|
AREC Computer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
FAQ Index
1. University of Maryland Policies
2. Viruses and Virus Hoaxes
3. Graduate Computer Lab
4. Windows NT Information
5. Microsoft Word
6. ECON-LIT
7. SAS
8. Job Market Listserv Directions
9. Reading Email at Home
10. List of Software Available in the Computer Lab
11. Is the Internet/Campus Network Working?
12. Printer Problems
13. How can I import data to Stata?
1. Use of Software and Hardware at the University of Maryland
What are the University rules for using computers and software on campus?
The University has an acceptable use policy statement which can be found here.
What software from the University can I use at home?
If you are a student, the only software that you are licensed to use at home is McAfee. Behavioral and Social Sciences sells SAS licenses to graduate students. Contact Song Zhao (5-1668) for more information.
If you are a faculty member much more software is available. Under the Microsoft agreement you can have one copy of MS Office at home for personal use. Licenses for SAS, Mathematica, Maple, and several other packages are available for small fees. See: http://www.oit.umd.edu/slic/.
2. Is it Really a Virus? Does Craig Shergold Need More Postcards?
We are fortunate that most AREC users refrain from posting bogus virus warnings or urban legends to our various AREC email lists. Forwarding a bogus virus warning or urban legend to a mailing list will get you labeled a computer 'newbie' or worse! Check these links for bogus viruses and urban or internet legends:
Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability at http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html
Symantec Anti Virus Research Center at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html
McAfee Associates Virus Hoax List at http://www.mcafee.com/support/hoax.html
The Urban Legends Web Site at http://www.urbanlegends.com
Urban Legends Reference Pages at http://www.snopes.com
Evaluating Internet Research Sources at http://www.sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/evalu8it.htm
Evaluation of Information Sources at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm
3. Graduate Computer Lab
Who has access?
Registered graduate students in the AREC Department have access to the Lab. In addition, all Research Assistants who are working for AREC Faculty are given access. No other individuals should use the Lab.
What are the rules for using the Lab?
The rules can be found here.
4. Windows XP
How do I change my login password?
Your password for the AREC domain can be changed by hitting the 'Control' 'Alt' and 'Delete' keys together. This will bring up a menu including such items as 'Logoff' and 'Change Password'. Hit the 'Change Password' button, confirm that you are changing the password for your username, in the AREC domain. Type in your old password, followed by your new password in the spaces provided.
How do I know how much disk space I am using?
Open a "command prompt" window.
Use the dir command with the /s parameter. Try this at your H: drive prompt:
H:\>dir /s
This runs a sub-total of each directory you have and a grand-total for the whole directory. You can also use Windows File Explorer. Highlight your directory and then right-mouse-button click and choose properties. That will show the total disk space used.
How do I zip or compress files?
We now have a site license for WinZip from the University of Maryland. If you need WinZip on your machine please let Jeff or Chuck know. Below is information for using the older, DOS-based zip programs. These programs do work well and are available for non-University machines.
Zipping files potentially saves a huge amount of disk space. SAS data sets, for example, can be shrunk 90 percent by zipping them. We have two file compression tools on the S:\Trans subdirectory. They are called gzip.exe/gunzip.exe and zip.exe/unzip.exe. These programs are freeware and work with NT and Windows95 so you can even make copies of them for your home machines. For syntax for either of these commands try:
S:\TRANS>zip.exe -help
or
S:\TRANS>gzip.exe -help
This will show the syntax and flags you need to run the program. I believe that zip.exe also recursively compresses subdirectories.
5. Microsoft Word
I am getting a message saying the "disk is full"
This problem has persisted in Microsoft Word for at least 10 years.
This message probably means that an equation object or a graphical object in your Word document is corrupted. There are several solutions to this problem. You can try to find the corrupt object and delete it. You can also try to save the file in an RTF instead of DOC format ( warning: some users have reported data loss from saving as RTF). Microsoft is aware of this problem but has not announced a fix for it yet. Here is a link to their Knowledge Base article on this problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q186/9/57.asp?FR=0.
Microsoft suggests using 'select all' and then F9 as a way to check for corrupt objects.
How do I turn off auto-formatting?
Both Word and Wordperfect have annoying auto-formatting and auto-correction features which are on by default after installation. Both of these features can be turned off. In Word97, go to the Tools-->AutoCorrect menu. Here you can turn off any auto-correct or auto-format features you do not wish to use.
