TCNJ HelpDesk         

Tech Talk

February 2003 Vol 1 Issue 2

Meet SAL:   Have you been introduced to SAL yet? No, we’re not talking about a new employee, we’re talking about SAL - Software from Any Location. A great tool offered by Information Technology.

What is SAL? SAL (Software from Any Location) is an application launcher that allows faculty, staff, and students to use software programs right from their desktop that were previously only available in the computer labs.

What type of software is available through SAL?

Campus standard software such as Netscape, Meetingmaker, QWS3270, and Adobe.  SAL also has specialized software for different departments.

I’m interested – how do I get SAL?  SAL is only available on -campus. To use SAL, you must be logged into Novell and running Windows 95, 98, or 2000.
Click on the ‘Start’ button. From the Start menu click on the icon for SAL Applications. A ZEN Works Application Launcher window will appear on your screen for a few seconds.
SAL will then open up.  Note: If you do not have SAL Applications listed in your Start menu, click on the ‘Start’ button, select Run. Type in the ’Open’ box: z:/nal.exe and hit enter.
How do I find software in SAL?
 
The SAL window is split in two. The left side of the window contains folders where the software is located. To display the folders, you may have to click on a + sign next to the TCNJ tree. The right side of the window contains the program icons. The first time you select a program from the SAL Application window, files will be downloaded to your computer that will enable you to run that program. Most programs are installed directly on your computer’s hard drive, however some applications will only run through SAL.
Problems ? 
If you experience problems running a SAL application from your computer, open up SAL, right click on the application name, and select verify. This will download any required files again (as if it were the first time) and should correct most problems. If you still experience problems, contact the Help Desk at X2660.
If you are having problems opening SAL:
Verify you are logged into the network. If you are, try rebooting your computer. If you still experience problems, contact the Help Desk x2660.

Stop SPAM Email!
How do I get rid of this junk??

First there was junk mail, next came telemarketers, now there is Spam! Spam can be generally defined as unsolicited email, usually advertising. Not only does it waste your time and clog up your inbox, it is also a nuisance behind the scenes because it eats up network bandwidth.

The problem with Spam is that it’s so hard to get rid of! Once your email account is on a mailing list, it is often impossible to get off of it and until anti-spam laws are passed (and enforced), spam will continue...as it has since the beginning of mass market advertising.

Here is the good news, Information Technology recently implemented a new update to the RAV antivirus software that will tag possible Spam beside the usual scanning for viruses that RAV normally does.
You may see messages with a subject containing "Possible SPAM" followed by a ranking. The rankings are low, medium, high and very-high. Right now the default is only to tag high and very-high messages. It currently won't block them, but simply tags them for your filtering pleasure.

Tips to Stop Getting Spammed:
Avoid giving out your email address online if possible. Though most sites require a valid email address to register with their site, make sure you read the fine print and uncheck the boxes asking if you would like to receive “additional information”. Often these sites will sell their list of email addresses.

Forget the line “to be removed from this list, click here”. This is a sneaky way to verify that your email address is legit and is reaching a real person. Though you may be removed from the list, there is a good chance that your email address was just sold to another spammer.

Use our mail filtering system to filter out unwanted mail. To set up a mail filter:
 Go to the following website:
http:\\managemail.tcnj.edu
 - Click on the link for ‘Sieve Filter Manager’ and log in using your email username and password.

For more detailed instructions (with pictures!) please go to http:\\managemail.tcnj.edu and click on the PDF for ‘Working With Filters and the Vacation Feature’ under Documentation.

Probably the easiest way to deal with Spam is to not let it bother you. Unfortunately, Spam is a cheap way for marketers to reach you and it will probably continue regardless of how many rules you set up. Delete the emails from your inbox without reading them and accept Spam as a fact of computing life.

Love at First Byte:

Most of us have a love/hate relationship with our electronics, but what would we do without them?!? Perish the thought. This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to give a little love back to your computer by keeping it clean of junk files and viruses - it will reward you with better performance.

Delete old or unnecessary files from  ‘My Documents’

Delete temporary internet files from both Netscape and Internet Explorer

Move files from ‘My Documents’ to your network H: drive to free up space on your hard drive.

Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Nothing hurts a computer more than a nasty virus!

Periodically, run a disk defrag on your hard drive.

For instructions on how to perform these tips, please click here

Tech Term: Operating System

Technically Speaking: The operating system is the single most important program that runs on your computer. Every computer must have one to run the basics, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, controlling peripheral devices like your printer, and sending output to the monitor. It is also responsible for the complex “behind the scene” tasks such as keeping track of files and directories on the hard drive.

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http://www.webopedia.com

What We Use on Campus: Last fall Information Technology started upgrading the campus Operating Systems from Windows 98 to Windows 2000. We also have Mac’s on campus that run Mac OS 9. These are all examples of operating systems.

Master the Merge:
Create addressed letters in seconds. Print out labels on demand. Simplify tedious tasks by using Microsoft’s mail merge program. If you have data stored in an Excel spreadsheet or Access database, you are already half way there! Mail merge works by taking your existing information and adding it to a Microsoft Word document. You control where the fields go and how the data is displayed.

For more information on mail merge, including detailed instructions with pictures to follow, please visit

http://www.tcnj.edu/~helpdesk
/MailMergeManual2.pdf

To create a Mail Merge letter using an Excel Spreadsheet:

1. Open a blank document in MS Word
2.  From the top menu, select ‘Tools’ and then ‘Letters and Mailings’ and open ‘Mail Merge Wizard’. The wizard will appear on the right side of your screen.
3.  Under ‘Select Document Type’, select  ’Letters’ and then click ‘Next’ to go to the next step
4.  Under ‘How do you Want to set up your letters?" Select ‘ Use the Current Document’ and then click ‘Next’
5.  Under 'Select recipients' select ‘Use an Existing List’ and then click ‘Browse’.  Find your Excel spreadsheet and click Open

6.  Select the excel table you will be using and click OK
7.  Click on OK next to mail merge recipients
8.  Click on ‘Next’ to begin writing your letter
9.  After composing your letter insert your merge fields by clicking on the ‘Insert Mail Merge’ button located on the mail merge toolbar
10.  Click on ‘Next’ to preview your letter
11.  Click on ‘Merge to printer’ to print your letter or click on ‘Merge to New Document’ to create a new file with all your letters

Would you like a question answered in next month’s issue? Please forward comments/questions to ohara@tcnj.edu