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HelpDeskRC: A new
way to solve computer problems
How HelpDeskRC works
Requirements for using HelpDeskRC
Additional information regarding
HelpDeskRC
Computer help is on the way...
What is HelpDeskRC? Simply put, HelpDeskRC
is a secure web-based tool that allows a representative of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Help Desk to view and interact with your computer's desktop over the
Internet. HelpDeskRC is like a virtual
house call--it's as if the OIT Help Desk representative was in your office,
working on your computer with you sitting next to them. You can show
the representative the computer problem you're having without trying to
explain it in words, and the OIT Help Desk representative can show you
the solution without having to give lengthy and sometimes confusing verbal
instructions like "click on that setting" or "open the networking window."
And, like a real house call, you are in control of the session--you can
see exactly what is happening and you can stop the OIT Help Desk representative
from doing something you would rather do yourself.
With HelpDeskRC, OIT Help Desk representatives
will be able to help you solve many of your computer problems faster than
ever before.
Your OIT Help Desk representative can show you which icon to click.
It all starts when you call the OIT Help Desk with a computer problem
or question. If your OIT Help Desk representative believes that they can
answer your question or solve your problem more quickly using HelpDeskRC,
and your computer is compatible with HelpDeskRC,
then they will direct you to the HelpDeskRC
request web page. You will be prompted to enter your directory ID
and password as proof that you are a member
of the University of
Maryland College Park. Your representative will then instruct you
to select their HelpDeskRC login name (so
that your request will go directly to them instead of to another OIT Help Desk
representative) from the drop-down list and to click on the Click Here
button. Once that happens and your OIT Help Desk representative answers
your request, you will be asked to download one or two small programs needed
to initiate an HelpDeskRC session.
Once you grant permission for the download to occur and click the download
button as directed, the download and installation process will only take
a few moments.
Once the downloads and installations are complete, a HelpDeskRC
session will be initiated, and your computer and the OIT Help Desk representative's
computer will begin to communicate with each other. The communication
between both machines will be encrypted so that no one else will be able
to tap into the session--this is one of the security features of HelpDeskRC.
You will then see a dialog box informing you that your representative
will soon be able to view and share your desktop (it also advises you to
close any confidential documents so the representative does not inadvertently
view them). Once you click the OK button, the HelpDeskRC
session will begin. Your representative will then begin to help you
with your question or problem by using the various HelpDeskRC
tools:
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ChatLink: this window (which starts off as a minimized window
on both your desktop and the representative's desktop) allows you and the
OIT Help Desk representative to type text messages to each other. Your
ChatLink window also provides you with menu commands to start and stop
other tools like ScreenSharing, Whiteboard/Draw mode, and file transfer.
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Note: The text messages displayed in the ChatLink window are recorded
by the OIT Help Desk for quality assurance purposes. You also have the
option of saving a log of the chat messages to your computer via a menu
command in the ChatLink window--you may wish to do this if the contents
of the chat session provide useful tips you can use in the future.
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ScreenSharing: this is the tool that allows the OIT Help Desk
representative to actually control and work with you computer desktop,
much like they were sitting at your computer. You can temporarily
interrupt the representative's control of your desktop by using your keyboard
or mouse, and you can turn off ScreenSharing completely via your ChatLink
window.
-
Whiteboard/Draw mode: both you are your representative can
draw lines and highlight items on your desktop. This mode can be
turned on and off via your ChatLink window or via the representative's
ChatLink window.
-
File transfer: both you and your representative can send files
to one another using the file transfer feature available via the ChatLink
window. This can be useful if you need to send an error log file
to the representative, or if the representative needs to send you a file
or a fix tool.
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Web page push: your representative can "push" web pages to
you--a "pushed" page will come up in your web browser for you to look at.
Once the computer question or problem has been solved, either you or the
OIT Help Desk representative will end the HelpDeskRC
session via your respective ChatLink windows. You will then be presented
with a web-based feedback form so that you can rate your experience (we
strongly encourage that you provide us with this feedback so we can improve
our services).
Once the session has ended, the OIT Help Desk representative cannot re-establish
a HelpDeskRC session with your machine, nor
can anyone else--this is another security feature to protect against any
potential malicious use of the HelpDeskRC
service. The only way to start another HelpDeskRC
session again is to again submit a HelpDeskRC
request via the HelpDeskRC request web page
and download a new session key.
A OIT Help Desk representative sending a needed file.
In order to take advantage of HelpDeskRC,
you will have to:
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Be a member of the University of Maryland College Park.
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Have a directory ID and password in
order to access the HelpDeskRC
request web page.
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Contact the OIT Help Desk and speak to a representative that can assist
you with the help of HelpDeskRC.
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Have a computer that is compatible with
HelpDeskRC.
- The following computer systems are fully-compatible and
can benefit from all of the tools associated with HelpDeskRC:
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A Pentium, Celeron, or AMD computer running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0,
2000, or XP.
- These operating systems can take advantage of only a few
of the tools associated with HelpDeskRC
(ScreenSharing and limited chat functionality):
- A computer lab (WAM or OWL lab) Sun station running Solaris 2.6 through
2.8.
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Be connected to the Internet. HelpDeskRC
should work with connection speeds as slow as 28.8Kbps.
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Have a working, modern web browser like Internet Explorer 5.x or higher,
Netscape 4.7x or higher, or Opera 6.x (HelpDeskRC
tends to work best with Internet Explorer).
Communicate with your Help Desk representative with your phone or
through the ChatLink window.
For additional information regarding HelpDeskRC,
please feel free to read the HelpDeskRC FAQ
page, where more information about HelpDeskRC
is presented in a question/answer format.
Rate your representative when the session is over, and tell
us
what
you think of the service.
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