Faculty and Staff Support: Desktop

Desktop Support

FAS Information Technology employs full-time technicians to make office-calls for computers and printers. FAS IT technicians are certified to perform hardware repairs on IBM, Apple, Dell and HP printer hardware.

Walk-in and appointments with user assistants for personally owned computers are available for faculty, staff and students through the Computer Clinic located on the second floor of the Science Center. Student or personally owned staff computers may be referred back to the manufacturer if they require service beyond software or operating system support. Third-party or manufacturer support is the financial responsibility of the owner of the personal computer.

Hardware requirements

FAS IT provides computer support for Desktops with the following operating systems:

  • PCs - Windows XP and above
  • Mac’s - OS X 10.3 and above

User requirements

  • It is the responsibility of users to arrange for the back up their own data. FAS IT can provide consultation on personal backup solutions including FAS IT sponsored server space for user data (see section 13)
  • All users are required to follow all the rules and regulations of computer use for FAS.
  • Users must call 5-9000 or email help@fas.harvard.edu for service. Users should not contact technicians directly, unless following up on an open service case.

Software Support

  • Standard software is available for download from FAS IT can be found at the following URL: www.fas.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/software/download.pl
  • Departments and individuals are required to keep track of software licenses not provided by FAS IT.
  • FAS IT also distributes the current version of the following software packages to faculty and staff. Depending on the affiliation of the recipient, a 33-digit billing code may be required:
    • Windows OS
    • Mac OS X
    • Office (PC/Mac)
    • Filemaker Pro (PC/Mac)
  • FAS Information Technology cannot guarantee support for software packages that are not part of the standard FAS offerings.

Foreign Language Support

FAS IT will provide best-effort support for foreign language systems provided the participating department provides an adequate translator to work with the technician and translate the relevant information. If a translator is not available, FAS IT cannot guarantee solutions for foreign language support calls, but will make a best-effort attempt at addressing the issue.

Training, Consultation Services, and coordination with other FAS IT Departments

Training and consultation services for IT-related projects are also available. Local projects, such as bulk computer orders/moves/setups should be coordinated with the departmental contacts. Project consultation may result in additional costs (such as dedicated staff, hardware purchase, webpage production and software implementation).