What To Include/Not Include In An Email To Help@damtp.cam.ac.uk

When emailing help with a problem or question, please include as much useful information as possible. Sending an email that says something like "My computer doesn't work today, it did last week", or "What's the icon in the top corner of my desktop doing, I didn't put it there", isn't going to give much information away in the hope of answering your question quickly. The sort of information that should be included in your email should be:

• A good clear subject line, not left blank or vague.
• The name of the computer you have a question about.
• The room this computer is in.
• What are the symptoms.
• As much information about what you see/error messages.
• Has this problem been going on for weeks or has it only just started?
• Some people tend to add the word URGENT into their request - is it really urgent or are you just impatient?
• Has anyone else experienced the problem you're having. If it's just you, it might be a simple configuration typo.
• Have you looked at the FAQ? If you have but not found your answer say so. It can then be added for others to read.
• If you are using Unix, what window manager are you using,gnome, kde?

Adding this sort of information doesn't take that much extra typing but it can save a lot of emails going back and forth between you and the help team.

Laptop network help

If your question is regarding a problem with the laptop network, look through the following pages, if you still can't find your answer, email laptop@damtp.cam.ac.uk after reading what to include in your mail