Frequently Asked Questions - General Information
1. Who may have an account?
Accounts are available for personal use for current students, alumni and donors. Students should stop by Science 213 for their account information. Alumni or donors who are not current students should call Alumni & University Relations at (402) 643-7240 or send email to AlumniEmail@cune.edu.
Family members directly related to a student, alumnus or donor may also request an account by contacting Alumni & University Relations. This would include parents, brothers and sisters, spouse and children. This would generally not include uncles and aunts, cousins, in-laws and others further removed, unless they were a student, alumnus or donor of Concordia University. If you have questions, please contact Alumni & University Relations.
2. How much does this cost?
Accounts are offered free of charge to supporters and students of Concordia University. A central requirement is a personal connection to Concordia University. For further details about accounts, see "Who may have an account?".
3. How long may I keep my account?
An account will be closed if it has been inactive for a year or more. Before an account is closed, several email messages will be sent over a period of time to give you plenty of notice that your account appears to be inactive. If you respond to the email before the time period has expired, the account will remain open.
4. Are there any limitations?
Use of an account should be consistent with Concordia University, Nebraska's mission of preparing servant leaders for the church and world. Use should also be in agreement with the policies established by Concordia University and bear good witness to others.
An account is for personal use by the person for whom it is created. Use of an account is at your own risk. Concordia University does not guarantee continuous service or access to an account. Concordia University is not responsible for late, undelivered or lost email, lost web pages or any other consequences directly or indirectly related to the use of the account. Concordia University reserves the right to change the configuration of an account or to terminate an account at any time.
You are strongly encouraged to take proper precautions, such as printing or saving important messages and following up on expected messages that have not arrived. Be sure to save a copy of personal web pages and other information on your personal computer.
5. How do I change my password?
After logging in for email, click Preferences at the top of the screen, and then click the Password tab. Be sure to use a password that is easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.
6. What do I do if I forget my password?
Current students should stop by Science 213. Alumni and donors should call Alumni & University Relations at (402) 643-7240 for assistance. We will assist you with changing your password.
7. Is my password safe?
Your password is not stored on our systems. Instead, a "fingerprint" of your password is stored. When you login, a fingerprint is taken of the password you supply and compared to the password fingerprint that is on file. If they are the same, you are allowed to login. If a malicious person were to break into the system and attempt to steal passwords, they would only have the fingerprints of the passwords. Finding the actual password by looking at the password fingerprint would be nearly as difficult as drawing a picture of someone's face by only looking at their fingerprint.
You should still choose passwords wisely. Don't use the names or birth dates of family members, close relatives or pets. Don't use words found in a dictionary. Select different passwords for at least work, financial and personal use (e.g., email and web sites) so that if a malicious person gets one of your passwords, it doesn't give them access to everything.
8. Do you ever need to know my password?
No. We will never ask you for your password, and you should not share it with anyone else. If someone sends you a message or calls you claiming to be an official person who needs your password, report the incident immediately. Since computers are becoming harder to break into, malicious people are preying on the trusting nature and good will of people to gain easy access.
This applies to all sensitive information. If someone contacts you by email, telephone or regular mail and wants your credit card number, social security number, checking account number, PIN, mother's maiden name or any other personal/secret information, do not give them the information. It is very easy for someone to forge official-looking email, send you to an authentic-looking web page or sound official on the telephone. Do not be tricked into giving out your important information. Report it immediately to the credit card company, bank or authorities.
If you think that it really is a legitimate request, call the company directly at their published telephone number for more information or to be connected to the person who contacted you. You may find that the company does not require any information or that the person who contacted you does not work at the company.
9. How much how much space is available?
At this time this is written, an account may store up to 90MB of email and up to 10MB of web pages. We encourage you to do regular housekeeping of email to make it easier to manage. See other questions in the FAQ about deleting email and managing folders.
10. How do I find someone's email address?
There is no directory of email addresses for a variety of reasons. Spammers would love to get their hands on such a list, keeping the list up to date is difficult, many people do not want their address to be publicly available and so on. We treat addresses for individuals as private information and are unable to share that information with you. We suggest that you contact the intended recipient directly by telephone or letter and give them your email address. This also gives you a chance to confirm how often they check email.
