Perkins Information Technology Department ~ FAQ sheet.

What time/days is the Helpdesk open?

  • The Perkins Helpdesk is open between the hours of 7:30 AM and 5:00 PM Monday– Friday to assist Perkins Staff.

What do I do if I need technology help?

  • If your need is not immediate/work stoppage then please email Perkins IT Helpdesk at .
  • If you have an immediate/work stoppage need please call the Helpdesk at x7669. Please note: Although we try our best to be available to answer the Helpdesk extension during our hours of operation, there are times when all the technicians are away and you will need to leave a VM.

What do I do if the network seems slow?Many things can contribute to your system or the appearance of the network being slow. There may be a “system scan” being run, or you may have multiple applications and files open.

  • More than not, powering down your system and restarting solves the problem.
  • If that does not resolve please contact the Helpdesk.

How do I set up my phone on my desk?

  • Please see the instructions on Ask Howe. Type the word Phone into the search field at the top of Ask Howe. Several “How To” posts related to phone options will come up. You’ll find answers to many common questions related to phone use and set up.

Can I get my Perkins Email on my personal phone? See below links to Ask Howe “How To”


Will you fix my personal computer?

  • No, sorry but we can’t tinker with personal computers (even if you use them to do Perkins work)

What is the Perkins policy on personal files and personal use of the Perkins email? Please see the Perkins Technology Policy at Ask Howe

Can I assume that all my files/emails are mine and private?

  • No please don’t assume this. See answer above/Perkins Technology Policy for more details.

If my mouse or keyboard breaks what do I do?

  • Please call the Helpdesk at x7669 to get a replacement

I need software loaded on my system, what do I do? Please email

  • If Perkins needs to purchase the software, we will ask you to send an email to your supervisor and ask them to forward approval to Helpdesk.
  • If software is something Perkins already has license for you, we may ask you to contact supervisor for permission and/or to help us remotely access your system to install it.

Where should I save my files to ensure backup nightly? Each user has a Google Drive account and access to a private user directory and shared department drive on our internal storage server. All work related files should be saved in one of these locations or to other shared network drives. The network drives are backed up nightly, not your computer’s local drives.

  • Please review the article on Ask Howe for more information

How can I post to Ask Howe? All staff can post to the bulletin boards, but you have to be setup to be a “Content Contributor” in order to post events, stories and announcements. Please see the article on Ask Howe for details.

I have an item I would like to sell, can I send an email? All staff can post on the bulletin boards. Please remember this is a school environment! Please don’t use email for this type of thing, Email is not EBAY!

Can I access email from off campus? Yes everyone can access mail remotely using Outlook OWA. Please refer to the Welcome/Quick Start Guide post on Ask Howe for details.

My printer toner light comes on what do I do?

  • If your printer is a network copier/printer there should be a sticker on the printer with vendor contact information, printer reference number and the like. We are on a schedule that when the lights come on, toner is automatically sent to the department from our vendor. However if you run out of toner and stop printing, please call the helpdesk.
  • If your printer is a standalone printer and does not have any vendor contact stickers on the printer please contact your department or program admin to order toner/ink from WB mason.

The department copier is jammed, what do I do? If the printer has instructions on the screen please follow them as closely as possible. Never pull paper against the feed flow of the paper. If paper tears when you are trying to remove, please keep all the pieces as reference to ensure that all bits have been removed from the system. If you have trouble or need help, please call the Helpdesk.

Why can’t I print in color? Color printing is more expensive than black and white so our default setting is B&W. If you really need to print in color, select a color printer and select color for the current print job. Please do not change your default setting to Color. (FYI – if you need to make multiple color prints it is cheaper to print once and make color copies than to make multiple color prints!)

Where is the IT department? We’ll NEVER TELL!!

We’re actually located in two places in Howe. The WEB team is located on the 2nd floor opposite the Dwight Hall balcony. The Application team, Adaptive Tech team, Network Management team and Helpdesk techs are all down one flight from the Chapel.

Take the stairs to the left of the chapel (or elevator) down one level. Get off the stairs go thru the door and turn sharply to your right. Go up the ramp towards the elevator and take a sharp left. (Or make a sharp right off the elevator).