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The how-to for computer networks

Friday, 01 September 2006

Moving in to college used to just mean lugging furniture up the stairs. But now, setting up a new college computer can be its own challenge. Computer users have to deal with crashes, viruses, spyware, software installation, hardware installation, network setup and much more. Students of the University of Idaho have an excellent resource for troubleshooting and support at the ITS Help Desk, located in room 133 of the Administration Building. They offer free help to students facing a broad spectrum of computer problems. “95 percent of what we saw this week was just getting students hooked up to the wireless network,” said Leo Stevens, director of enterprise computing. The university started up its wireless network five years ago to help students get adjusted to a wireless environment. “We wanted people to see the benefit. You didn’t have to be stuck in a computer lab, you could sit in a big comfy chair with a laptop,” Stevens said. With Internet connectivity comes the risk of viruses, spyware and other Internet threats. “We educate the students about the different software choices out there,” Stevens said. He suggests getting antivirus and antispyware programs, turning on Windows Firewall for students with Windows XP and turning on automatic updates. UI offers Symantec Antivirus through the Web site for managing student accounts. Other options include free software like Spyware Search and Destroy, AVG Anti-Virus and Windows Defender. Damon Inks of Cactus Computer Co., a family owned computer shop, suggested getting the free programs. They see problems with users connecting to peer-to-peer networking and not realizing the risk. “Just because you don’t share a folder doesn’t mean your ports aren’t open,” said Inks. Cactus Computer is located at 211 S. Main in Moscow and sells computer parts, builds machines and repairs both desktops and laptops. Another local computer store is VGH Computer Services located in the Palouse Mall. They sell parts, games and software. This week, Todd Green of VGH is seeing computer problems of a different nature. “Students are getting parts. They forgot a power cord or monitor or something at home,” said Green. VGH also offers full service repair and network installation — an intimidating task for some people. The first step is to find out if your apartment comes with some sort of Internet service. If so, the service provider will be able to tell you what type of equipment works best with their setup. If your landlord doesn’t offer Internet or you choose not to use theirs, the next step is to choose an Internet provider. Most Internet Service Providers, or ISPs for short, provide modems. The modem will connect one computer through Ethernet or USB to the Internet. The computer will also need a network card or motherboard with built-in networking. If more than one computer needs to connect to the Internet or you want to share data between your computers, you will need to install a router. This is where it can get tricky, as there are many different varieties of routers and installation isn’t always plug-and-play. A wired router with a four-port switch is the most basic router. It allows connection to up to four computers through Ethernet to a home network. This is a good solution if your computers are located in a central location such as an office, since you will have to run a cable to each computer that you need to connect. Remember, every computer that needs to connect to the router needs its own network card. The other option is using a wireless router. A wireless router transmits data through a radio frequency, so like the name implies, no wires are needed. Also, most wireless routers have a four-port switch, giving the option to still connect one or more computers through Ethernet. There are different standards of wireless connections, wireless-G being the most popular. Each computer you connect to the wireless router needs a compatible wireless adapter, and each computer connected through Ethernet needs a network adapter. Should you still have problems with installing your Internet, remember — if you play it right, your help may be for free. “Everyone has a friend who is tech savvy to help them out,” Inks said. Add as favorites (27) | Views: 532 Be first to comment this article Write Comment Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code. Name: Title: Comment: