should be automatically configured to download and install the latest critical updates for Windows. If you are unsure if your computer is configured this way, or if you have changed the default settings, you may manually check for any critical updates to your operating system. To do so:
1. Connect to the Internet
2. Open the Control Panel
3. On the left menu, click Windows Update
(alternately, open Internet Explorer and browse to http://www.windowsupdate.com )
Be sure to backup any important files before your begin to install any windows updates.
Printing
Click here for information regarding printing.
Safe Mode
What is Safe Mode?
Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode for Windows. Safe Mode only loads a basic version of the operating system without all the bells and whistles. This allows you to see if any problems your computer is experiencing are related to drivers or extra software or even malware. It is also very useful for removing viruses and malware since they cannot protect themselves in Safe Mode.
How can I get into Safe Mode?
To enter Safe Mode, restart your computer. Before the Windows screen shows up, press the F8 function key repeatedly until you get the Safe Mode options page. Select 'Safe Mode', press enter. You may be asked to choose your operating system. You should only have one option: Windows XP (version). Press enter. You will be warned that you are entering Safe Mode. Click Yes to continue.
Spyware
What is spyware?
Spyware, specifically is software that spies on your computer. It can be as bland as looking at what webpages you go to or how often you visit a certain webpage. It can be as malicious as to try to find private information on your computer and send it to another source, such as your passwords or credit card information. Other brands of what we term malware include adware (which will range from popping up ads on your computer, hijacking your browser to installing software that is more invasive in its techniques).
How can I protect against malware?
Your best defense against malware is using good practices when browsing the Internet. Exercise moderate suspicion about unsolicited email attachments. Be wary of what you click on, especially pop-ups. Protect against pop-ups by using a browser with pop-up blocking enabled. We recommend Firefox. Failing these, use anti-malware software. We recommend AVG Antispyware, Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy. Click here for more information and links to software.
I may be infected with spyware. How can I clean my computer?
Make sure you have at least one of the above mentioned pieces of software installed on your computer. Update the definitions. Clear your cache in all your browsers. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode. Run a full system scan on all hard drives. Delete all files that are tagged by the software as infections. If you are using more than one piece of software, run multiple scans. Then reboot and see how your system responds. If you are still infected, please come in for a troubleshooting session.
Virus/Anti-Virus
How do I protect against viruses?
Your best protection from viruses is to have the latest version of your Anti-Virus software installed, with all updates and most recent virus definitions. NYU offers Symantec Anti-virus Corporate Edition, free of charge to all students. You may download this from your NYUHome page (click Ask ITS, and then click on Anti-virus and Anti-Spyware software"). Additionally, use caution when opening attachments in emails or clicking on links in emails and Instant messages.
Click here for instructions on installing and/or updating Symantec Antivirus.
Symantec says I have a virus, but it won't remove it. How can I get rid of it?
If Symantec has detected a virus but cannot remove it, you may need to go into Safe Mode to remove the virus. Once a system is infected, viruses can work their way around anti-virus software. Safe Mode prevents viruses from loading so you can exterminate them. If you cannot enter safe mode, or don't feel comfortable doing so, please come in for an appointment.
Wireless
I'm having trouble with my wireless at the Law School. What do I do?
Try deleting your wireless profile for nyu and recreate it based on the instructions here. This covers most problems associated with connecting to our wireless network. If you are still experiencing technical difficulties, please reach out to us at the Helpdesk.
Will connecting to the wireless at the Law School affect my connection at home?
Adding our connection shouldn't interfere with any other connections. If you use Windows' wireless configuration, your home wireless network will remain automatic. If you are using another configuration tool that uses Profiles, make sure to add NYU's connection as a separate profile so that you can switch back and forth between the two.
http://www.law.nyu.edu//technology/laptops/support/faq/index.htm