Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Protection
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Email
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Exams
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Exam Software
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General
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Network Printing
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Safe Mode
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Spyware
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Virus/Anti-virus
- Wireless
Data Protection
How can I back up my data?
Exams
Where can I find the link for THES (Take Home Exam System)?
Who can I talk to about my exam status?
General
What are cookies and how can I get rid of them?
What is my browser cache? How often should I clear my browser cache and how can I do it?
What is a proxy and how do I configure it?
How do I assure that I have the latest Windows Updates?
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?
My NYU-ROAM3 connection says (Manual) in the wireless window. How can I restore this to (Automatic)?
Where is the NYU-ROAM3 (wireless) network available?
My wireless connection to NYU-ROAM3 keeps disconnecting. How can I fix this?
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.
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 are cookies and how can I get rid of them?
A cookie is a small file that is saved to your computer when you browse to certain websites. It helps websites retain information about you, especially while you are logged in to their system. Legitimate websites use cookies to keep sessions open for checking email, shopping and other functions. Some cookies are tagged as spyware or tracking cookies and are used to get information about your browsing usage. You can delete all your cookies from your browser to get old and unwanted cookies off of your system. Simply open up your browser's Options. In Firefox, click the Privacy tab. Under Private Data, click "Clear Now", select cookies and click "Clear Private Data Now". In Internet Explorer, the General tab, select Delete Cookies.
What is my browser cache? How often should I clear my cache and how can I do it?
Whenever you browse to a webpage, your computer saves the .html documents, images, movie clips, etc... on your computer in a hidden directory. When you browse back to that webpage, your computer can load that information locally from your computer which is much faster than getting the packets sent across the world, however high the speed of your connection. However, when your browser has to search through too many files to find the documents it's looking for, it will eventually slow down performance. This is why it's good to clear your browser cache. Once every few months is often enough. To clear your cache, open your browser's Options. In Firefox, click the Privacy tab. Under Private Data, click "Clear Now", select cache and click "Clear Private Data Now". In Internet Explorer, the General tab, select Delete Files, check the box for Delete all Offline Content and click OK.
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.
Network Printing
I accidentaly set a network printer as my default printer. How do I change this?
Open your Printers folder from the Control Panel. Right-click on your printer that you want to be the default printer, then select 'Set as Default Printer.'
What do I input for Printer Name/IP Address in the network printer configuration? What about Port Name?
First, find the printer that you want to install as a network printer. You will find the exact name on the printer itself. For example, the printer at the top of the stairs by the main entrance of the library is printer160.law.nyu.edu. You will want to enter this exact name in the Printer Name field. It should automatically fill in the same name in the Port Name field. They should be identical.
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. Excercise 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 protetion 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 attachements 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 can not 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?
Go to our troubleshooting section for wireless connectivity. This covers most problems associated with connecting to our wireless network.
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.
My NYU-ROAM3 connection says (Manual) in the wireless window. How can I restore this to (Automatic)?
Sadly you can't. You must remove this entry and add NYU-ROAM3 again. Make sure encryption is disabled.
Where is the the NYU-ROAM3 (wireless) network available?
The main NYU ITS page has a list of available locations of the NYU-ROAM3 network. That list is available here.
My wireless connection to NYU-ROAM3 keeps disconnecting. How can I fix this?
There are two reasons you may be experiencing frequent disconnects from NYU-ROAM3, even if you have an excellent signal from the access point:
1. Check the Wireless Setup Page and make sure that you have configured your Advanced Options correctly as outlined in 3. g.
2. You may have a power profile setting that allows your laptop to disable your wireless radio in order to conserver power. Check your power settings. You can change them in your wireless card properties or under display settings.
For wireless card properties:
- Open Network Connections
- Right Click on your wireless device and select Properties
- Click the Configure button
- At this point, depending on your device you may have several options you need to explore to make sure your computer doesn't turn off your wireless radio to save power. Check Advanced Settings>Power Management, or there may be a Power Management tab as well.
For display properties:
- Right Click your Desktop
- Select Properties
- Select the Screensaver Tab
- Click the Power button
- At this point, depending on your device you may have Advanced Options or a Power Management Utility that you may select. In either case you may choose a profile that selects maximum performance to prevent the radio from turning off during periods of inactivity.