How do I turn off automatic spelling and grammar checking?
Auto spell-checking and auto grammar-checking also slow down Word97. You can turn these features off via the Tools-->Options menu. Choose the Spelling and Grammar tab and check off 'Check spelling as you type' and 'Check grammar as you type'.
Is there a Word Viewer available for people who don't own Microsoft Word?
Yes, there is a free downloadable version available from Microsoft here.
6. ECON-LIT
How do I find EconLit?
EconLit is now available via the WEB from the Unversity Library. With your browser go to http://www.lib.umd.edu/UMCP/ (NOTE: The UMCP must be uppercase). Then click on Databases (under Electronic Resources); then BUSINESS/Economics; then Econlit .
Many other databases and electronic references (eg. Brittanica, Barlett's)
can also be accessed from this UM Library site.
7. SAS
How can I get help for SAS?
There are several sources of help for SAS. First, SAS has excellent built-in documentation which is available from the Help menu. Second, SAS has a very good web site which includes searchable FAQ databases. This site is at www.sas.com. Third, there is a SAS USENET newsgroup which is searchable from Dejanews ( www.dejanews.com). Fourth, the AREC library does have a selection of SAS manuals. Finally, you can call Jeff or Chuck with your question or email support@arec.umd.edu.
8. Job Market Listserv Directions
"JobMkt" is a listserv, individuals subscribe to it in order to receive
e-mails concerning job postings. If you would like to be included in these
mailings, you can subscribe to the listserv by doing the following:
From your web browser, go to:
http://arec.umd.edu:80/guest/RemoteListSummary/JobMkt
On this page, enter your e-mail address in the appropriate space.
Click on "Submit".
The rest should be self-explanatory. You will receive an e-mail confirming
your request to be subscribed to the listserv. Follow the instructions in
that e-mail and you will be subscribed.
9. How Can I Read Email at Home?
With the upgraded email system you can check your email via an
internet/browser connection as follows:
https://mail.arec.umd.edu/exchange
login name: Either your email address ( xyz@arec.umd.edu) or AREC2k\Username
password:
10. Software Available in the Computer Lab
The AREC graduate computer lab has approximately 17 machines, currently running Windows XP. All machines include the standard Windows operating system utilities and applications (Wordpad, Notepad, File Explorer, DOS prompt, Media Player, Calculator).
The following programs are licensed by AREC to run on the Lab machines:
Productivity Applications
Microsoft Office 2003 (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Frontpage)
Procite 4.0 (network version)
Winzip
McAfee AntiVirus
Scientific Word 3.0
Math-Stat-GIS Applications
SAS 9.01
Limdep 7.0 (DOS + Windows)
Gauss
Maple
Mathematica
Matlab
ArcInfo
ArcView
Internet Applications
Outlook
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Putty
SCP
Postscript Viewer
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Athena
11. Is the Internet/Campus Network Down?
Internet
At times the campus connection to the Internet (via big ISP Qwest) fails. You can check the status of the campus connection to the internet at the Network Operations Center (NOC).
LAN
The local area network in Symons Hall, and the LAN connection to the campus network can also fail. Most failures are temporary and only require the local hubs or routers to reboot (this usually takes no more than 10 minutes). In cases of more serious failure the NOC staff are automatically alerted. You can check whether your machine is having a problem with the ping command. Open a DOS (or Command) window and type:
ping 128.8.90.162
This command should give you a reply like:
Reply from 128.8.90.162: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Reply from 128.8.90.162: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Reply from 128.8.90.162: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Reply from 128.8.90.162: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=128
This checks whether the main AREC server (arec.umd.edu) is up on the network. The command:
ping 128.8.5.2
checks whether your computer can communicate with the main campus DNS server, maintained by the Office of Information Technology. This test shows whether the Symons Hall network is communicating with the campus network.
12. Printer Problems
A common printer message (on the HP-4 printers) is buffer overrun. The printer stops printing on this error. The solution is simple: press the 'Shift' and 'Continue' buttons on printer control pad at the same time.
A related problem can occur if the selected paper type in the document being printed does not correspond to the paper tray on the HP-4 printer. In this case you might see a Load A4 or Load Legal error message. The solution is the same: hit the 'Shift' and 'Continue' buttons.
13. How can I import data to Stata?
Stata has an excellent FAQ here. Essentially, Stata requires text data files for import, and these text files can be written from SAS, Excel, or other programs.
|
