COX INTRANET

Computer FAQ's

Q:  I'm new here and I need an account, email address, etc. What do I do?

A:  Make sure that your supervisor fills out this form as soon as possible.

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Q:   How do I configure my laptop to connect to the cox wireless network?

A:   If you have an external wireless card, make sure you have loaded the software that came with the card at purchase, and insert the card into the correct PCMIA port. If you have an internal wireless card, make sure that it is enabled and on. Left click on the start button on the lower left hand side of the task bar.

Select Control Panel . From the Control Panel window, select Network Connections.

Right click on the icon Wireless Network Connection within the Network Connections window. In the pull down menu, left click on Properties .

On the General tab, in the field labeled, “Connect using:” you should see the brand name and model of your external wireless card.

Click on the tab labeled, “Wireless Networks.” You should see the COX-WLAN network listed under “Preferred networks.” If you see COX-WLAN listed, highlight that listing and click on Advanced. In the Advanced window, select, “Access point (infrastructure) networks only.” Close this Advanced window.

Highlight the COX-WLAN listing in the Preferred networks window. Click on Properties. Make sure the Network Authentication is “Open” and the Data Encryption is “Disabled.” Click “OK.”

If you do not see COX-WLAN click on the Add button. In the box “Network Name (SSID)” type COX-WLAN. Leave Network authentication as “open” and set Data Encryption to “disabled”.

On the General tab, highlight the item “Internet Protocol” and click on “Properties”.

Select, “Obtain an IP address automatically,” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically.” Click “Ok” and close the Network Connections window.

On the bottom right taskbar of your desktop, you should see the wireless card icon. Check to see if it shows a connection (to the COX-WLAN network).

To test: Open your internet browser application and type in the URL of a website that is not your browser's homepage, or that may be in your cache.

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Q:   Should I turn my computer off at night?

A: No, we have several processes that run overnight which handle patching your machine, updating virus definitons, and scanning your machine for viruses.   In order for these thing to operate properly, we prefer to do them overnight when network usage is at a minimum.  This allows us to avoid disrupting normal network usage during the working day.  Your computer only consumes a trickle of power.  If you are concerned about power usage, turn your monitor off as it consumes far more power than than the actual computer.  CRT type monitors in particular are "power hogs".    In order for our overnight processes to run, your monitor does not need to be active. 

Q: My computer seems to have gotten really slow lately.  What should I do?

A: Check for Viruses, check for spy-ware, and then defragment the hard drive.
  1. Go to Start -> Programs -> Network Associates -> McAfee Virus Scan Console
  2. Right Click "Scan Fixed Disks" and select "Properties"
  3. Click on the Schedule button
  4. Select the "Enable" check box
  5. Schedule this for a time when you won't be using the computer. For example, mine is set to scan at 3am.
  6. Click "OK" until you are back at the console screen.
  7. Right click "Auto Update" and select "Start"
  8. This will make sure that you have all the current signatures to match against when scanning your hard drive.
  9. Run the update until all the updates are successful and you get an error message stating that you are running the most current versions.
  10. Right click "Scan Fixed Disks" and select "Start"
  11. Wait for the scan to finish and follow the instructions on the screen to deal with any viruses that have been found.
  12. Find your desktop short cut to CounterSpy
  13. Double-click on the icon
  14. Wait for the program to open and click on the "Spyware Scan" icon on the left side of the window.
  15. Click on "Updates" from the top menu.
  16. Wait for the updates to complete. 
  17. Click on the "Scan Now" button
  18. Wait for the scan to finish & follow the instructions on the screen to deal with any spyware that has been found. 
  19. See below for instructions on how to defragment your hard drive.
Note:  If your computer is still slow, try the advanced spyware removal instructions at the bottom of this page.

Q: How do I defragment the hard drive?

A: You can do it manually by:

  1. Double click on "My Computer"
  2. Right click on your C drive
  3. Select "Properties"
  4. Go to "Tools"
  5. Select "Defragment Now"
  6. Select "Defragment"
  7. If your computer is slow, run the defrag even if the analyze says it's ok.
or you can do it automatically by:
Double click on "My Computer" Right click on your C drive Select "Properties" Go to "Tools" Select "Defragment Now" Select "Defragment" If your computer is slow, run the defrag even if the analyze says it's ok.
  1. Double click on "My Computer"
  2. Double click on your C drive
  3. Make a new folder called "Defrag Script"
  4. Download the script to run Windows Defrag.exe automatically and put it in the C:Defrag Script folder
  5. Go to Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools
  6. Select Scheduled Tasks
  7. Select "Add Scheduled Task"
  8. Click Next
  9. Click "Browse" and browse to C:Defrag ScriptXDefrag.vbs
  10. Select "Weekly"
  11. Pick a time and day of the week when you are not likely to be using your computer.
  12. Be sure to leave your computer on so that it can complete the task

Q: I've done all the things above and my computer is still slow and/or I'm also getting a lot of annoying pop ads.

A: You may have spyware or adware programs running in the background. Please contact support@mail.cox.smu.edu . Spyware is any program that records your internet usage and/or other usage of your computer and sends the data back to a marketing company which then sells the data to the highest bidder.  If you suspect that you have installed spyware, try these steps to clean your computer.  Keep in mind that the best way to avoid spyware is to avoid installing it in the first place.  "Free" utilities, games, and other programs very seldom are.  If you aren't paying with your hard earned dollars, you are very likely paying with your privacy.   

As a preventative measure, we highly recommend that you install Spyware Blaster.  The most current version is available here - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html  and it's free!

  1. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Add & Remove Programs
  2. Uninstall or remove any programs like "Casino", "Hotbar", "Seach", "Buddy", etc.
  3. If you don't know what it is, consider removing it. It may well be the source of your problems.
  4. Install Spybot Search & Destroy. It can be obtained for free from http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
  5. Be sure to update it before scanning.
  6. Allow it to scan and remove anything it finds.
  7. If this does not solve your problem, install Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. It can be obtained for free from http://www.lavasoft.com/.
  8. Allow it to scan and remove anything it finds.
  9. If this does not solve your problem, install Spyware Doctor. It can be obtained for free from http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/?ref=trial_mgsd
  10. At this point, you should reboot your PC and see if you are still having any issues.
  11. Yes, all three tools may be necessary to fully remove all the infestations. Each tool is able to remove specific things that the other tools may not see or be able to fix..
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