Be introduced to our Helpdesk Staff. Find out how to get in touch with us and exactly what our function is. Please take a few moments to read the following information, since it is beneficial to you.                Who is your support team? Herminio Rodriguez Associate Director of Microcomputer Operations Derek Long Unit Computing Manager Ronald Postrech Unit Computing Specialist Ardra Spector Helpdesk Coordinator   Where and how to contact us? We are located In Nelson B-229. We can be reached by phone, at 5-3661, or by e-mail, helpdesk@biology.rutgers.edu. Please feel free to contact us If you have a computer/ network problem or if you need technical advice on basic Windows or MAC issues. Likewise, should you need assistance In purchasing a new computer/peripheral, send us an e-mail. We will make a recommendation to you and, if necessary, get you a quote from a Rutgers approved vendor.   Purchasing Information for Desktop Computers:  WINDOWS: We have evaluated almost all major brands of desktop computers on the market and have standardized on the DELL OPTIPLEX for the Windows environment. This unit is rated number one by all of the leading computer magazines and is fast becoming the Rutgers standard. Dell provides a 3-year “bumper-to-bumper” warranty with a “next business day” parts replacement policy. We also stock major spare parts for the Dell Optiplex. We strongly believe that this is the package to go with. To get pricing or configuration information, point a browser to http://www.dell.com/us/en/hied/products/ series_optix_desktops.htm. Here the machines can be customized to individual needs. Our minimum recommendations for a new PC are: Optiplex Mini-tower, Pentium 111-700MHz, 128MB RAM, 2OGig 7200 RPM Drive, 8MB Video AGP, 17 Inch monitor, 250MB Zip Drive, and 3Com 10/100 N1C Card. Once you have chosen a particular configuration, please send us an e-mail and we will get you a quote with an additional 10-20% off the online price. Once you have received the quote from us, it is then your responsibility to have the business office prepare and mail out the purchase order.  MACINTOSH: To get pricing and configuration for a new Apple Macintosh please visit http://www.apple.com/education/hed/ on the web. Apple Computer has a Higher Education Account Executive In New Jersey. His name is Mr. Jamie Moyer and he visits Rutgers on a regular basis. He can be contacted by phone or through e-mail. His contact information is as follows: Jamie Moyer, DMA Account Executive Apple Higher Education Northeast PA and NJ 610-252-8527 jamie_moyer@apple.com Apple Store for Education: 800-800.2775   Support Request Procedure The Nelson Computer Advisory Council (NCAC) has established a new policy for computer service requests. Anyone within the Division In need of support for hardware, software, or purchasing assistance, must call our helpdesk at 5-3661 or send an e-mail to helpdesk@biology.rutgers.edu, Telephone and e-mail requests are logged In and tracked through completion. To make sure that every service request is recorded and receives appropriate priority assignment, verbal requests will no longer be accepted by our technical staff. To make it easier for us to perform our duties and to ensure a fair, well-structured, and organized support operation, please follow the above guidelines. We are currently evaluating a system that will allow support requests to be filled online via our intranet. The user will be provided with Information by e-mail and will also be able to track the status of his/her service  request Online. We will keep everyone posted on this .

New Services Under Construction: We are currently evaluating a system that will allow support requests to be filled online via our intranet. The user will not only be provided with information by email but be able to track the status of his/her service request online. We will keep you posted.   Site Licensed Software: There are several software titles (see below) that Life Sciences has a site license for and that may be Installed on every computer within Nelson. Please realize that these are the only titles that can be Installed on any machine in the Division without violating piracy laws. If you require any other software title for your computer, you must purchase it on your own. We will be happy to help you with software installation.   1. MS Office 2000 SR2 Premium 2. McAfee VirusScan 4.5.1 3. McAfee Virux 6.2 MAC 4. Office 98 MAC   5. Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 6. Windows 2000 Professional     Purchasing Information  for computer supplies and peripherals only:   We use CDW as the source for most of out computer supplies and peripherals. We have a great relationship with CDW www.cdw.com and our account representative, Mr. Patrick Sullivan. He is trained in both Windows and MAC systems and will answer your e-mail/phone inquiries quickly and will recommend the appropriate items for your needs. Should their be any problem with an item received from CDW, we can get an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number quickly and receive a replacement without a hassle. his contact information is as follows: Patrick Sullivan - CDW 200 North Milwaukee Ave. Vernon Hills, IL 60061 Phone:1-800-82-4239x78205 Fax:1-847-465-5105 E-mail: patrick@cdwg.com   Training/Workshops: The University has ongoing training opportunities for full-time, faculty and staff to enhance their computer knowledge and skills. information on these classes is available online at http://teachx.rutgers.edu/index. html. Here you can see not only what Is available, but you may also sign up for a class online. Classes at different levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced, are offered on most topics. We highly recommend this training opportunity and can work with you should you need assistance in determining which class(es) to take.   Virus Protection We have a site license for McAfee Netshield 4.5.0. We have initiated a plan to install this software on all machines in our network. This software is the latest In anti-viral technology and has a desktop protection, Internet download protection, as well as an e-mail protection module. For the MAC we have McAfee Virux 6.2, with the same capabilities as In Windows version. Although the latest signatures are automatically pushed down to the client, they can also be manually downloaded from the I Drive on our server (I: \McAfee\newdats). While in the “\newdats” subdirectory, simply double click on the latest “sdat40xx.exe” file. As part of our license agreement, any full-time faculty or staff can take this software (Windows or MAC) home and install it on his/her machine. If you are interested in doing this, please provide us with a ZIP disk and we will place the appropriate files on it for you. Alternatively, you can burn the appropriate files onto a CDR (assuming you have the necessary hardware) and use this CD to Install the software at home.       Thank You... We want to thank everyone for cooperating with us on these issues to help make Life Sciences a computing standard throughout the University. Stay tuned for the next issue of the Life Sciences IS. Support Newsletter.