1. Introduction

Although local IT staff should always be the first point of contact when you have an ailing machine, the OUCS Help Centre does have some capacity to help with non-booting or malfunctioning personal computers, both PCs and Macintoshes. Where the problems are caused by defective hardware, the Hardware Repair and Upgrade Services can often provide a cost-effective solution. In cases where the hardware is not damaged, the following steps can help to diagnose and fix a range of issues:

2. The Help Desk

The Help Desk will make an initial assessment of the problem.
  • If the problem could be caused by a virus, adware or spyware, the Help Desk can try some basic tools for diagnosis and repair.
  • In the case of non-booting XP machines Help Desk can try some of the steps on the OUCS XP fixing page.
  • Network connection problems on machines which have been correctly registered in a department or college can also be checked at the Help Desk and problems such as misconfigured connections and blocked IP addresses eliminated.
Unfortunately some major software problems can only be solved by backing up all data and completely re-installing the operating system. In situations where the Help Desk cannot solve the problem they will book you an appointment with an expert consultant to assess whether a re-install can be avoided.

3. The Expert Appointment

The primary purpose of this 30 minute appointment is the ensure that a quick and effective fix has not been overlooked. If the expert has ruled out hardware failure and cannot solve the problem within this time period, an operating system re-install will be the most effective remedy. The expert can provide information on performing a backup and operating system re-install yourself, or you can take advantage of the OUCS Backup and Re-Install Service.