Harrison Junior School Troubleshooter Page

A virtual "How-to-Solve-it" or "Where-to-get-it" from Todd Sams.

You are going to have problems or be in need of supplies or assistance with your computers sometimes, that is why I get paid the big bucks to fix them (HA-HA). This Troubleshooter is designed to provide you with some tips and suggestions to possibly fix things yourself. If the suggestion is for you to "WAIT! Get help." then please do that; I would hate to see something damaged. So select your problem area from below:

PROBLEM

Printer, paper or printing concerns/needs.

Network or Internet Difficulties.

Where do I find ....?

How do I ............?

"Ooops, power just went out." or "I unplugged it."

E-Mail.

Noises

TBA

TBA

• Printer: There are two types of printers currently at HJS. Some of you have Inkjet, like the Lexmarks and the HP's. There are also 4 new HP LaserJet printers in the building. All of them have some inherent problems or concerns.
  • FIRST: Are you SURE that the printer is turned on?
  • SECOND: Is there a paper jam? If there is do your best to fix the problem and if that does not work, contact me (Todd Sams, Room 106 or sams_t@hcca.ohio.gov)
  • Are you running low or out of ink? Well, I might have some spare cartridges. At the beginning of the year I should have given each printer/teacher a spare. That is all we are budgeted for the year. I know, I know but if you just printed a full color drawing of Barney 50 times than you certainly may be out of ink. (Did you ever hear of 'Markers'? Just a thought) Seriously, please use ink supplies as judiciously as possible. do not allow students to print out page after page before clearing it with you.
  • Are you out of paper? Send someone down to the office/bookroom to get some more. Also, at the start of the year I passed out some Inkjet paper.
  • Something Else? Not sure? Send me a note.
• Network:
  • First; Make sure your Network cable is plugged in to "D1" on the wall. It looks similar to a phone jack.
  • Second: Check with your neighbors, Is their Internet web Browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) working? If not, then it is probably a network condition that we have no control over.
  • NOTE: If the network is down I will try my best to get it on the announcements or to spread the word. try to have a backup plan if the network is down because it will be down sometimes, invariably the day you plan to have the students use it to do their research.
  • If the network is down the only things you might not be able to do are use the WWW, e-mail, or with the new LaserJets, print. Typing, grades, Power Point, CD-ROM activities all can continue.
• Where do I find ...?
  • Remember, the HJSWeb has already found sites for you if you have an Internet question. The Computer page has links to many various activities or information you might have about technology. There are also guides for each subject area.
• How do I ...?
  • This is one of those areas I will fill in as the questions are asked.
• "Ooops" Power Problems
  • NOT GOOD! If you are not sure what to do when your computer restarts there are several options. You could unplug it (assuming the power is out still) and wait until it comes back on and have Todd Sams or one of his trusty student helpers do it, OR you could try it yourself. The biggest problem with the power being turned off or someone shutting off a computer improperly is lose of data or changes to the set-up. As long as you were not in a DOS program (that CD-ROM game from 1993 you just had to try) you SHOULD be ok. If you were in DOS, ouch.
  • Please do your best to avoid these problems. If it is staring to storm ferociously, why not shut down your computers. There is no reason to risk things sometimes.
• E-Mail:
  • Every teacher at HJS can get a free e-mail account. Most of you have one whether you know it or not. If you want to send e-mail why using the WWW your computer has to be set-up for that properly. I can help. But there is a chance that someone could send an e-mail from that computer with your name on it. ALWAYS set e-mail passwords. Don't risk it.
  • Your e-mail address will be something like: LastName_F(irst Initial)@hcca.ohio.gov , for example mine is sams_t@hcca.ohio.gov . You can send and receive e-mail from anyone all over the country (or world) as long as they have an e-mail address. I would suggest writing then in your regular phone directory or address book.
• Noises:
  • Hopefully you don't have any funny or weird noises coming from your computer; if you do send me a note at the least telling me when the noise occurs.
• More to Come as necessary.