Student FAQs - Technical Support

How do I contact technical support?

The Information Commons is the main technical support group for students at CUMC. You can call extension 5-Help (212-305-4357), email 5help@columbia.edu, or stop by the help desk on the 2nd floor of the Health Sciences Library.

What are the hours for technical support?

The Information Commons is open approximately the same hours as the Library; we do close 15 minutes earlier each day and have shorter hours on Sunday. Phone support begins at 7am Monday through Friday, otherwise our hours are:

Fall and Spring Semester:
Monday through Friday 8am to 10:45pm
Saturday 10am to 5:45pm
Sunday 1pm to 9:45pm

Summer Semester:
Monday through Thursday 8am to 8:45pm
Friday 8am to 5:45pm
Saturday 10am to 5:45pm
Sunday noon to 6:45pm

What is CUbhis eSupport?

CUbhis is now offering eSupport, a tool that allows us to remotely connect to your computer - with your consent - to make the troubleshooting process faster and easier. eSupport allows us to see what's on your screen, control your cursor and type on your computer. This eliminates over the phone instruction and the wait involved with having a technician come out in person.

Once connected:

• You'll be able to see any work the technician is doing on screen
• There will be a chat window where you can exchange instant messages with the technician
• You'll still be able to use your mouse and keyboard (though for troubleshooting purposes it's best to not interrupt!)
• There will be a button on screen that you can select to cancel the connection at any time.

Your computer must have network connectivity in order to use eSupport. Currently it can only be used to troubleshoot Windows based computers. Simply follow the instructions on the eSupport page to connect.

Can I bring my computer to Information Commons if I need help?

Laptop users are welcome to bring their computers to the Information Commons, however the staff at the help desk can only assist with "quick fixes" or problems that can most likely be resolved within a short period of time. If you are having more involved problems with your computer, we will create a help desk ticket and have a desktop technician contact you and make an appointment to work on your laptop or desktop.

We also have a variety of helpful Adobe Acrobat documents at our Printable Tutorials page. These cover a range of topics, including how to connect to the network and configuring your computer to print to the Library's printers.

Can a technician assist me in connecting my computer to the network?

Students must follow the detailed instructions in order to connect their personal systems with CUMC's Residential and Wireless networks; there are also handouts on how to connect that can be picked up on the 2nd floor of the Health Sciences Library or printed from our Tutorials page.

The vast majority of students are able to configure their computers without trouble by following these instructions on their own. If you have any questions or problems while trying to connect, you can contact the Information Commons at extension 5-Help.