Welcome to PC Computing
at Central Washington University
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Table of Contents
Introduction
- Log on to the CWU network from campus and from home.
- View/save files network and/or local drives.
- Log on to GroupWise from campus and from home.
- Send/receive e-mail via GroupWise.
Here at Central, we are all connected to the CWU network, or “Tree.”
Everyone with network access is given a full context log in name. This log in name generally starts with a period (.). It is not necessary to use this full context log in name when logging onto a campus computer but it is a good idea to know what it is for things like adding a network printer, host registering a new computer and a variety of other networking tasks. For the most part though, you will just need the first part of the name Username.
.Username.Department.Area.CWU
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Campus Computing
At any PC lab computer you'll see a log in screen like the following:
All you'll need is your Wildcat username and password.
- Type in your user name in the Username: field.
- Click to the Password: field or press the Tab key.
- Type in your password.
Note: Your username is not case sensitive, but your password is.
The most important thing you need to consider about passwords is: DON'T GIVE THEM OUT!
Your password is your responsibility. Even if you trust someone else to not use your account maliciously, do you trust them to keep your password secret?
When choosing a password (and you'll have to come up with a new one every 180 days), it has to be at least 8 to 14 characters long and cannot contain any blanks or special characters. You can, however, pick a mixture of upper and lower case letters as well as numbers.
If you forget your password, you can go to http://www.cwu.edu/mypassword from any campus computer to change it but you'll need your student ID and PIN number in order to do so.
Every campus PC logged into the network has access to the Network Applications folder  . This folder is on the desktop and provides access to various installer programs (e.g. GroupWise) and fixes.
What you have access to will depend on your network access rights. If you have any questions on the contents of the Network Applications folder, please contact the HelpDesk at x2001 and talk to one of the technicians.
All PCs in the labs are loaded with GroupWise (email), Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word), Adobe Acrobat Reader and Internet Explorer. Some may have specialized software such as PhotoDraw or Dreamweaver. For information on what labs have what, go to
http://www.cwu.edu/~r25/its_labs.html
There should be a shortcut for GroupWise E-mail on the desktop but if not, all programs can be accessed by clicking on the Start button, and then going to All Programs.
When working on a campus computer, you'll have access to drives on the local machine as well as those on the network server.
Local drives may include:
C:\ First hard drive. You cannot save files to the C drive on lab computers as it is loaded with a special program that prevents this from happening.
D:\ Usually the CD-ROM drive. In some computers, it may be a second hard drive. If so, the CD-ROM drive may be Drive E:\.
Rising in popularity is the use of jump drives which can be plugged into a USB port. If you run into trouble using a jump drive on campus, check out
http://www.cwu.edu/~itstraining/TechTips/files/flashdrive.doc.
Network drives for students include:
G:\ - Data drive for shared folders and your personal folder. See also the N: drive.
I:\ - Web pages are stored here in the Public folder. Files can be viewed online at http://www.cwu.edu/~username. You are allotted 20MB of space on this drive.
N:\ - Data drive; your personal drive. All files and folders here are duplicated in your personal folder on the G:\ drive. You are allotted 20MB of space on this drive.
Other network drives are used for programs and utilities.
Network drives can be used to save and access files to and from just like a local drive.
To access a file on a network drive using any of the campus computers,
- Log on as usual.
- Double-click on the My Computer icon which is either on the desktop or the Start menu.
If you are doing web work, you probably don't want to work with files directly from the (I) drive. Usually people doing web work will have a copy of the file somewhere else, then copy it over to the (I) drive. For assistance with web work, please contact the Web Office at x2810.
If you want to access other types of files,
- Double-click on either the (G) or (N) drive (contents are the same on both drives)
If the file is located in a folder on one of these drives, double-click on the folder first, then
- Double-click on the file you wish to open.
When you are ready to save your work,
- Click on the File menu of whatever program you have running and select Save As
- Use the drop-down list at the top to display the list of available drives.
- Select the drive and folder (if applicable) you want to save your file in and Save.
There are many computer labs available on campus. Check out http://www.cwu.edu/~r25/its_labs.html to find out what labs are open, where they're at and what programs are available in each lab.
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Computing From Home
About 90% of campus residence halls and apartments have free high-speed internet connections. Support for this is through the ResNet department. They can help out with issues relating to your computer's internet connection such as getting connected, removing and preventing viruses and spyware, and troubleshooting web browsers.
Call 509-963-2200.
If you don't live in campus housing but are a registered student at CWU, you can make use of the free dial-up connection. You just need a modem and to set your internet connection to dial into 509-963-8000. For more instructions in setting up this connection, go to
http://www.resnet.cwu.edu/dial_up.php.
You can access your network drives from home as long as you have Internet access (see above if you don't already have an Internet Service Provider).
- Go to the CWU Home page at www.cwu.edu/
- Click on the Wildcat Connection
 icon towards the bottom of the page.
