1 - Have ALL your students download Adware Medic (adwaremedic.com) and RUN it - even if they tell you they did it last week. Almost EVERY computer we see is infected with Malware. You can even have students airdrop the Adware Medic application to those students who don’t have it. Adware is the biggest problem we face during testing.
2 - Make sure you visually SEE that the Internet is working on their computer. We have seen MANY computers this week that are not working online at school and I’m concerned that there may be more out there that just have not come in for help.
3 - AND lastly make SURE that they have NCTEST installed on their laptops. Just a reminder - this is a download from Self Service. Most students should have it - but there may be a few that don’t have it.
**IF a student has problems with this process, please send them to the help desk for assistance next week. This will help ensure success on Test Day!
Malware Basic Information
Just a reminder… We are seeing lots of malware on Student and even Teacher laptops. It can happen very innocently. Please be aware that some of these are especially dangerous. MacKeeper will install and cause popups that tell you to call a phone number immediately. NEVER call a phone number - always come to the help desk for support. MacKeeper will cause problems on your computer and then offer to fix your computer for a fee. This also allows the MacKeeper people access to the files on your computer. Pretty sneaky. Please share this info with your students too. For many of them, it’s their first access to technology. This is hands down the biggest tech issue during online testing.
Tips for those of you who like to “Fix-It Yourself”
Adware Medic is a donation (free) download application that will fix many issues. You can just download it and run it as needed to clean most malware from your machine.
Some programs need to be trashed or un-installed. You will need to go to your Applications folder to see if these are installed. If you find them, just drag them to the trash. You may be prompted to un-install. Just follow the prompts. These are the most common offenders.
1. MacKeeper
2. ZipCloud
3. Search Protect
4. Install Mac
5. Tune Up My Mac
One more tip…
Often these malware programs will change your homepage so that when you open a browser it immediately connects to their site. VERY sneaky. You can look at your browser prefs to see your homepage settings. It’s an easy fix.