New techie gadgets for Christmas?
20 Dec 2017
If you're giving or receiving any new tech for Christmas, there are a few things you may want to consider
Run updates before you give
It might sound like a bit of a slog, but running updates before you give a phone, computer or games console isn’t just about staying safe, it helps to reduce the amount of time your lucky recipient needs to spend watching a “system updating” progress bar - especially with games consoles which quite often won’t let you play online unless your system is using the most recent update!
Turn on the phone, laptop or games console, then follow the manufacturer’s instructions to get it connected to your home Wi-Fi and run system updates. Once complete, you can pack it back up in the knowledge that you’re less likely to spend the morning staring at 1%, 2%, 3% and so on…
Don’t be a victim
We say this a lot (but with good reason) – stay safe online!
Criminals are always looking for ways to take advantage of people, so ensure that any messages you receive, ads you click on or software applications you download are 100% legitimate. If something sounds too good to be true, then in most cases it probably is!
If you ever get any phishing emails sent to your University email account, we want to know about it. Also, we have a short online course about Email phishing, which will only take up a few minutes of your time but let you know easy ways to spot fake emails.
- Find out more about email phishing
- Email phishing awareness online course (no registration needed)
Many new computers come with a free but time-limited anti-virus software package. University staff and students can use a full version of Sophos Anti-Virus for free on their own computers. Any computer which connects to the University network must have anti-virus software installed.
Get set up on University systems
If you use your phone as your 2-factor authentication method, you’ll need to register any new devices you want to use. Add a new device on the IT Account Manager 2-factor page:
You may also want to connect your new device to eduroam Wi-Fi, staff email or the Virtual Private Network (VPN):
Help and support
If you need help with any University systems over the Christmas break, our IT Support Centre phone line is open 24/7 throughout, or you can browse our online Knowledge Base for step-by-step guides and information.