The Computing Department consists of:
| Dr Ian Plummer | IT Manager |
| Mr Dale Lloyd | Systems Manager |
| Jarrod Hepburn | MCR Computer Officer |
| John Lees | JCR Computer Officer |
For questions, etc. please use the email address: computing@balliol.ox.ac.uk
The Computing Department is situated in the basement of staircase 11. It keeps normal weekday office hours.
- 1 MY EMAIL
- 1.1 Forgotten Email Password
1.2 Changing your Email Password
1.3 Forwarding Email
1.4 Vacation Messaging
1.5 Changing your Email Address
- 2 MY COLLEGE ACCOUNT
- 2.1 Deleted
2.2 What if I Forget My College Account Password?
2.3 My College Account is not Working Properly
2.4 I Cannot Log On to My College Account
2.5 Can I Log On to My College Account from Outside Oxford?
2.6 I think that I have been Overcharged for Printing - What can I do?
2.7 A Printer Is Jammed
2.8 A Printer Has Run Out Of Paper Or Is Printing Faintly
2.9 A Computer has Died, a Smell Of Burning, Water Is Pouring Through The Ceiling ...
- 3 MY COMPUTER
- 3.1 How Do I Connect My Machine To The College Network?
3.2 I Have Tried To Install And Set Up My Network Card But It Does Not Work?
3.3 I Think My Network Point Is Dead?
3.4 When My Computer Starts Up It Says IP Conflict
3.5 When My Computer Starts Up It Says 'Your Computer Name Is Already In Use On The Network'
3.6 My Computer Has Died
3.7 My %$£%$ Program Has Died
3.8 Can You Repair My Computer?
3.9 Can I Have A Copy Of ... ?
3.10 Can I Get Computers Or Software More Cheaply Through College?
3.11 Does College Have Any Spare Computers?
3.12 I Cannot Get My Chat, Games, Webcam ... Programs To Work From Balliol?
- 4 WHEN DO I EXPIRE?
- 4.1 Nexus Email Accounts
- 4.2 Balliol Student Computer Accounts
- 4.3 Network Use
1 My Email
General: Only OUCS (Oxford University Computing Services) can make changes to your email account. The Balliol Computing Department has no powers over email.
1.1 Forgotten Email Password
There is an on-line form (https://webauth.ox.ac.uk/) which requires you to answer a security question to allow you to reset your email password. New users will have set up a security question/answer when they first activate their account. Existing users are encouraged to set these up - use the link above.
In the event of the user having forgotten or never set their security question/answer pair, the OUCS Help Centre will issue a rescue code. This will enable the user to set a new security question/answer pair and hence reset their password. Rescue codes will be provided ONLY as follows:
- To the user in person at the Help Centre OUCS (13 Banbury Rd, Monday-Friday, 8:30-20:30 ) on production of photo ID (preferably University Card)
- To the user by internal post to any address we have registered for them. OUCS will do this on request of the user, e.g. help@oucs.ox.ac.uk, or (2)73200
1.2 Changing your Email Password
You can use the https://webauth.ox.ac.uk/ form. Shut down your normal email reading program whilst you do this, otherwise the system can get confused. You cannot change your password from within other mail programs despite them having a screen or button saying 'change password'.
1.3 Forwarding Email
Many people already use another email account and rather than check a number of accounts the mail arriving at one account can be forwarded to another where the mail is combined. If mail is forwarded it does not stay in Nexus but passes through directly to the designated account. Forwarding can be set through https://register.oucs.ox.ac.uk.
1.4 Vacation Messaging
You can get Nexus to send a message back to correspondents whilst it stashes the email in a folder. For example "I am in Paris until the 25th June - in an emergency ring 07979 123456". Use the Out of Office Assistant in the 'OWA' web interface https://nexus.ox.ac.uk.
1.5 Changing your Email Address.
Balliol EXTREMELY STRONGLY DISCOURAGES changing your email address. OUCS will allow a straightforward English forename to be requested by people of Chinese or similar origin where it is a common practice to use an English forename for informal contacts within this country. This is a replacement email address and not a second one. Consequently you need to tell everyone of your new email address, change your subscription to mail lists ....
The Computing Department can ask OUCS to assign 'role aliases', e.g. 'jcr.welfare@balliol', this is a favour from both parties (in addition to your standard email address). Irrespective of the role alias, the sent emails will have the individual's standard email address as the return address, not the role alias.
2 My College Account
General:
- Your login is the same as for your Nexus email account. If you forget your password see 1.1 above.
- Please note we are very unlikely to remember a conversation in the quad as we may well be stopped 6-7 times on the way back to the office - please use email.
- If you report a problem please give as much detail as you can - the exact error message, which program you were using and on which machine (they are all numbered).
2.1 Deleted
2.2 What if I Forget My College Account Password?
See section 1.1 above
2.3 My College Account is not Working Properly?
There are storage quotas on all accounts. The storage on the server is intended solely as temporary storage and is NOT BACKED UP. It must not be assumed that anything left on "My Documents" or the Desktop will be there the next time you log in. If your account is misbehaving AND you do not have more than 150MB of file store then contact the Computing Department with full details.
2.4 I Cannot Log On to My College Account?
Firstly check you have remembered your username correctly. Check that the Caps Lock key is not active when you type your password. See section 1.1
2.5 Can I Log On to My College Account from Outside Oxford?
No.
