The Computing Helpdesk is a student run department of ITS. We are here to answer all questions regarding computing at Wesleyan. We also provide disk recovery services and basic tutorials on all of Wesleyan's computer systems and supported software. The Helpdesk will attempt to either assist with or recommend a solution for almost any computer-related problem. We do, however, have some guidelines.
For Students
Our chief concern is the operation of critical software on your computer and your Resnet connection. Every consultant should be able to get you online and using office software. In terms of software, we support anything that is available on Wesleyan Software Servers. We will be happy to assist you with random other software but make no guarantees that we can help.
The Helpdesk is also the place for any account-related problems. If any of your accounts stop working, we will either fix it ourselves or alert the appropriate ITS staffperson. If you have forgotten your password or your account has been disabled we will gladly reset them for you, but you must come to the helpdesk office in person to provide proper identificaton. Wesleyan's default password is the first letter of your first name, followed by the first letter of your last name, followed by your 6-digit WesID number.
House calls will be scheduled on an as-needed basis. The most common problems requiring house calls are internet problems in woodframe houses. If we cannot fix your desktop problem over the phone, we will take your contact information. Within 2 days a consultant should call you or leave a message. Due to the incredible amount of software and hardware out there, we cannot possibly support everything. Notably, we will not make house calls for printer problems or non-Wesleyan software.
Hardware support is limited by liability. We will *not* open up your computer, but can provide some advice on what may be wrong and some avenues open to you. This policy does not extend to broken removable disks, we will make every effort to recover your data using a number of different tools. With some luck, we are also able to recover data on crashed laptop sytems that are brought into the Helpdesk.
For Faculty and Staff
While we are not trained on faculty and staff machines and issues, we will often be able to help. At some point, however, we will turn problems over to your department's DSS (Desktop Support Specialist). We will generally not schedule house calls for faculty and staff because that is the responsibility of the DSS program. We will, of course, do everything in our power to respond to emergencies after normal hours.
For Alumni
Alumni should e-mail the Alumni Help Desk at wesnet@wesleyan.edu or call (860) 685-2525.