FAQs

I'm not sure if this email is spam. What should I avoid?

If you aren't certain whether an email is spam:

NEVER open attachments
NEVER click links
NEVER enter passwords

Doing these on an email from a hacker could potentially ruin your computer or compromise your accounts. Be vigilant with your emails, and only interact with emails you trust.

How do I know if an email is trustworthy?

• Look at the "FROM:" line of the email. Do you know the person it came from?
• If the email has attachments, are they supposed to be sending you something?
• If you're not sure, call them and ask. It's better to be safe than sorry.

As a general rule: Don't give out Username, SSN, Passwords, or personal information in an email.

HELP! I accidentally clicked a link or opened a file in a spam email!

1. Call us! We will run some virus scans on your computer.
2. Change your MyBYU password.
3. If you use the same password on more than one website, consider changing it.

It's a crazy world out there, so let's all practice safe emailing! The University tries to filter most spam emails out, but they can't catch everything. Be aware of what you read and what you click on.

We use Outlook for our BYU Business mail.

Here's why:

• Security - All emails sent using Outlook are private and encrypted. We have double-layer virus protection. Your information is stored on BYU servers. If you use other email systems (such as Gmail) your emails may be less secure.
• Support - OIT and FHSS provide support for Outlook. If you use other email systems (such as Gmail) you won't be able to get email tech support.
• Backup - Outlook emails are stored for 30 days and are recoverable even if deleted.

For more information about our BYU Outlook email service, click here.

You can download and login to Outlook for your smartphone.

Get Outlook on the Google Play Store

Get Outlook on the Apple App Store

If you need access on another computer, remember you can always access your mail from http://mail.byu.edu/
Don't forget to sign out when you're done.

If you're missing emails, they may have been blocked by the university email filtering system.

You can check which emails have been filtered at emailfilter.byu.edu
This site will allow you to accept or reject the various filtered emails.

If you need help finding a missing email, call 2-4000 and they can release filtered emails. You're also welcome to call us and we'll do what we can to help you.

You may have seen a small envelope icon on your Learning Suite page. If you have messages, the number of messages will be displayed over the envelope.

The new Messaging function will continue to be improved. Many faculty prefer to have student and class-related emails in one mailbox so as not to be mixed in with their personal or other work emails.

It also allows part-time and adjunct faculty and TAs to have an email box in which to perform their classwork and not have to give out their personal email addresses to the class.

CTL tells us that although any e-mail system can be hacked, the new Message system should be more secure than other message systems that students might be using (such as Gmail).

In addition, if a student were in a legal dispute with a faculty member and the court requested e-mails of the exchanges between student and faculty, a faculty member using LS Messages and not their Outlook or Gmail account to correspond with students would need to turn over only Learning Suite messages.

Box is our file-sharing system.

Learn Qualtrics in 5 Steps is an express program that will get you up to speed in 1-2 hours. Click here to use the 5-step training site.

Have you ever needed help figuring out how to do something in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook?

The university has recently implemented support for those of us with questions about Microsoft Office and other software used by the university. Simply call 2-4000 and tell them you need help using your program and they will redirect you to the university training people. These are the same folks who do software training on campus - they know their stuff and they're ready to help.

Did you know that faculty, staff, and students of our College can access many applications remotely? This means our College users can run various software even if they don't have it installed on their computers. Available applications include Matlab, MPlus Editor, NVivo, SAS, Stata SE, and SPSS.

Go to https://cloudapps.byu.edu and login with your Net ID and password.

Additionally, these apps can be run on Chromebooks, even if the app normally only runs on Windows.

How do I use this feature? Can you teach me how to do this? Who can help me? Although we want to help, we are not software experts and may not know the answers. Here are some suggestions for getting help with software training:

• The University has training programs that all employees can use. They provide online training videos and classes, many of which are free.
• For statistical programs like SPSS, STATA, SAS, NVivo, and others, the college has a resource support group (2-5114) that can give you specialized help.
• Many times you can find help on the internet.
  

Of course, you're always welcome to call us and we'll do our best to help you find answers.

Each of us has several software packages associated with our computers. This software is either "freeware" (it's free to use and we don't need a license) or it requires a license.

Most of the critical software packages that we use (i.e. Microsoft Office, Symantec virus checker, SAS, SPSS, STATA, Matlab, and others) have licenses that the university has purchased for BYU computer use only. The University maintains and keeps track of all these licenses.

Please keep a copy of any software (and their associated license codes) that you purchase, download from the internet, or install using CD's. Should your computer need to be re-imaged, we cannot reload this software for you unless you have the correct license code and installation files to set it up.

If you purchase a license for only one computer, IT CANNOT BE PLACED ON MORE THAN 1 COMPUTER!! If you do put it on more than one BYU computer, BYU potentially could be fined for violating the license agreement. Please obey all software licensing agreements you enter into.

Starting a research project?

Want a new website?

Need some data for analysis?

The computing services team can help you with your technology needs. There are usually many ways to solve technical challenges. Some are better than others, so please come down and talk with us.

We'll help you explore the options. Even if you have all the answers, a short consultation will tell you whether we can help or not - and whether we can provide ongoing support or not.

