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Winterizing Your Laptop: Essential Tips for the Cold Season

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Keep Your Tech Toasty: How to Protect Your Laptop This Winter

As the chill of winter sets in, it’s not just your wardrobe that needs adjusting. Your laptop, a crucial companion in your daily life, also needs special care to combat the cold. Here are essential tips for winterizing your laptop:

  • Temperature Control: Laptops are sensitive to extreme temperatures. When moving from a cold environment to a warm one, condensation can form inside, which might damage the internal components. Allow your laptop to acclimatize gradually to indoor temperatures before turning it on. 
  • Battery Care: Cold temperatures can drain battery life more rapidly. Keep your laptop fully charged and consider carrying a portable charger. Avoid leaving your laptop in a cold car for extended periods, as this can significantly impact battery health.
  • Moisture Management: Winter means more moisture, be it from rain, snow, or condensation. Ensure your laptop bag is waterproof or has a protective sleeve. If your laptop does get wet, turn it off immediately and let it dry thoroughly before use.
  • Static Electricity Precautions: The dry winter air increases static electricity, which can be harmful to electronic devices. Use an anti-static wrist strap or regularly ground yourself by touching a metal object to prevent static discharge.
  • Regular Cleaning: With more indoor time, your laptop might accumulate more dust and debris. Regularly clean the keyboard, screen, and vents to ensure optimal performance and to prevent overheating.
  • Software Updates: Keep your software up-to-date. Winter is a great time to perform necessary updates and backups, ensuring your laptop runs smoothly.
  • Heating Solutions: Avoid using your laptop in excessively cold areas. If you must, consider using a laptop heating pad to maintain a stable temperature.
  • Travel Considerations: If you’re traveling, ensure your laptop is securely stored in a padded compartment. Sudden jolts or drops in temperature during travel can be damaging.

By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your laptop stays safe and functional throughout the winter season. Remember, a little care can go a long way in maintaining the health and longevity of your tech devices. Stay warm and connected this winter!

Printer Fleet Refresh Update: Moves Beginning This Week

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This week marks the start of our Printer Fleet Refresh at Simmons, as we begin relocating and reducing printers across campus. This move, a part of our strategy to optimize printing resources, will see a 50% reduction in devices, focusing on high-need areas and incorporating advanced features like ‘Tap to Print’ and enhanced scanning. For any queries or assistance, please contact the Technology Service Desk. Thank you for your support during this transition!

Printer Fleet Refresh Coming Over Winter Break

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As we head towards winter break, Technology will be refreshing and updating the printer and multifunction device (MFD) fleet across the campus. This refresh is part of an ongoing effort to right-size and optimize our printer resources.

Over the past few years, we have seen a decline in printer utilization as more work and learning has shifted online, especially since the start of the pandemic. In addition, with the closure and relocation of some campus spaces, we no longer require the same number of printers in all locations.

The upcoming refresh will reduce the total number of printers and MFDs by approximately 50%. The remaining devices will be strategically placed in high-traffic public locations and departments with the highest continuing need.

Despite the overall reduction, the new printer fleet will be equipped with technology to improve the printing experience:

  • Tap to Print – Students and employees will be able to print from anywhere on campus by logging into CampusPrint or printing from a Simmons managed computer to the following print queues:
    • Campus Print BW SingleSided
    • Campus Print BW DoubleSided
    • Campus Print Color SingleSided
    • Campus Print Color DoubleSided
  • Enhanced scanning and copying features – Updated MFDs allow scanning directly to Google Drive.

For large print, copy, or scan jobs, we recommend utilizing the Copy Mail Center in the Lower Level of the MCB. The Copy Mail Center specializes in high-volume, high-quality jobs at affordable prices.

Please let the Technology Service Desk know if you have any questions about the upcoming changes or need assistance with printing. We hope these printer improvements will lead to an even more efficient and positive printing experience across Simmons!