Troubleshooting
Here are a few steps you can take prior to calling the helpdesk:
- Unplug your modem, from the wall, for 15 seconds. Then plug it back in. NOTE: Do not press the reset button. It will delete necessary settings
- Verify it is not just one website. Try going to other sites to verify if it is an issue on your end or not.
- Turn off other devices that use the Internet to make sure one of them is not using all of your available bandwidth.
Server information is as follows:
- POP3
- Server: mail.misn.com
- Port: 110
- SMTP
- Server: smtp-01.misn.com
- Port: 25
- Your username is the first half of your email address. If your email was test@misn.com, test would be the username.
- Connection Security: None
- Authentication Method: Password, transmitted insecurely
Wireless connections can be really hard to diagnose; but there’s a small list of things you can try if help desk staff are unavailable. Start by confirm that your computer is within range of your wireless router. Weak signals mean weak connections. Next, make sure your PC’s wireless card has the latest drivers. Try letting Windows troubleshoot for you by right-clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar and selecting Troubleshoot problems.
Windows Network Diagnostics may not always solve your problem, but it will usually point you in the right direction.
A more rare issue can pop up when a wireless network card gets hot, causing the wireless radio to broadcast outside its usual frequency. If a radio is damaged from power surges or a storm, turning devices off slowly (one-at-a-time) will usually lead you to discover if one of the devices malfunctioning might just be the one causing the interference.
Let’s assume that your printer’s drivers are up-to-date, and that it has enough paper and ink or toner to print. Try turning the printer off and on. Unplug the printer and plug it back in. Check your printer’s print queue by looking for the printer icon in the system tray and double-clicking it. The print queue shows you the status of each job as well as the general status of your printer.
The print queue is your best bet for troubleshooting printer problems—just make sure that ‘Use Printer Offline’ isn’t selected. Sometimes, attempting to print while your printer is turned off can cause Windows to set your printer to work offline, and that can stall jobs sent later.
If you have ever encountered an attachment that you couldn’t open, it was probably because you didn’t have the software necessary to view the file.
If you don’t have Adobe Reader or another PDF-compatible program, you won’t be able to open that TPS report.
The usual suspect is the .pdf file, for which you can download a free PDF reader. If your problem involves a different file format, a quick search on the attachment’s file extension (the three letters after the period in the filename) should tell you what type of program you need. If the attachment lacks a file extension (which might happen if it was renamed), adding it back should set things right.
The short answer is yes. When you delete a file, it labels the start and end of that file on a hard disk to be written over with new data. If you end up realizing you’ve accidentally deleted some crucial documents, its best practice to stop using your computer, gracefully shutting it down as soon as possible, to leave the hard disk alone until it can be looked at by a qualified computer technician.
Have you ever seen the puck-like cakes of dust that can build up on computer cooling fans? A lot of people haven’t had a reason to be told their computers can overheat and may need to be cleared of dust periodically. A common practice is to shut down a computer, unplug it, block the fans from spinning and hit the trouble areas with canned air at a distance or a small electric blower in a well ventilated room, or better yet: completely outdoors. Everyone should make this a habit about every six months, which will greatly extend the lifetime of their computers.
Some hard drives are designed to make sounds when a spindle gets stuck or heads go bad. If you’re aware of any data which hasn’t been backed up recently, it would be recommended to stop using the machine until the problem can be properly diagnosed and fixed by a computer technician.
When you’re Internet appears to be slowing to a crawl, we recommend using www.speedtest.net <http://www.speedtest.net> to keep tabs on what you’re network is up to. If you know your download speed is supposed to be higher than what the download test reported on www.speedtest.net
<http://www.speedtest.net> , it may be time to start turning devices off (one at a time) and test again. When you see your speed test’s download reach close to what you’re paying for, you’ve probably discovered the most recent device you turned off was downloading automatic updates. If this becomes a problem during waking hours, it may be best to leave this device off and turn it back on after bed time; allowing the device to download updates while everyone on your home network is sleeping.
If you’re ever uncomfortable addressing issues on your own, please feel free to give your local computer technician or Internet help desk a call! Help desk is open from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday! We would be happy to help you at your earliest convenience and will have a good time doing so! Please give us a call at (573)775-4638 or toll free at (888)275-4245! We have technicians on call ready to help you as soon as possible!
Repairs
Most troubles are repaired the same day they are reported. However, if there is an unusually high volume of troubles (usually after a storm), there will be a delay in troubles being repaired.
Telephone has a procedure that is followed whenever repairs are needed:
- The problem needs to be reported by calling the business office at 775-2111.
- A customer service representative will take the phone call and do a trouble report on the specific problem. Please give them as much information as possible.
- The CSR will then send the trouble report back to the repair department who will assign the problem to a technician. Please remember that troubles are answered in the order they are received.
- If a trouble needs to be reported after hours, dial 611 and the call will be forwarded to our answering service. Depending on the severity of the problem, the answering service will determine whether or not a repairman will need to be paged out. If the trouble is caused by “customer owned equipment”, or if only one telephone is out and there are other working telephones on the reported telephone number that are working, the customer will be charged a $23.15 on-site charge.
Most of the cable and drops that Steelville Telephone Exchange installs is buried and underground. This makes it difficult when a homeowner or excavator starts a project that involves some type of digging up the soil and is not aware that there is underground telephone cable. Steelville Telephone Exchange will come out and mark where these lines are at no charge.
WE REQUIRE NO LESS THAN 24 HOURS NOTICE BEFORE DIGGING IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SO THAT WE HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME TO MARK THESE TELEPHONE LINES. Failure to call us prior to digging can result in lines being cut which can interrupt telephone service for a lengthy period for a number of people in that area. Without the 24 hours notice, the person or persons responsible for cutting the lines could be charged for the time and materials it requires Steelville Telephone to repair the cable cut.
Under the Missouri State Law Underground Facility Safety And Damage Prevention Law, Section 319.030, it states that every person owning or operating an underground facility to whom notice of intent to excavate is required to be given hereunder through a notification center or directly shall, upon receipt of such notice as provided herein from a person intending to commence an excavation, inform the excavator as promptly as practical, but not in excess of two (2) working days from receipt of the notice, unless otherwise mutually agreed, of the approximate location of underground facilities in or near the area of the excavation so as to enable the person engaged in the excavation work to located the facilities in advance of and during the excavation work.