Please check our website at https://fhsscomputing.byu.edu for more details on the services we offer.

Let us help you modernize and beautify your teaching and research! Our Video and Design Teams can help you with the following:

• Capture (digitize) your old VHS videos for use as an embedded PowerPoint video.
• Extract clips from DVDs and Blu-rays for use in-class presentations.
• Film lectures and classes for later use.
• Promotional video (for web or other use)
• Graphic design for posters, brochures, flyers, newsletters, websites, etc.
  

Our services are free, and you are only charged for materials such as posters printed and stock art used. If you need help with any media-related projects, please feel free to go to https://fhsscomputing.byu.edu/media-request to fill out a request form.

If you have any other questions or would like a consult about your media needs, please call (2-4373) or email Matt Kieffer (mathew@byu.edu).

YES! Our services are free!

Be Sure to Plan Ahead!

We try hard to provide high-quality service in a timely manner, even for last-minute projects. We may be busy, so please plan ahead! Late or last-minute requests may be delayed until previously-requested projects have been finished.

Yes!

Thinking of buying a new tablet? Come borrow a tablet for a few days and try it before you buy it. We have iPad, Kindle, Surface, and Nexus tablets available.

Need a laptop for a conference? Come check out our selection of Dell and Apple laptops. (We can also install software on your selected machine.)

Need a projector, camera, webcam, or camcorder? We have several to choose from. (We can even help you record an event.)

This equipment is free to borrow and available for short-term checkouts. Stop by 382 SWKT and take advantage of these resources for our college faculty & staff.

Yes!

Most of us know about the FHSS faculty directory at fhssfaculty.byu.edu. Some faculty may also have pages on their department websites. A few faculty have custom websites and/or research sites.

Our college faculty web pages were designed with input from the Dean's office. These pages are populated from data residing in the faculty profile system (Digital Measures). Any changes or additions to the faculty profile system will automatically appear on the faculty web page.

Faculty members can also override their faculty profile information and customize their pages. The pages then become static and must be manually maintained and updated. This is similar to pages hosted on department sites.

If you have any questions or requests, please contact the web team at 801-422-7415 option #4.

The university provides media services in the Harold B. Lee Library Multimedia Lab, located on the 4th floor of the Library. They can help your TAs and department secretaries with video to DVD conversions, DVD ripping, and digitizing. Please visit their site for a list of their services.

YES!

Research has shown that student ratings can increase as much as 1 point after a faculty member has administered a mid-semester evaluation.

Mid-semester evaluations allow students to reflect on learning outcomes and individual progress and inform the instructor about what is working or not working in the course. When faculty members address students' suggestions and respond to their evaluations, the instructor demonstrates care and interest in the student's successful learning experience.

Want to learn more about how to administer these evaluations? Contact Bruce Burgon at 2-2833 or Bruce@byu.edu.

College Research Data

Many of you have been given a research space where you and your students can store and access your research data. This service has been well received and has become a big blessing to us. Here are some guidelines for using the R: drive:

• All research related data should be placed on the R: drive. This is data that is critical to your research.
• DO NOT back up your Dropbox data. Dropbox is already a backup system and we don't need to back it up and waste space on the R: Drive.
• PLEASE DO NOT BACKUP ANY HOME COMPUTERS TO THE R: DRIVE. It was not designed for this use.
• Please do not backup up your personal music, pictures, or videos to the R: Drive.

Please follow these guidelines and everyone who uses the R: drive will benefit from it.

Although backing up your computer isn't strictly necessary, it is very wise. Backing up your computer will protect you if your computer fails or is destroyed.

Please back up your work computer. We offer a great service called CrashPlan Pro for your work computers.

We have also negotiated a discount for home use of their consumer product.

If CrashPlan Pro is installed on your computer, you will see it in your Start Menu on Windows, and in your Applications folder on Mac. If you do not have CrashPlan Pro currently on your computer, or if you have questions about if it is working, please call us at 422-7415, option 1 and we can get that installed and configured to ensure your data is safe wherever you go.

Windows 7 Support Has Ended

Windows 7 systems are a security risk for your data and may also endanger other systems on the network. We will work to upgrade the remaining Windows 7 systems in the college. This may also include new/better hardware.

If you run Windows 7 on your personal computer, you may want to consider upgrading your system! Even in December of 2020, it's completely free to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10. The process is simple, and you can find instructions here:
Windows 10 free download: How to get the upgrade now - CNET

Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, so once you upgrade you'll never have to worry about a major Windows update like this again. (Think of how nice that will be!)

Computer Warranties

Did you know that the computer the University purchases for you comes with a warranty? Several times each year we get computers that have hardware issues. If you notify us within the warranty period, we can work with the manufactures to get your problem fixed at no cost. Please don't put off a problem until it is too late!! Here is the warranty that comes with each computer we purchase:

• Dell Desktop computers - 5-year warranties
• Dell Laptop computers - 4-year warranties
• Apple Laptop and Desktop computers - 3-year warranties
• Laptop batteries - 1-year warranties only
• Printers - generally 1-year warranties

Please treat your computer equipment with care. If you have a problem or want to know when your warranty expires, don't hesitate to call us.