Welcome to Smith! Here are seven important things you need to know before you arrive on campus in the fall:
(1) Smith uses Novell GroupWise for email, and you are expected to check your Smith email regularly. If you haven’t tried your GroupWise account yet, here’s how to get started:
- Open a Web browser and go to the Smith homepage: http://www.smith.edu
- Click on the GroupWise Web button in the lower right corner.
- In the first GroupWise window, click on the Go button.
- In the GroupWise login window, enter your GroupWise username and password.
Your username is usually your first initial followed by the first 7 letters of your last name. (For example, Anna Reyerson’s username would be “areyerso”.)
Your initial password is the last 4 digits of your 9-digit Smith ID number, followed by the last 4 characters of your username. (For example, if Anna Reyerson’s Smith ID number is 991234567, her initial password would be “4567erso”.) If your username has fewer than 4 characters, just use your full username as the second part of your password.
If your username and password combination doesn’t work, it could be because your username is an exception to the rule. (Exceptions are required when more than one person has the same first initial and last name.) For assistance, send email to 4its@smith.edu or call the User Support Center at (413) 585-4487. The USC is open weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM during the summer.
(2) Once you have successfully logged in to GroupWise once, we recommend that you reset your password to something that will be much harder for a hacker to guess, such as intermingled letters and numbers (e.g., 7t9x3v44). To access our quick password-change utility, click here. Or, you can click on the Reset Password link in the green bar at the top of the TARA home page. The TARA (Technology And Resource Adviser) web site is a good place to visit in any case, since it’s chock full of information about using technology at Smith.
(3) Many Smith instructors and programs use the Moodle course management system. To log in to Moodle, go to http://moodle.smith.edu. Your Moodle username and password are the same as your GroupWise username and password.
(4) If you will be living in a Smith residence house, be sure to read about connecting to the Smith Residence Network (ResNet).
(5) If you’re planning to buy a new computer before you come to Smith, visit the the Smith Computer Store web page.
(6) Windows users: We strongly recommend that you do the following before you come to campus:
- Install all “Important” and “Critical” Windows updates: To check the status of your Windows updates, open Internet Explorer and go to Tools, then Windows Update. When the update window opens and completes its check, click the Express button to download and install the recommended updates. If you are missing multiple updates, you may need to restart your computer and repeat this process several times to get all the updates you need.
- Install McAfee VirusScan for Windows to help protect your computer from viruses and malware. Once you know your GroupWise username and password, you can download a free copy of McAfee VirusScan for Windows from the Smith software download site. (Mac users: There’s a free version of VirusScan for you, too.)Before you install McAfee VirusScan, check to see if you have any other anti-virus software installed on your computer, such as Norton AntiVirus, Sophos, AVG, etc. If you do, you can continue using that software if you wish. If you want to switch to McAfee VirusScan, note that you must UN-INSTALL your other anti-virus program (even a trial version of McAfee) before you install VirusScan, or VirusScan will not work properly.
- Install CCleaner and Malwarebytes Anti-malware, two anti-malware programs that can help clean up your computer if it becomes infected. Both are free and can be downloaded from the Smith software download site. It is much easier to remove malware if these programs are installed before your computer is attacked.
(7) Smith students can now access the campus wireless network in almost every academic and administrative building as well as the residence houses. Click here to learn more about connecting to the wireless network.
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Questions? If you have questions about any of the information in this TechNotes post, please call the Smith User Support Center at 413-585-4487 any weekday between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, or send us email at 4its@smith.edu.
To view all TechNotes posts, click on the word “TechNotes” at the top of this page. For more software instructions, user guides, and tips on a variety of technology topics, visit Smith’s TARA (Technology And Resource Adviser) web site.