2.6 I think that I have been Overcharged for Printing - What can I do?
Email the Computing Department. We will check the logs and see what caused it. We generally make an adjustment to the charge depending on where the error lies. We use charging as a method of reducing excessive printing not to make a profit, you will find us sympathetic when errors have occurred.
2.7 A Printer is Jammed?
In Balliol contact john.lees@balliol in the first instance, then the Computing Department.
In Holywell contact jarrod.hepburn@balliol in the first instance, then the Computing Department.
2.8 A Printer has Run Out of Paper or is Printing Faintly?
(Note the 'Toner Low' message on printers is to be ignored, it is a marketing ploy by the printer manufacturer! Only when physically faint printing occurs is the toner low.)
In Balliol contact jcr.computer.officer@balliol.ox.ac.uk in the first instance, then the Computing Department. In the evenings the Balliol Lodge can issue extra packs of paper.
In Holywell fresh paper can be obtained from the Holywell Lodge. If the toner has expired take the empty cartridge to the Lodge to swap for a new one. The ordering of toner and paper is handled by Holywell. The Computing Department does not hold spare toner cartridges. Installation instructions are in the box - primarily note that there is a tape you have to pull out before installation!
2.9 A Computer has Died, a Smell Of Burning, Water Is Pouring Through The Ceiling ...
Contact the Computing Department, or in the case of a crisis the Lodge. Give full details where possible.
3 My Computer
General:
College draws the line at connecting users' computers to the Network as its responsibility. Your machine is your responsibility. The Computing Department will help you to connect to the Network, but can only give further assistance if time permits. All work done on members' machines is at the owner's risk.
3.1 How Do I Connect My Machine to the College Network?
Read the pages on the use of the Network. Full details of the requirements and process are there.
3.2 I Have Tried to Install and Set Up my Network Card but it does Not Work?
Contact the MCR or JCR computer officers or Computing Department who will ask someone to go to your machine or ask you to bring your machine to us.
3.3 I Think my Network Point is Dead?
Take your computer to a known working Network point or bring a working networked machine (e.g. a friend's portable) to your Network point and see if it works. This will immediately diagnose whether it is a connection fault (e.g. the cable back to the Network hub , or the settings on the hub) or a problem in your computer. If your computer does not work on the Network check its cable to the wall and also that the settings in the Network Control Panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel) are set to Automatic IP (instructions for XP, for Vista. If there is evidence of bad cabling or you need assistance with your Network setup contact the Computing Department.
3.4 When My Computer Starts Up It Says IP Conflict?
This should not happen. Copy down the error message and especially the number of the form 00:80:8D:34:2E:23 it quotes, and send an email containing it to the Computing Department.
3.5 When my Computer Starts Up it Says 'Your Computer Name is Already in Use on the Network'
This is not serious; your computer will continue to work. To resolve it go to the System Control Panel and click on the Computer name tab. In the upper box you can assign a name which is used in some circumstances. It will probably say something general like OEMCOMPUTER. Change this to something unique like your name.
3.6 My Computer has Died?
The Computing Department does not repair students' own computers. I am afraid this is your problem!There are shops around Oxford offering repair services (e.g. PCWorld ~£100). If we have time we will attempt to assist you in giving a diagnosis. The University Computing Service offer a hardware insurance (maintenance) scheme for working computers - see their web pages - £12-£37 per annum).
3.7 My ***** Program has Died?
The Computing Department does not repair student's own computers. Again this is your problem! If we have time we will attempt to assist you - we may be able to affect a cure. We will not become involved in any software of whose origins we are uncertain (e.g. pirate stuff).
3.8 Can you Repair my Computer?
The Computing Department does not repair students' own computers. We will not undertake to do any hardware repairs to computers (e.g. we will not buy parts for you), but may assist you in diagnosis and fitting parts if we have time. We can assist with software 'repairs' at our discretion.
3.9 Can I Have a Copy of ... ?
We will only distribute software which is site-licensed to students. Please do not offend us by asking for copies of commercial software. Site licenced software, e.g. Sophos and Exceed, can be obtained through https://register.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ under the 'software' item in the left column.
3.10 Can I get Computers or Software more Cheaply through College?
Simply - no. We do not get VAT off nor special deals.
3.11 Does College have any Spare Computers?
No. We cascade machines down from workstations to email stations to spare parts. If, exceptionally, machines do become available we will advertise them.
3.12 I Cannot Get my Chat, Games, Webcam, ... Programs to Work from Balliol
Balliol uses firewalls to protect its computers within College from outside attack. A consequence of the firewalls is that many Internet programs will not operate, including the ones listed above. Where legitimate access to an academic source is being blocked we will try to facilitate access, realise however there are constraints on what can be achieved.
4 When Do I Expire?
4.1 Nexus Email Accounts
See the OUCS information for the detail.
Email expires at the expiry date on your University card or when graduates supplicate, but if you have set up forwarding that will operate for a further 2 months. Forwarding must have been set up before the expiry date as your account becomes inaccessible then.
4.2 Balliol Student Computer Accounts
These expire when your results are published, you are given leave to supplicate, are sent down or your University Card expires.
4.3 Network Use
Network use expires around the 1st August EACH YEAR and must be renewed annually. Graduates' network use expires annually as above or earlier if they are given leave to supplicate.