System access for finishing students

The IT Service Desk is often asked questions regarding what will happen to access to computing facilities when students finish their course. Listed below are some of the most frequently asked questions.

What will happen when I finish?
What about if I am resitting exams or resubmitting coursework?
How do I back up my documents and files?
What about my bookmarks/favourites?
What about my emails?
What if I use my email address for Facebook?
What about my Thunderbird address book?
What about Sophos anti-virus?
What about HallNet access?
Can I still access the Library or borrow books?
Can I withdraw the money from my Charge Account?
How can I book my graduation?
My question isn't here! Help!

 

What will happen when I finish?

Finishing students who have successfully completed their course will have computer access for a further 50 days (PIP and Google@Brookes access is extended for 200 days) after their course ends (the 'Expected Completion Date' listed on PIP). For most students the actual cut-off date will appear at the bottom of the PIP 'Record & Results' page during the last academic session.
The actual dates to look for are highlighted in red on the example image below.

   [click on image for larger view]

This extension is a period of grace to allow you to access your results, back up your files, complete email correspondence and make alternative contact arrangements for potential employers etc. The provision of such an extension depends on a number of factors and cannot be guaranteed. For this reason it is important that you prepare to finish as soon as possible after your course ends.

Note: Once your period of access to Computer Services facilities ends your account will be deleted and we cannot provide access to your files, emails or to Brookes computers beyond this date. Anyone sending an email to your Brookes account will receive an automated reply indicating that the account does not exist.

What about if I am resitting exams or resubmitting coursework?

Students who have resit grades recorded have access for 50 days beyond the coursework resit deadline for the course that they are on (eg for Undergraduate Modular Programme students the coursework resit deadline was 9th July so they have access for 50 days from that date). Please note that this extended date may not be shown on the Record & Results page. For further information you should contact the Academic Management Office.

How do I back up my documents and files?

You can save your documents and files from your My Documents/H: drive area to external media such as a CD, DVD or USB key. If the files are particularly important we recommend taking multiple copies in case of potential damage or loss of the disk.

What about my bookmarks/favourites?

See the listing below for details regarding the import and export of bookmarks (these are called favourites in Internet Explorer) and the location of the file(s) if you wish to back them up directly to disk.

		Location	Export	Import
	Firefox	H:\FireFox\bookmarks.html	Go to the Bookmarks menu, select Organize Bookmarks. Open the File menu and select Export. Save the Bookmarks.html file.	Go to the Bookmarks menu, select Organize Bookmarks. Open the File menu and select Import. Choose 'From File' and select your Bookmarks.html file.
	Internet Explorer	H:\iexplore\ Each bookmark/favorite is stored as a separate file.	From the File menu, choose Import and Export... . This opens the Import/Export Wizard. Click Next and then choose Export Favorites. Select to 'Export from a File or Address'. Click Next and select the Favorites you wish to save. Click Next and then click Browse to choose a location to save your file. Click Finish to close the wizard.	From the File menu, choose Import and Export... . This opens the Import/Export Wizard. Click Next and then choose Import Favourites. Select to 'Import from a File or Address'. Click Browse and locate your Bookmarks file and click OK. Click Next and choose a folder for the imported bookmarks. Click Next to import the bookmarks/favorites and then click Finish to close the wizard.

What about my emails?

You will continue to have access to Google@Brookes Mail, and other Google services, for 200 days after you course completion date.

There is no facility to forward incoming email to another email account once your access finishes.
Anyone sending email to that address will receive an automated bounced reply indicating that the account does not exist. We recommend that you let people know that your Brookes account access will soon finish and provide them with another means of contacting you.

We recommend that you forward any important email to another account and save important attachments to disk. You can also use filters to forward emails to another account.

What if I use my email address for Facebook?

Your Facebook login name is usually the email address you used when you sign up. Your Facebook login details will remain the same (when you login Facebook does not know whether the email address is valid - it only uses this initially to allow you to join the Brookes network). However, by default all notifications are are sent to the email address used for registration - these include forgotten password requests! It is therefore important that you update the email address so that future emails are sent to a valid account. See How to change your Facebook settings for details.

What about my Thunderbird address book?

You can export your Thunderbird address book in various formats: LDIF (.ldif), Comma Separated (.csv) or Tab Delimited (.txt). Any of these formats can usually be imported into another email program or opened in a text editor or word processor. LDIF is the recommended format if you are using Thunderbird at home as it preserves the attributes of the addresses. Microsoft Outlook is unable to import LDIF files directly so if you are using Outlook at home you can either import LDIF files into Outlook Express and then import into Outlook from that (see the Microsoft Knowledge base article for details).
Exporting as comma or tab delimited files should allow for importing into any other email program but as they are simply text listings of your address book entries the import results may be variable.

See the listing below for details regarding the import and export of bookmarks (these are called favourites in Internet Explorer) and the location of the file(s) if you wish to back them up directly to disk.

		Location	Export	Import
	Thunderbird	H:\tbird\abook.mab	Go to the Tools menu and select Address Book. Open the Tools menu within the Address Book and select Export. Choose the file type (LDIF, Comma Separate or Tab Delimited) in the File Type list at the bottom. Choose a location to save the file to and click Save.	Go to the Tools menu and select Address Book. Open the Tools menu within the Address Book and select Export. Select Address Books as the type of import. Click Next. Select 'Text file (LDIF, .tab, .csv, .txt)' as the file type you would like to import. When prompted locate your exported address book (you may need to change the 'Files of type' option to see it). Click Next to start the import.
	Outlook Express	N/A	N/A	Click on the Tools menu and select Address Book. In the Address Book window select File -> Import -> Other Address Book... From the Address Book Import Tool window select 'LDIF - LDAP Data Interchange Format' from the list of options and click the Import button. From the File Selection dialog you will need to navigate to and select the LDIF file that you exported from Thunderbird; and then clicking the Import button on the File Selection dialog to confirm the operation. All addresses and lists within the LDIF file will be appended to your Outlook Express Address Book. If duplicates are found Outlook Express will prompt you for an action (replace, leave etc)
	Outlook	N/A	N/A	Outlook is unable to import LDIF files directly. You may be able to import comma or tab separated text files however you may get better results by importing LDIF into Outlook Express and then importing that address book into Outlook. See the Microsoft Knowledge base article for details.
	GMail	N/A	N/A	Note: GMail import only supports comma separated (csv) files. Click on the Contacts link on the left hand menu. Click on the Import link on the right hand side of the Contacts page. Click on the browse button and locate your comma separated file and click the Import Contacts button.

What about Sophos anti-virus?

Your access to Sophos updates is dependant upon your Brookes UserID number and so will cease once your Computer Services access finishes. Sophos do not sell to individual users who wish to use their products so if you wanted to purchase a single license you would need to obtain it through one of their channel partners. If you do not purchase Sophos you must uninstall it and use an alternative product such as AVG.

What about HallNet access?

Your access to HallNet is dependant upon your Brookes UserID number and so will cease once your Computer Services access finishes. We cannot extend access once your account closes even if you are returning to Brookes for the following academic year (i.e. for a postgraduate course).

Can I still access the Library or borrow books?

No. Your access to all Library facilities (except Athens) ends on the date listed as your completion date on your PIP page. Athens access continues for the 50 day extension along with Computer Services access.

Can I withdraw the money from my Charge Account?

Yes. If you have unused printing or HallNet credit in your Charge Account you can withdraw it at the Computer Services Centre after showing them your Brookes Library card.

How can I book my graduation?

See the Brookes Graduation Ceremonies page.

My question isn't here! Help!

If you have any queries or require more information, please contact the Service Desk.

 

---