Call logged:  The user explained that they couldn’t access any Microsoft Office applications

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk engineer tried to access Office but this kept crashing during repair.  Therefore, we logged on via ‘Safe mode’ but discovered that the issue was not down to Office as this was working fine.  From previous experience and a similar issue, we checked the printers and this crashed the PC whilst checking which was an indication that this was a printer issue and not Office.  Through further investigation, we found that the print spooler was corrupt – this is the software that sends jobs to the printer.  We deleted the corrupt files and sent a test print which replaces and recreated the corrupted files automatically.  Once this was complete, the user could access their Office applications as normal.

Highlander recommends:

If you are having printing/Office issues or encounter similar problems, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  The user explained that the speed of their PC was very slow and every time they opened an application, it would crash.

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk Engineer used the task manager to check the performance statistics of the PC but the result showed everything should be running smoothly.  However, it was clear there was a fundamental problem with the speed and this was causing disruptions to the user.  We remotely rebooted the PC into ‘safe mode’ which only loads a basic set of services and processes to enable the PC to work more effectively and is important to use this as it helps us to diagnose the problem.  After reviewing all the performance logs and diagnostic tests, it became apparent that the issue was down to a hard-drive failure. We ran a disc check to try and resolve the bad sectors of the hard-drive.  Having completed this, we rebooted the PC again and the issue was resolved.  The applications were no longer crashing and the PC was back up to speed.

Highlander recommends:

There are many possibilities that cause your computer to slow down.  For this particular issue, we recommend monitoring the PC performance over a period of time as the hard-drive may need to be replaced.  It could also mean that your PC is due for an upgrade if you have had it for a long time. If you are experiencing similar problems, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

 Call logged:  The user explained that their E-mails kept bouncing back

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk Engineer had discovered that the company had been ‘blacklisted’ which indicated that their client’s system had been flagged as a potential threat and that it may include unsolicited information.  Therefore, the E-mails being sent out were not delivered due to the recipient’s server denying anything that comes through to their system.  To resolve the issue, we identified what was causing the company to be on the ‘blacklist’.  Through further investigation, we found that this was due to a virus issue and having running scans and diagnostics software, we successfully removed the virus and checked that there were no other reasons causing the company to be on the blacklist.  Once this was completed, the user no longer received delivery failure notifications for their out-going E-mails.

Highlander recommends:

If you encounter similar problems regarding E-mails or have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  The user explained that they were experiencing problems receiving E-mails on their software

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk Engineer discovered that some of the Blackberry applications were corrupt.  We logged on remotely and reinstalled the affected software but this didn’t resolve the issue.  We made some registry alterations and this allowed the software to open but E-mails were still not redirected to the Blackberry.  Therefore, we changed the user permissions on the PC and reinstalled the Blackberry software to ensure the updates were acknowledged.  Once this was complete, the user received E-mails as normal.

Highlander recommends:

If you are having problems receiving E-mails on your hand held devices or have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  The user explained that they are suffering downtime loading applications, their system keep crashing and experiencing unexpected shutdowns.

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk Engineer viewed the log reports and found that the PC had numerous unexpected restarts and application crashes.  A common problem that causes such problems results from pop-ups.  We logged in remotely to the user’s PC and ran some diagnostics software to remove Malware.  The PC was then scanned and all Malware was removed with all substantial threats removed.  Once this was completed the user could log on to their PC and continue working as normal.

Highlander recommends:

We recommend that you take extra care of websites that re-direct you to another link.  If you are experiencing similar problems or have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  User said that their E-mail system was down completely and no users could access their E-mails

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk Engineer remotely logged on to the customer’s server and went through their event logs to investigate the issue.  From the event logs, it was clear that their Exchange 2003 server mailstore had exceeded the 75gigabyte maximum limit.  We were able to mount the mailstore temporarily and with the help of users on site, we removed enough E-mails from the system to allow the mailstore to remain online.  Through further discussion, the customer agreed to go through the mail and archive significant amount of E-mails.  We then arranged a full offline defragmentation of the mailstore to reduce the size of the database which resolved the issue.

Highlander recommends:

Highlander recommends you to archive your E-mails when possible and it is advisable to manage your E-mail system to avoid similar issues.  If you are experiencing similar problems or have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  One of our customers called in to say they were no longer receiving E-mails

Resolving the problem:

Our IT Helpdesk Engineer spoke to the end user and established that they couldn’t access the internet; therefore they wouldn’t be receiving E-mails. After doing some basic tests trying to connect to their server, it confirmed that there was an internet outage.  The Helpdesk Engineer contacted the customers Internet Service Provider (ISP) who confirmed that the line tested was fine but they referred to BT for further tests.  BT tested the line and again confirmed it was ok.  As a result we sent an Engineer to site that tested the equipment and the line which confirmed the line was definitely dead.  Referring this back to the ISP, BT sent an Engineer out who discovered an error had been made at BTs exchange which had redirected our customers phone line, taking them offline.  Once this had been restored, internet was running as normal and E-mails were received.

Highlander recommends:

If you are experiencing problems receiving E-mails, having internet connectivity issues and/or would like to find out more about Highlander’s services, please do not hesitate to contact us via E-mail at business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  User didn’t receive their daily E-mail notification advising that their backups were successful

Resolving the problem:

Due to the time going forward an hour, there was a glitch in the backup software system and E-mail notifications were not sent out.  As we monitor backups for our support clients we had already checked that the backups were made successfully although the E-mail notification had not been sent out.  To update this service, we dialled into the server to make the necessary updates and to double check that the backups were completed and was not affected by the time change.  Once this was completed, E-mail notifications were sent out as normal.

Highlander recommends:

Monitoring backups can be included in Highlander’s support services depending on the customer’s requirements. If you are experiencing similar issues or would like to find out more about Highlander’s services, please do not hesitate to contact us via E-mail business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  The user was unable to receive new E-mails and was asked to validate their E-mail address on the phone.

Resolving the problem:

Upon investigation, the Blackberry was receiving E-mails via the Outlook Web Access (OWA) part of Microsoft Exchange.  However, when the IT Helpdesk Engineer attempted to access the Microsoft Web Access portal via the internet, the site could not be displayed. This would explain the reason why the Blackberry was not able to receive E-mails.  Therefore having reviewed the status of the Exchange server, the engineer was able to get the OWA back up and running and could then validate the Blackberry again.  The user received E-mails as normal on their Blackberry once the validation was complete.

Highlander recommends:

If you are experiencing issues with receiving E-mails on phones or would like to find out more about Highlander’s services, please do not hesitate to contact us via E-mail at business@highlanderuk.com

Call logged:  The user mentioned that the bottom half of their document wasn’t printing properly

Resolving the problem:

The user explained that other documents have been printing with no issues but for this particular document, the bottom half of the content was not printing properly.  Out IT Helpdesk Agent installed the driver printer locally and tested the different documents.  Some documents were printing the content on the headers and footers but some were not.  Through further investigation and changing a few settings in properties, we found that the document was created from a be-spoke piece of software for quality images and re-saved this under a different format.  Once this was done, we tested this again and the whole document was printed with no further issues.

Highlander recommends:

If you have a printing problem, similar issues or have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on E-mail business@highlanderuk.com