Approximately 800 of the 6,000 students living in the residence halls have visited the ResNet offices since Fall Quarter began, seeking cures for computer ailments that were mostly caused by confusion over how to update their systems.

This year, students living in the residence halls were required to install a new program, called Cisco Clean Access (CCA), which automatically detects viruses and notifies computer owners of needed updates. Students who do not update their software are barred from the campus network until they make the appropriate changes. However, third-year computer science major William Lam, a ResNet network consultant, said many residents have not made the necessary changes because they misunderstood the directions on how to do so.

Lam said each Monday, CCA requires students to reconnect to the network to insure they have the proper updates to their anti-virus programs and operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows. CCA disconnects students when it finds a computer virus or problem, but sends a message to them explaining what needs to be fixed along with the address of a website where they can download updates, said Christian Vuong, a ResNet network consultant. Residents are barred from the system until they comply.

“It’s like an R.A. It checks up on you, and tells you [what’s wrong],” said Vuong, a fourth-year communication and film studies double major.

Lam said many students who have recently joined ResNet were confused as to how to download software updates, and therefore were disconnected from the network. He said students need only to follow the directions offered on the screen to fix the various problems.

Fourth-year law and society and sociology double major Daniel Joo, a receptionist for ResNet, said about 20 to 30 computers that could not connect to the system are still being worked on in ResNet offices in Francisco Torres and San Nicolas Residence Halls. Even students who are knowledgeable about computers may still need to come to ResNet to identify problems that they might have overlooked, Joo said.

ResNet can generally fix computer problems relating to CCA, anti-virus programs, logging on to the system, or any other issue in about five to 15 minutes, Lam said. The San Nicolas office – open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. – can be reached at (805) 893-5353. The FT office, which can be contacted at (805) 893-8777, is open at the same times, and should be visited by students in off-campus university-owned housing. Students in San Rafael Hall should call (805) 893-5377, and the office there is open from noon to 5 p.m. daily.

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