- Log in with your Wildcat username and password.
The links along the side vary depending on your access. You may see some or more of the following.
IntraNet: This displays the CWU Intranet as seen in the main GroupWise window for on campus PC users.
Safari: Safari is the primary source of information for students and faculty including class schedules, registration, grades, and financial need.
GroupWise E-mail: This opens a separate site for GroupWise on the web. See the GroupWise Web section of this handout for more information.
Blackboard: A course management system with tools that enable instructors to provide their students with course materials, discussion boards, virtual chat, online assessments, and other features/tools for online courses or as supplements to face-to-face courses.
CWU at iTunes University: If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to get faculty podcasts, hear sports broadcasts and more.
NetStorage: This displays your network drives in the right pane. See below for more information.
Accessing CWU Services from the Internet: Links and instructions for downloading and installing the VPN, GroupWise, Messenger, and file transfer options. The various options will be covered in more detail later.
Update eDir and GW Info: Update your personal information as it is seen in GroupWise.
My Favorite Shortcuts: Customize your Wildcat Connection experience.
Change Password: This changes your Wildcat password.
Portal Help: If you get stuck.
Connection Card Balance: Find out if you have enough money for B&G on Friday.
On-line Tutoring: Receive e-tutoring or ask questions about your Economics homework.
Campus Repair and Maintenance: Request repair work from Facilities Management on campus.
CWU Housing: Find information about living on campus, using campus facilities, and finding employment..
NetStorage is where you can transfer files back and forth between your home computer and the network.
- Use the File menu to Download a file from the network to your local computer to work on it.
- Use the File menu to Upload a file from your home computer.
For more information on using NetStorage, go to:
http://www.cwu.edu/~itstraining/TechTips/wintelecommute.html
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The GroupWise E-mail and Calendar Program
Client vs. Web
There are two different ways you can log on to GroupWise.
- Using the client version.
- Using the web version.
The client version is installed locally on lab and staff computers and is generally what people use when on campus.
If you are off campus, or anywhere in the world for that matter, you can log into https://gwweb.cwu.edu and check your mail. See more details below.
Once your computer is logged into the network, you may be prompted to enter a password for GroupWise; it is the same as the one you used to log onto the computer (Wildcat password).
- Enter your password as necessary and click OK.
When GroupWise opens, the first screen to display will be the CWU Intranet.
- Click on the Mailbox icon in the left pane to display your mail.
All new mail will appear as an unopened envelope with bolded text next to it.
- Double-click on the bolded text to open the mail.
To send an e-mail,
- Click on File, New, Mail.
- Fill in the fields as necessary and click Send.
The GroupWise calendar keeps track of all your appointments, notes, and tasks. You can view your calendar several different ways but the most common are Day, Week, and Month.
- Click on the View
 buttons to switch between different views.
Use the black left and right arrows to navigate ahead or behind a day (if in Day view), week (if in Week view), a month (if in Month view), and so on. You can always come back to the current day with the Today button.
To post an appointment to your calendar,
- Navigate to the appropriate date in the Day or Week view.
- Double-click on the appointment grid.
- Fill out the fields as necessasry and click Post.
If you have an Internet connection set up, open up a browser (I.E., Netscape, Mozilla Firefox) and go to
https://gwweb.cwu.edu
- Log in with your Wildcat username and password.
Most of the functions available on the client version are available here as well.
- Click on a message to open and read.
- Click on the black arrow on the New button to compose mail, tasks, notes, and appointments.
- Click on the Address Book button to look up addresses, add contacts and groups.
- Click the Manage Folders button to add/edit/delete folders.
There is also a Proxy access button which many students do not use.
When you are done with GroupWise web, make sure you click on Logout to log out properly.
For more information on using GroupWise on the web, check out:
http://www.cwu.edu/~itstraining/GWHelpPages/gwweb.html
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Where to Get Help
Wireless connections, network issues, Safari issues, passwords, etc.
Call 509-963-2001.
www.cwu.edu/~helpdesk
helpdesk@cwu.edu
Assistance and training for faculty, staff, and student employees on office software applications, including spreadsheets, databases, word processors, operating systems, e-mail, etc.
Call 509-963-2392.
www.cwu.edu/~itstraining/
training@cwu.edu
Technical support for students living in university housing on using the student residential network (ResNet).
Call 509-963-2200.
www.resnet.cwu.edu/
resnet@cwu.edu
For help using the Safari system (Note: this information is also available when you log into the Wildcat Connection and click on Safari).
Call 509-963-2001
http://www.cwu.edu/~pmits/safari.html
eishelp@cwu.edu
Assistance and training for faculty, staff, and student employees relating to departmental, unit, and individual web pages, using tools such as Adobe Photoshop and HTML editors.
Call 509-963-2810.
www.cwu.edu/~web/
daysj@cwu.edu
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Page last updated 10/03/08. Send questions or comments to ITS Training.
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