Departments & Programs

Technical Support

Welcome to the web home for Technical Support Services at Charlottesville City Schools.  Our objective is to provide and maintain an environment where technology assists students, teachers, and administrators in reaching their goals. These pages are designed to provide information on technology resources available in our school division.

434-245-2404
TechnicalSupport@ccs.k12.va.us

Director of Technology: Dean Jadlowski

Network Administrator: Mike Konopatsky
Lead Tech Specialist: Tim Beasley
Webmaster: Garry Barrow
Technical Support Specialists:
Garry Barrow
CO2, Greenbrier, Venable, CHS (backup)
Mike Hill
Burnley-Moran, Clark, Jackson-Via
Kristy Lobianco
CHS, Adult Ed
Adam Mason
Buford, Johnson
Eric Sherry
Walker, CO1, Henry Avenue Learning Center

Five Things To Do Before Contacting Tech Support

The following five suggestions will help us help you. You can save time (both ours and yours) by going through the steps listed below before you contact tech support. If you are still having problems after attempting these steps please feel free to contact us via the TechHelp databse (see "Reporting a Technology Issue" below. While the TechHelp database is the best way to contact us regarding a technical issue you are having we can also be reached via email or telephone at extension 2404.

  1. Restart the computer. Many problems are solved by simply restarting the computer.
  2. Try, try again. Try it again to make sure there wasn't just a one-time or temporary problem. You can even try it on another computer to see if the problem is just isolated to one machine.
  3. If you are having login problems make sure you have typed all of your information correctly and that Caps Lock isn't on.
  4. Contact someone knowledgeable in your building. There are people at each school who can help you to solve minor problems.
  5. Gather information. The following information is helpful to anyone who is trying to diagnose a problem:
    • A thorough description of the problem including any messages that appeared.
    • What programs were running when the problem occured?
    • What steps did you take to try to fix the problem and what were the results?
    • The type of machine were you using including the asset tag number.

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Reporting a Technology Issue

Quick tip:

Internet Explorer users can use this link to open the "TechHelp" database

To report technology related problems (computer problems, telephone problems, database problems, etc.) within the division, follow the steps outlined below:

  1. Open FileMaker Pro
  2. Choose "Open an existing file..." and click OK
  3. Click Hosts
  4. Select the TechHelp.fp5 file near the top of the list under CCS-FMServer (or on a Mac: under 10.10.0.107) and click Open
    • If there are no databases listed in the upper part of the Hosts, select 10.10.0.107 in the lower panel, then choose TechHelp.fp5 in the upper list and click Open
    • If 10.10.0.107 is not listed in the lower pane, select Specify Host…* and type in 10.10.0.107, and then check the box that says "Permanently add entry to hosts list" before clicking Open
  5. Follow the on-screen directions and make sure to fill in all fields

*If the Specify Host... option is not available this means that your copy of Filemaker Pro is not configured correctly. To configure your copy correctly follow the steps listed below and then try the directions above again.

  1. Cancel any open Filemaker dialog boxes
  2. Go to the Edit menu and choose Preferences -> Application
  3. Set the Network Protocol to TCP/IP
  4. Click OK
  5. Restart Filemaker

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Obtaining a Network Account

To obtain account that allows you to access the network please complete this form, and give it to the technology contact for your building. If you need help identifying the technology contact for your building please see your principal or building administrator. The technology contact in each building is responsible for requesting network and email accounts from the Network Administrator and providing basic end-user training in the use of these accounts.

For access to the AS/400 system please contact David Uhlig (x2955).

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Changing Passwords

You should always take care to protect your password! If you feel that someone has discovered your password please change it as soon as possible. Please do not write down your password and store it next to your computer or anywhere else that someone could easily find it. Anyone with your password could access your files, email, gradebook and other information!

Follow these guidelines when choosing a password:

  • Your password should be at least 5 characters long The longer the password the harder it is for someone to guess. Don't make it so long that typing it in becomes a chore. A good rule of thumb is 5 to 8 characters long. NOTE: Mac users should use passwords no longer than 8 characters.
  • Your password should be a mix of alphabetic, numeric, and special (!@#$%&*?) characters. This also makes it harder to guess. A good rule of thumb is to have at least two non-alphabetic characters in your password.
  • Your password should not be a word found in an English dictionary. There are programs that are readily available that will try every word in the dictionary against your login and can do so in a matter of a few minutes. If you use a word make sure that you mix numbers or special characters with it.
  • Your password can have both upper and lowercase letters, but some programs (like Groupwise) are case sensitive when it comes to passwords, so remember your password exactly as you entered it.
  • Your password cannot contain spaces.
  • Your password should not be something easily associated with you. You should not use things like: your first or last name, your birthday, your nickname, your child's name, your school's name, etc.

CCS Staff have at least two passwords:

  1. a network password that you use when logging on to a computer
  2. a Groupwise password that you use to access your email and calendar in Groupwise

Some staff also have AS/400 passwords.

Network Password

Follow the steps below to change your network password -- the password you use to log on to a computer.

Windows XP systems (Novell Client)

  1. Simultaneously press the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys
  2. Click the Change Password button.
  3. Type your old (initial) password and press Tab.
  4. Type your new password and press Tab.
  5. Type your new password again and click OK.
  6. You should receive a message that states your password was successfully changed, click OK and you are finished.

Mac OS X systems (MacAdministrator Client)

Mac passwords should be between 5 and 8 characters long.

  1. Log in using your current password
  2. Once the OS X desktop loads, click on the Key icon in the upper right section of the OS X menu bar, and select "Change Password"
  3. Complete the dialog with your current & new passwords as prompted
  4. Click OK

Groupwise Password

Windows systems

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu.
  2. Double-click on the Security icon.
  3. Type your old password.
  4. Tab to the next field and type your new password.
  5. Tab to the next field and type your new password again.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Click Close.

Macintosh systems

  1. Choose Preferences from the Groupwise menu.
  2. Click on the Security icon.
  3. Type your old password.
  4. Tab to the next field and type your new password.
  5. Tab to the next field and type your new password again.
  6. Click OK
  7. Click Done

AS/400 Password

Please contact David Uhlig (x2955) to change your AS/400 password.

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