There are numerous reasons why you may lose a connection while
staying in the dorms or private housing. However, if you properly maintain your
computer, you should be able to avoid these tedious complications and gain a
better knowledge of how to handle your PC in the future. Please follow these
simple steps to ensure that your computer remains in constant working order:
- Student PC’s that connect to the TAMUG networks MUST be protected
with anti-virus software. McAfee is available FREE to all students.
Please go to
http://sellsoftware.tamu.edu/
and follow the prompts to obtain your free
copy. They will EMAIL a copy of the program to you at your Neo account,
so we advise you save it to a CD or USB stick so you can access it later
in case it needs to be reloaded. IMPORTANT NOTE: Computers can only have
ONE virus protector on them. So, if you download McAfee, make sure any
other virus protector (i.e. Norton, F-Secure, etc) has been properly
uninstalled from you computer. It is necessary to constantly use the
update feature of McAfee to ensure that the most current virus
definitions are installed on your computer. If you have Win98 or ME,
this version of McAfee will not work for you.
- Microsoft is constantly releasing updates for your computer. These
must be downloaded regularly in order to maintain your network
connection. Without these updates, your computer will be vulnerable to
security risks and virus invasions. There are two way to obtain these
updates. One is to go to
http://windowsupdates.microsoft.com/.
On the left side of the screen click on windows updates and it will
automatically scan your computer for updates and report the recommended
updates. Perform the critical updates. The other is to turn on automatic
updates. This option we recommend. In doing this you will get reminders
that there are updates ready to install. If you wish to perform
Microsoft Office updates, you can obtain them by going to
http://www.microsoft.com/
and click the "Office Update"
link on the left hand side and follow the prompts. However, Office
updates are not critical to maintain your network connection. CIS
suggests checking for these updates at least twice a month to ensure
your computer is fully updated and protected.
1. Use
Ad-Aware,
Spybot,
or run
Stinger
regularly.
2. Do not download programs if you
do not know what they are.
3. Visit this page for information on how to
protect your
computer plus links for downloads
Many free programs, especially peer
to peer, also contain adware or spyware, and may cause your internet
connection to fail.