Technology Troubleshooting

Tips for troubleshooting technology issues

There are some basic troubleshooting steps staff, faculty, and students can take if experiencing an issue accessing university resources. 

Clearing your web browser cache

Clearing your browser cache can help:

• Free up storage space. Caches can take up a significant amount of storage space, especially if they contain a lot of images, videos, or other media.
• Ensure up-to-date content. Caches can sometimes prevent users from seeing the most current version of a website or app. Clearing the cache can ensure that the user is seeing the most up-to-date content.
• Fix issues: Clearing the cache can sometimes fix issues with websites or apps, such as pages not loading correctly or content not displaying properly.

The steps to clear your web browser cache may vary depending on the browser you are using, but here are some general instructions:

• Open your web browser.
• Locate the settings or options menu. This can usually be found by clicking on the three dots in the top right corner of the browser window.
• Look for an option that says "Settings" or "Preferences" and click on it.
• Find the section that relates to your browser's cache. This may be called "Privacy and security" or "History".Click on the option to clear your cache. Depending on the browser, this may be labeled as "Clear browsing data", "Clear cache", or "Clear history".
• Choose the time range for which you want to clear the cache. You can usually select a specific time period or choose to clear all data.
• Check the box next to "Cached images and files" or similar, and any other data you wish to clear.Click on the "Clear data" button.
• Wait for the cache to be cleared. This may take a few moments, depending on the size of your cache.

Once the cache has been cleared, you may need to refresh the page or close and reopen your browser for the changes to take effect.

In addition, clearing the cache will also remove any saved login information or preferences for websites and apps, so be prepared to re-enter that information, if necessary.

Updating your operating system

It's important to be sure you are using the most up-to-date browser and updated operating systems on all your devices. The process for updating a computer operating system depends on the specific operating system you are using. Here are the general steps for some popular operating systems:

Windows

• Open the "Settings" app by clicking the Windows button and then clicking the gear icon.
• Click on "Update & Security."
• Click "Check for updates."
• If updates are available, click "Download and install" to start the update process.

macOS

• Click on the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
• Click on "System Preferences."
• Click on "Software Update."
• If updates are available, click "Update Now" to start the update process.

Linux

The process for updating a Linux operating system can vary depending on the distribution you are using. In general, you can update your system using the command line interface:

• Open the terminal application.
• Enter the appropriate command to update your system. For example, for Ubuntu, you can run the command "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y" to update your system.