IT Resources: Quick Tech Tips

The following tips can help you work more efficiently and securely with commonly used technology at Blue Ridge.

Recorded Tech Tuesday

Watch the recorded Tech Tuesday session from November 15, 2022 for a walkthrough of many of these tips.

Browsers

If you accidentally close a browser tab, press Ctrl + Shift + T to reopen it. On a Mac, press Command + Shift + T.

To keep frequently used websites easily accessible, right-click an open browser tab and select Pin.

If a website is not loading or displaying correctly, try refreshing the page with Ctrl + R.

If a normal refresh does not work, try a hard refresh with Ctrl + Shift + R. This forces the browser to reload the page instead of using previously cached content.

Use Ctrl + F to quickly search for a word or phrase on a webpage. This shortcut also works in many documents and PDFs.

Copy, Paste, and Clipboard

Use these common keyboard shortcuts:

Copy: Ctrl + C
Paste: Ctrl + V
Cut: Ctrl + X
Undo: Ctrl + Z

On a Mac, use the Command key instead of Ctrl.

Windows also includes Clipboard History, which allows you to access multiple items you have recently copied. Press Windows Key + V to open Clipboard History. The first time you use it, Windows will ask you to enable the feature.

Google Calendar

Keep your Google Calendar current. Other employees can use your free/busy information when scheduling meetings.

When scheduling a meeting with multiple employees, use Find a Time in Google Calendar to compare everyone's availability.

You can also add the Employee Deadlines & Events calendar to your Google Calendar to keep up with important College dates.

Gmail

Gmail includes several features that can make managing email easier.

Use filters and labels to automatically organize incoming messages.

You can schedule an email to be sent at a later date or time using the dropdown next to Send.

Consider increasing the Undo Send period in Gmail settings. Undo Send gives you a short period after selecting Send to cancel the message before it is actually sent.

When responding to a group conversation, use Reply All when everyone included in the original conversation needs to receive your response.

You can also open Google Calendar from the side panel in Gmail without leaving your inbox.

Email Signatures

Do not manually add the College logo, mission statement, or College disclaimer to your email signature. These elements are automatically applied to outgoing College email.

Employee email signatures should follow the College's established email signature standards.

Security

Lock your computer whenever you walk away from it, even if you are in an office.

On Windows, press Windows Key + L.

On a Mac, press Control + Command + Q.

Never share passwords or multi-factor authentication codes.

Do not approve a multi-factor authentication prompt unless you initiated the login.

If you receive a suspicious email, use Gmail's phishing reporting tools rather than forwarding the message to other employees.

Restart Your Computer

Restart your computer regularly. Restarting can resolve many common problems and allows updates and other system changes to finish installing.

If something suddenly stops working correctly, saving your work and restarting your computer is often a good first troubleshooting step.

Screenshots

Screenshots are especially helpful when contacting the Help Desk about an error or other technical problem.

On Windows, press Windows Key + Shift + S and select the portion of the screen you want to capture.

On a Mac, press Command + Shift + 4 and select the area you want to capture.

When reporting a problem, include enough of the screen in your screenshot to show the application, error message, and other relevant information.

Printing

Use Global Print Release when available. Documents sent to Global Print Release can be released at a supported College printer after you authenticate.

This also helps protect sensitive documents because the print job is not released until you are physically at the printer.

You can register your College ID card with supported Sharp printers for easier authentication.

Saving Files

Avoid storing important College documents only on the local hard drive, Desktop, or Downloads folder of your computer.

Store College files in the appropriate approved location, such as OneDrive, SharePoint, or the appropriate departmental storage location.

Using approved storage locations helps ensure your files remain available if your computer is replaced, lost, or experiences a hardware failure.

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Learning a few keyboard shortcuts can save a surprising amount of time.

Ctrl + C: Copy
Ctrl + V: Paste
Ctrl + X: Cut
Ctrl + Z: Undo
Ctrl + F: Find a word or phrase
Ctrl + R: Refresh a webpage
Ctrl + Shift + R: Hard refresh a webpage
Ctrl + Shift + T: Reopen a closed browser tab
Alt + Tab: Switch between open applications
Windows Key + L: Lock your computer
Windows Key + V: Open Clipboard History
Windows Key + Shift + S: Take a screenshot
Windows Key + . : Open the emoji and symbol picker

On a Mac, many common shortcuts use the Command key instead of Ctrl.

College Technology Resources

The IT Knowledge Base contains instructions and troubleshooting information for commonly used College technology. Before submitting a Help Desk ticket, try searching the Knowledge Base. Many common questions and problems already have step-by-step instructions available.

The IT Department's Insider site also provides technology information, forms, resources, and links to commonly used services.

If you believe a College technology service may be experiencing an outage, check the IT Status page for current service information.

Before You Contact the Help Desk

Many common technology problems can be resolved with a few quick steps.

Save your work and restart your computer.
If the problem is with a website, refresh the page or close and reopen your browser.
Check the IT Knowledge Base for instructions related to the issue.
Check the IT Status page if you think a College service may be unavailable.
If you still need assistance, submit a Help Desk ticket.

When submitting a ticket, include the exact error message, what you were doing when the problem occurred, and a screenshot when possible. The more information you provide, the easier it is for the Help Desk to diagnose the problem.

Whenever possible, submit technology support requests through the Help Desk rather than contacting an individual IT employee directly. This ensures your request is documented and can be routed to the appropriate person even if a specific IT employee is unavailable.

Need Help?

If you need additional assistance, contact the Help Desk at 828-694-1895 or helpdesk@blueridge.edu.