Frequently Asked Questions
Lab Questions
I have video I need to edit. What software is available to me?
For basic film editing needs, iMovie and Windows MovieMaker are available on lab computers. For more advanced film editing, Final Cut Studio is also available.
Can I render in the labs?
College of Design, provides computer labs to assist students with all academic projects. In some cases this entails performing 3D rendering. We encourage all students to use our equipment to do this. However, we do ask that you perform this in labs with limited use, and make sure to limit your usage to available computers. It is inconsiderate, and you may be asked to stop, if you render on multiple computers in a lab setting when there is a line of students waiting to use the equipment.
To assist in rendering, College of Design, Technology Services provides several rendering applications. Please consult our available software lists for what we currently have available. (ie, IDX Renditioner)
How do I burn CDs on a Mac?
- Click on “Finder” on the far left side of the dock.
- From the “File” menu, select “New Burn Folder”.
- This folder will appear on the Desktop. You may drag and drop or copy and paste items into the burn folder. The items will appear in the folder as aliases.
- Double-click on the folder to open it. When all files have been added, click the “Burn” button in the upper right-hand corner of the window.
- If you haven’t done so already, the computer will prompt you to insert a blank CD into the CD drive.
- You may specify a name for the CD (the CD name defaults to the burn folder name), and select a burn speed.
- Click the burn button to begin burning to the CD.
I’m on a Mac in a College of Design, Computer Lab and I want to switch between Windows and Mac OSX. What do I do?
- Restart the computer.
- A grey screen will come up allowing you to select between Mac and Windows. It will remain up for 60 seconds.
- Using the keyboard arrow keys, select the operating system you want, and press enter.
What are the lab hours?
The labs are available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your department has door passcodes they can provide to you, in order to access the labs.
If I have a piece of software that’s not on the lab computers, can i install it on a lab computer?
You are free to install whatever you want on any of the lab computers. However, on each restart, the computer reverts back to its original state, and any changes are thus lost. If you have more long-term software needs not met by the labs, stop by the Help Desk (282 Lawrence) and talk to us.
I want to print a transparency. What do I do?
Printing on transparencies on lab printers can cause damage to the machine, and therefore, is not allowed. If you need to print a transparency, please contact the Output Room for assistance printing to their printer.
How do I use scanners in the labs?
- Turn on the computer and scanner if they are not already on.
- Locate and open the VueScan program.
- Lift scanner lid and place material to be scanned face down on glass plate of scanner, with document edges flush with the upper left corner. Close the scanner lid.
- Next to Task, select Scan to File.
- Ensure that the correct scanner model is selected next to Source. You can usually find the model name on the scanner itself.
- To preview the scan, click Preview. This allows you to see if the document is aligned properly and showing the correct side before scanning.
- Verify all the scan settings meet your needs: Media: Color photo, Media size: Auto, Bits per pixel: Auto, Scan resolution: 300 dpi
- Click Scan when you are ready.
- Once the scan is finished:
- Mac: Your scan will be saved on the desktop as a picture. If you wish to edit this image, it will open automatically in Adobe Photoshop. You may open and edit the scan in any program you choose.
- Windows: Your scan will be saved under C:UsersusernamePictures (“username” refers to the user you are logged into the computer as, usually “aaaclass”). From here, you may open and edit the scan with any program you choose.
Mac Questions
How do I uninstall software on a Mac?
- To uninstall software on a Mac, simply drag the application icon from the “Applications” folder to the trash and then empty it.
- If you recently used this application, you may have to restart your computer, then try this again.
How do I install Windows on a Mac?
The two options for installing Windows on a Mac are Boot Camp and Parallels. Boot Camp comes free with your Mac and partitions a portion of your hard drive to run Windows. To go back and forth between the two systems requires a reboot. Parallels, the other option, is software you must purchase. This runs a virtual machine (Windows) within your Mac OS. Though you don’t have to reboot to switch between the two systems, running a virtual machine will significantly impact the performance in both systems, since your computers’ resources are split between each one. If you’d like to discuss this further, please visit our Help Desk at Lawrence Hall, Room 282.
How do I access campus wireless on a Mac?
Using uowireless (deprecated)
NOTE: This is the old wireless network, and it will require you to re-authenticate whenever you connect to the network (such as after sleep, when moving between buildings, etc). We recommend using the new wireless network, UO Secure.
- Locate and click the AirPort icon in the upper-right corner of your screen (it looks like radio waves).
- Make sure the “uowireless” network is selected (not UO Guest).
- Wait a few moments and then open a web browser such as Safari or Firefox.
- Inside the browser, go to any web page that you haven’t been to recently. You should be redirected to the university’s web authentication page.
- Enter your DuckID as the username. For example, “jdoe” (without quotes) if your email is “jdoe@uoregon.edu”.
- Enter your email password, and click Connect.
Using UO Secure (new)
- First, connect to the old “uowireless” network temporarily (see above).
- Once you’re authenticated to the old network, enter the address: http://wireless.uoregon.edu into a browser.
- Check “I accept the terms of the End-User License Agreement” and click Start
- Follow the on-screen prompts until you have connected successfully.
- If this fails the first, time, return to the http://wireless.uoregon.edu webpage and click “load XpressConnect manually” instead of Start.
