Getting Connected @ D&E

Davis & Elkins College has a fiber-optic backbone between most campus building providing Ethernet to all dorm rooms and may classrooms. The Campus network has access to the Internet with dual T-1 lines to Fibernet.

Network Connections

All students must register to use Davis & Elkins College network resources. The same username and password is used to authenticate users for the Dorm network, dial-in access, and D&E e-mail. Please fill out the Network Access form and return it as soon as possible. You can not have access until this happens.

Although we are not staffed to handle students' computer problems, we do try to help as we can. If you have a computer problem and do not know where to start, please give Computer Services a call. If it is something simple, we might be able to fix it, if not, we can certainly get you started in the right direction.

General PC Maintenance

All these techniques will work on any version of Windows, 98 and later. Instructions which vary by operating system are given separately. Maintenance instructions for Macintoshes coming soon.

Windows Update

Check Windows Update once a week, and download and install any needed updates or patches. Click here to run the update.

Cookies and Temp Files

It's a very good idea to get rid of these on a regular basis, as they can really clutter up your computer. Delete all files in these folders (except for index.dat), but be careful of deleting any actual folders - they may be necessary to Windows.

For Windows XP: My Computer >> your Hard Drive >> Documents and Settings >> choose which User account you want to clean >> Cookies, and also Local Settings (which is a hidden folder) >> Temp or Temporary Internet Files.

For Windows 9x, 2000, ME: My Computer >> your Hard Drive >> Windows >> Cookies. Also in the Windows folder: TEMP, and Temporary Internet Files.

Anti-Virus Software

Make sure you run your anti-virus program at least once a week, and update it every time. If you do not have an anti-virus program already, you can install a free version of AVG. Click here to install AVG.

Spyware Software

This will get rid of cookies and other spyware files placed on your computer by websites, file-sharing programs such as Kazaa, etc. Ad-Aware is excellent, as is SpyBot. Run it at least once a week - you can run it right after your virus software. Note: Do not have more than one spyware program installed on your computer! They may take each other as spyware and try to remove each other, freeze up your computer, etc. Click here to learn more these two products click below:
- Ad-Aware        - Spybot

ScanDisk and Defrag

These are easy-to-use features of Windows that will help keep your computer running faster and smoother. You can access them from several areas, including the Start menu and My Computer. For ScanDisk it's best to use the complete scan. Run these programs at least once a month, more often if you move files/folders around a lot or keep your computer running several programs in the background.

To access ScanDisk and Defrag in My Computer: My Computer >> right-click on your Hard Drive >> Properties >> Tools >> ScanDisk (Check Disk in Windows XP) or Defrag.

File-sharing warning

If you use a peer-to-peer networking or file sharing program (such as Kazaa, Morpheus, etc.), please be very careful! Do not download or upload many files at once, and always scan downloaded files with your virus software before opening or using them. It is a good idea to run ScanDisk and Defrag more often if you use a program like this.