11. Why do I keep going back to the login screen?
The web interface uses cookies. If cookie security is set too high or you use cookie blocking software, the web interface is unable to record that you logged in (similar to stamping your hand when you go to a sports event). Consequently, it will ask you to login, again. You may need to reduce cookie security or explicitly allow cookies from www.cune.org.
In Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, for example, cookie privacy is set to Medium High by default. That is too high for the web interface to function reliably. One solution is to start the browser, go to Tools->Internet Options, click the Privacy tab, drag the slider down to Medium and click OK.
If you wish to keep the current security level, you may specifically authorize cookies from www.cune.org. Go to Tools->Internet Options, click the Privacy tab, click the Edit button, enter cune.org in the box, and click the Allow button to add it to the list. Consult the documentation for other versions or other browsers.
12. What is a computer virus?
A computer virus is not a disease. Rather, a computer virus is a computer program that happens to operate in a fashion similar to the way a real virus attacks the human body. Consequently, people call the program a "computer virus". Some malicious programs may also be labeled "computer worm" or "Trojan horse". The exact classification is based on how it attacks your computer. However, the general goal of all such programs is always the same, to take over your computer without your knowledge.
When a real virus enters the human body it breaks into a cell and takes over the operation. The cell is forced to become a virus factory, making many copies of the virus. The newly-created viruses are released to find other cells, and the cycle starts, again. The body eventually detects the problem and creates antibodies that capture the viruses before they are able to attack new cells.
The most common computer virus today is sent as an program attachment in email (see the Email section for questions about attachments). When you open the attachment, you give permission for the virus to run. The virus takes over your computer, turning it into a virus factory and sending copies to every address it can find on your computer, starting with your addressbook. Since the email looks like you sent it, your friend or relative trusts the message, opens the attachment and infects their own computer.
The damage a virus causes can vary widely. Sometimes, the virus simply sends email in your name. That may use space on your computer's hard drive, and your computer or your Internet connection may become very slow as hundreds or thousands of messages are generated. Other times, the virus may rename your files, move your files, change the contents of the files or even delete files. If the deleted files are critical to the operation of your computer, you will need to reinstall software.
It is wise to never open a program attachment. If there's something not quite right about the message your friend supposedly sent you, first send email to your friend asking for more information about the attachment. For protection against computer viruses, consider purchasing anti-virus software (typically around $30) and keep it up to date.
13. Why did I get a message that my computer has a virus?
Some anti-virus software can be configured to check incoming email for viruses. The software may have an option to return an automatic "courtesy warning" to the sender if a virus was found in the email. In the early days of viruses, this was helpful in order to alert the sender to a virus infection.
This option has no value today, because modern email viruses forge the From: address. That is, an email virus on your friend's computer might be sending email with your address in the From: line. Even though you didn't send the message, you will receive the warning of a virus infection. In some cases, the virus may send email to a business email address, and you will get automated "your request has been received" messages from the business. If everything looks OK after you have thoroughly checked your computer, simply ignore the message and delete it.
14. Should I forward this message I received about a new virus?
No. In all probability, it is a hoax. Virus hoax messages are constantly being forwarded by well-intentioned but uninformed people. This wastes time, storage space and network bandwidth. The next time you receive such a message, simply delete it. Here are a few things to consider:
15. Where can I find out about computer viruses and hoaxes?
Check out www.vmyths.com, hoaxbusters.ciac.org, antivirus.about.com, www.symantec.com, www.mcafee.com, www.f-secure.com and www.sophos.com.
16. Should I use anti-virus software on my computer?
If you follow safe computing practices (i.e., don't open attachments, don't install software from the Internet, don't use floppies that have been in other computers, don't exchange documents with others), then your computer should be relatively safe from viruses. However, if you engage in these activities or if you aren't the only person who uses your computer, you should consider anti-virus software (typically about $35 for one year) and always keep it up to date.
Virus definitions are like "wanted" posters. Your software recognizes new viruses only if it has the latest definitions. Most software allows you configure it to automatically update the definitions. While no solution is perfect, up to date virus protection software will make it difficult for your computer to become infected.
At the time this is written, several companies offer free versions of their software to single, home users. These include www.grisoft.com (AVG free edition), www.free-av.com (AntiVir personal edition), www.bitdefender.com (under Downloads, Free Products) and www.avast.com (Home Edition under Products, Free Software). Concordia University does not endorse and is not affiliated with any of these sites.