- Click on the link for “Click here to load XpressConnect” and follow the on-screen prompts.
Windows Questions
How do I uninstall software in Windows?
- Go to the Start/Windows-button and select the Control Panel
- From the Control Panel, select either “Add/Remove Programs” (Windows XP) or “Programs and Features” (Windows 7).
- You may need to change “View by: Category” to “View by: Small icons”
- Select the software you wish to uninstall and click “Uninstall/Change” then follow the steps on the screen to complete the uninstall.
I think my Windows computer has a virus. What do I do?
Immediately disconnect your computer from any form of network connectivity, including networks that don’t have Internet access. Please open a help ticket in the UO Service Portal with the symptoms your computer is having (pop-ups, warnings, etc) and any steps that would assist us in recreating the problem. We will set up an appointment for you to drop off your computer to have us remove the virus.
How do I access campus wireless on a PC?
Using uowireless (deprecated)
NOTE: This is the old wireless network, and it will require you to re-authenticate whenever you connect to the network (such as after sleep, when moving between buildings, etc). We recommend using the new wireless network, UO Secure.
- Open the Wireless Network utility located in the bottom right of your screen (usually looks like radio waves).
- Double-click the “uowireless” network (not UO Guest).
- Wait a few moments and then open a web browser such as Safari or Firefox.
- Inside the browser, go to any web page that you haven’t been to recently. You should be redirected to the university’s web authentication page.
- Enter your DuckID as the username. For example, “jdoe” (without quotes) if your email is “jdoe@uoregon.edu”.
- Enter your email password, and click Connect.
Using UO Secure (new)
- First, connect to the old “uowireless” network temporarily (see above).
- Once you’re authenticated to the old network, enter the address: http://wireless.uoregon.edu into a browser.
- Check “I accept the terms of the End-User License Agreement” and click Start
- Follow the on-screen prompts until you have connected successfully.
- If this fails the first, time, return to the http://wireless.uoregon.edu webpage and click “load XpressConnect manually” instead of Start.
- Click on the link for “Click here to load XpressConnect” and follow the on-screen prompts.
Miscellaneous
How do I connect to the University network while off campus?
- Open a web-browser (such as Safari or Firefox) and go to http://uovpn.uoregon.edu
- Enter your DuckID as the username. For example, “jdoe” (without quotes) if your email is “jdoe@uoregon.edu”.
- Enter your email password, and click Login.
- Follow the installer’s instructions, this may take a few minutes.
- The installer will inform you once you have connected to VPN.
- To disconnect from VPN on a Mac, click the Green “O” (Oregon logo) in the menu bar at the top right of your computer, and choose Disconnect. The “O” will turn Red when disconnected.
- To disconnect from VPN in Windows, right-click the Green “O” (Oregon logo) in the system tray at the bottom right of your computer, next to your clock, and choose Disconnect. The “O” will turn Red when disconnected.
I need to email someone a file larger than 10mb. What do I do?
- Open a browser (such as Safari or Firefox) and go to http://alphamail.uoregon.edu
- Log in using your DuckID and DuckID password.
- Click on “Share a Large File” on the left side of the screen.
- Create a password that will allow the recipient to download the file, and if you’d like, check “I want the password to be sent with the email”
- Click “Choose File” and select your file.
- Click “Upload and Compose a message.”
- You may then add to the message, but make sure to include the original message so that the recipient will get the link and password to download the file.
What software can I get from the university for free?
The University provides the following applications to any University affiliated individual: McAfee Viruscan Enterprise, Cisco AnyConnect (VPN), ArcGIS and SAS Statistical software. You can access site licensed software two ways:
- On the web: https://licensed.uoregon.edu/
You can download McAfee Viruscan Enterprise and Cisco AnyConnect (VPN) here. - On CDs/DVDs distributed from the Information Services Help Desk (Mckenzie 151).
The remainder of the software provided by the university is accessible on the Duckware CD. It contains the following:
- Firefox
- Thunderbird email client
- Spybot Search & Destroy
- SSH Secure Shell File Transfer
- CISCO VPN software
- Cute PDF writer
- KeePass password manager
You can pick Duckware up at the College of Design Technology Desk (282 Lawrence), the Information Services Help Desk (151 McKenzie), as well as various other computing help desks and centers on campus.
University of Oregon students also qualify for free AutoDesk software. Simply open a browser to http://students.autodesk.com/ and use your school email address to download it.
How do I make sure I don’t lose my work?
After each reboot, lab computers revert back to their original state. This means that you cannot store any information on these computers without risk of losing it by the end of the day or whenever another user touches the computer.
To ensure that you don’t lose data, you should save it in multiple locations: your own computer, a thumb drive (or external hard drive) and email.
My computer has a physical problem. Can the College of Design, Technology Services fix it?
College of Design, Technology Services can only provide technical support for software. Any issues related to hardware (the physical components of a computer) can be addressed by the Information Services Hardware Repair desk in McKenzie Hall, Room 151. They accept Visa, MasterCard and FIS Indexes.
How do I learn how to use this piece of software?
College of Design, Technology Services is unable to provide instructional training on the use of software (See: Scope of Service). Students should consult with their course instructor, or visit the Center for Media and Educational Technologies, located on the ground floor of the Knight Library.