ITS Blog

10 HELP DESK ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST COMMON TECH HELP NEEDS


1. PASSWORD ISSUES 2. MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION  3. NEED A COMPUTER

4. NEED SOFTWARE 5. MAPPING DRIVE 6. BRIGHTSPACE HELP 7. PRINTING HELP

8. BINGVIEW HELP 9. BACKUP 10. GENERAL TECH HELP


Did you know there are many answers to simple tech issues/questions on the binghamton.edu/its website? Read this before you reach out to the ITS Help Desk.


While the ITS Help Desk is the primary point of contact for all technical queries and concerns, we analyzed our charts and figures which reflected the most common Help Desk queries and then we interviewed some of our Help Desk staff. We found the following to be the most common questions for tech related help in the last few months. We figured it might be extremely helpful and save time by providing you with these most repetitive questions’ answers.

1. FORGET YOUR PASSWORD?

Are you logged out of your account(s) or having issues accessing your account(s)?


Double check if you’ve typed in the correct username and password. Then, if you still cannot access your account, review the password help self service links for reference and go to: https://password.binghamton.edu. It syncs your Central Authentication Service (CAS) account and Google Account’s password. Also, your Binghamton University Computer Account is used to access University computers and applications.


2. NEED HELP SETTING UP 2FA? GOOGLE 2-STEP?

2FA can be set up on http://password.binghamton.edu. The Help Desk highly recommends setting up 2FA using the Google Authenticator App on a smartphone


Questions about 2FA? We have Answers here on our 2FA blog!



GOOGLE 2-STEP help can be found here. Traveling? Review this article.


Google 2-Step Verification is only used for logging in to your Bmail address and its associated Google services. This is separate from the CAS two-factor authentication (2FA) system used for logging in to other Binghamton University websites (such as my.binghamton.edu, BU Brain, etc.). ITS recommends enabling and using 2-Step Verification to protect your Bmail and Google services account. 

        


3. NEED A NEW COMPUTER? ITS PUBLIC COMPUTER LABS AND HELP

If a student needs access to a computer, ITS provides public computer labs in several areas on campus. For a listing of the computer labs visit: Computing Labs Directory.

    

Computing Labs Directory & Schedule

  • Check the Computer Lab Directory: the list of available ITS Computing Labs; capacity, hardware, equipment, etc.

  • Use LiveMaps or check out the LabFind App for available computers.

  • Check the schedule to see what is available in each lab before visiting the location to make sure it is open.

  • All computers in the Computing Labs require your Binghamton University username and password to log in. Once you've logged in, you can connect to your Bmail, Google Apps, etc.


        

The COVID Student Laptop & Hotspot Loaner program has ended; But, students in-need and requiring a loaner laptop for a longer period of time (up to 2 semesters, ending at the end of the Spring semester), can apply for Student Technology Laptop Loaner Program through the CARE Team. Applications are reviewed based on need.


4. NEED SOFTWARE?


Binghamton University provides a variety of software resources for faculty and staff.


The University also provides a variety of software for students to use for academic and research purposes. 



Pulse Secure VPN software allows access to campus-only resources from off-campus locations. The website https://ssl.binghamton.edu provides bookmarks to campus-only resources directly through the web page. Pulse Secure can be installed by logging into https://ssl.binghamton.edu



5. NEED HELP MAPPING YOUR DRIVE


Help Desk has observed that there is a lot of nuance to connecting to a network share/mapping drives. A mapped drive is a shortcut to a drive that's located on a different computer. The shortcut on your computer looks and acts like a local hard drive (similar to the C drive) with its own letter assigned to it, but all the files in the mapped drive are actually physically stored on another computer.

Map network drives on Windows (H drive or S drive)

Map network drives on macOS (H drive or S drive)



6. NEED HELP WITH BRIGHTSPACE


The first place to start if you need help with Brightspace is by utilizing the 24/7 Technical Support, available to all students, faculty and staff.

It might help and save you time if you read the FAQs before you reach out to their technical support.


.

7. NEED HELP WITH PRINTING?


Students can use the Print@Binghamton secure printing system to print to a fleet of black/white and color printers located in ITS Computer Labs around campus. SAVE A TREE! Think before you print! Print/save to PDF and read it on your screen later, or print duplex or two per page…many other ways to SAVE PAPER are found here.

8. NEED HELP WITH BINGVIEW?


BingView is Binghamton University's Virtual Desktop environment. Active students, faculty and staff can access the Virtual Desktop using their BU account. To access BingView go to bingview.binghamton.edu. Students and off-campus users are required to connect to Pulse Secure VPN before using BingView. Follow the steps to access Bingview.



Other Helpful Links Pertaining To Bingview and other software/tech information:


STUDENT TECHNOLOGY PAGE:

https://binghamton.edu/its/helpdesk/student-technology

FAC/STAFF TECHNOLOGY PAGE: https://binghamton.edu/its/helpdesk/fac-staff-technology


9. HOW DO I BACKUP MY DATA/FILES/WORK


It is important to do this on a regular basis, so you do not run into issues. Make it a habit and visit this helpful ITS backup page for information.

    


10. TECH HELP

  

   


FIRST off, January 2022 begins the Spring semester! Get TECH READY for the semester, and review the Faculty, Staff, and Student TECH CHECKLIST. EveryThing and anything tech related is conveniently listed there. Check out the helpful links on the HELP DESK MAIN PAGE as well! To save you time and frustration, we suggest visiting the SELF SERVICE PORTAL before reaching out to the Help Desk, you can search the Knowledge Base for your question & answer. Also, check out these helpful links with plenty of self help answers: QUICKLINKS, SELF HELPThen if you still need help, contact the Help Desk:


For in-person assistance, we recommend calling in advance to make an appointment. Please call 607-777-6420 or email helpdesk@binghamton.edu for assistance.

Located in The Technology Hub first floor lobby.

The TECH STOP: Stop by to recharge your devices.

Small Tech Hub Map | Campus Map | Maps & Directions | Directory


Help Desk Hours

Fall & Spring Semesters:

Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Summer and Winter Hours:

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Hours subject to change when classes are not in session for all semesters.


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