You should always keep a backup (e.g., put documents on floppy, ZIP disk or CD) of important information (tax records, family pictures/video, etc.) stored away from the computer. If a virus erases all of your files, your computer breaks or your computer is stolen, you can recover your most valuable information.
17. Where can I scan my computer for viruses online for free?
Online scanning is not the best solution, because it is "after the fact". Considerable damage may have already been done. It is also currently available only for Windows computers. Anti-virus software is a better solution, because it provides full-time protection for your specific computer. Sites that offer free, online virus scanning at the time this is written include housecall.antivirus.com, www.bitdefender.com (under Home User) or www.freedom.net. You may scan your computer at www.mcafee.com, but (free) registration is required. You may scan your computer for free at www.pandasoftware.com, but you must give them an email address. Concordia University does not endorse and is not affiliated with any of these sites.
Anti-virus software may not scan for Trojan programs. These are programs that act like ordinary programs, perhaps a game in order to entice you to run it, but the program installs malicious software on your computer without your knowledge when it is run. A free, online scan for Trojan software is available at www.trojanscan.com. Concordia University does not endorse and is not affiliated with this site.
18. What is spyware?
When you install certain "free" software from the Internet, you may be unwittingly installing software on your computer that monitors and reports your surfing habits. This type of software is often referred to as "spyware", because it spies on your activities without your knowledge. Spyware companies would argue that it was with your consent, because you clicked the Agree button when you installed the software. Some spyware may periodically open popup windows on your computer to advertiser sites that pay the spyware company. Other spyware may make use of your computer to store files and distribute them to others, all without your knowledge. Turning off or uninstalling the original software often leaves the spyware fully functional on your computer.
Anti-virus software will generally not detect spyware. Consult your anti-virus software documentation for its capabilities. Free and commercial software is available that will specifically scan for and remove spyware. One free program is Ad-aware, available at www.lavasoft.de. Another free program is "Spybot Search & Destroy", available at http://www.safer-networking.org/. Be wary of other free programs. Some programs have been found to remove some spyware only to install their own spyware.
19. How do I stop popup windows?
There are several options to protect your surfing from annoying popup (or pop under) windows. First, check the settings of your web browser to see if it contains that feature. If you use www.google.com to do most of your searching, you can install the Google toolbar for your browser. After installation, go to the Google toolbar configuration and select the option to stop popup windows. A free, separate program that effectively stops popup windows is Pop-Up Stopper available from www.panicware.com. The hardcore computer user may be interested in the free program Proxomitron (not for the faint of heart) available from www.proxomitron.info.
20. May I run Linux or other operating system in the dorm?
An operating system is the software that controls your computer. Two common operating systems for desktop and laptop computers are Windows and MacOS. There are many operating systems you could run on your computer, and there are many versions of each operating system. Because the total combination is so large, we are unable to answer networking questions about all of them. Instead, we provide information in this document for the latest versions of Windows and MacOS. You may run other operating systems, such as Linux, OS/2, BeOS or older versions of Windows or MacOS, but you are responsible for configuring your computer to operate correctly on Concordia's network. If you will not be connecting your computer to the network, then it does not matter which operating system you use, unless there would be a particular advantage based on your program of study.
21. Is software provided for my computer?
Concordia University does not supply software for student computers. Students are encouraged to purchase appropriate software (e.g., word processing, electronic spreadsheet) at the time they purchase their computer. Some companies provide academic versions of software at a discount with new computers to verified students. Academic versions of software may be purchased by students at a discount at places like the Concordia University Bookstore, the Nebraska Bookstore in Lincoln, NE and Best Buy in Lincoln, NE after showing an academic picture ID.
You may want to consider a free collection of software called OpenOffice. It provides word processing, electronic spreadsheet and drawing features that are comparable to Microsoft Office. Documents created with OpenOffice are compatible with Microsoft Office, allowing you to easily share documents with others. OpenOffice is available for a variety of platforms, including Windows and MacOS. Visit the web site www.openoffice.org to see if OpenOffice is a solution that would work for you.
Concordia does participate in an academic site license program with Microsoft. Nearly every academic building houses at least one computer lab, and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.) is available on those computers. Some computer labs are general purpose and are available during regular building hours (typically 7:00am to 11:00pm). Other labs are more closely associated with a particular department (e.g., art, business, music) and provide additional software for use by students in those programs of study.