McCombs School of Business
Technology Training Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Accounts and Passwords

Email

Miscellaneous

Accounts and Passwords

Q. Why do I have so many accounts?

A. All McCombs School of Business students currently have 2 technology accounts - your MSB account and UT-EID. Non-Business students have at least 1 accounts, their UT-EID. They may also have a 2nd account given to them by their college. The Business School uses MSB accounts to limit Business School computer lab use to Business School students only. For more information on your accounts, please see our Accounts page.

Q. I got a note that my password is going to expire. What should I do?

A. McCombs passwords expire once a year. You can reset your McCombs password at the Password Change Site. Log in with your UT-EID, and you will be prompted to change your MSB account password. You will not be able to reset your password to any of your previous 10 passwords.

Q. Why do I get a message that my account is disabled when I try to reset my password?

A. Texas law requires Computer Services to disable accounts that have not been accessed within the past 120 days. To re-enable your account, please send an email from an alternate address to the Training Team with your name, UT-EID, MSB account, program (BBA, Houston MBA, etc.) and year in program (sophomore, 2nd year, etc.). We will forward your request to the administrators and they will re-enable your account, usually within 1 business day.

To prevent future problems, log into your McCombs email through Outlook or Outlook Web Access once a month.

Q. I am re-enrolling in the Business School. How can I reactivate my MSB account?

A. When you withdraw from the University or fail to enroll for a long period, the University disables your student services. This also disables your MSB account. When you re-enroll, our systems will automatically create a new MSB account for you. You can find out your new MSB account and set a password by logging into the Password Change Site. Please be aware that your email address may also have changed. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Q. How can I set a password for my login account on my personal computer?

A. It is highly recommended that you set a password for the account with which you log into your personal computer. This way, you can lock your computer so no one else can access your files.

If you currently log into your computer just by clicking the account on the Windows startup screen, here's how you can add a password:

  1. From the Start menu, open the Control Panel.
  2. Double-click on User Accounts. (If you are have a blue background in the Control Panel, you will need to click User Accounts again under "or pick a Control Panel icon.")
  3. Click on your user name (for McCombs notebook, this account is called "Student").
  4. Click Create a password.
  5. Type your password and retype it in the next field.
  6. In the third field, you can optionally give yourself a hint in case you forget your password.
  7. Click Create Password.
  8. Close the User Accounts and Control Panel windows.

Email

Q. How do I set up my email through Outlook on my personal computer?

A. Please see our Email Setup page.

Q. Why can't I access my e-mail through Outlook when I'm off-campus?

A. When you are off-campus, you must have a secure connection to the UT Network in order to connect to your McCombs email through Outlook. The easiest way to establish a secure connection is to run the University's VPN software. Please see our VPN page for more information.

Q. I use a Macintosh.  Can I check my McCombs email through Entourage?

A. Probably! Most Mac users find they are able to connect to their McCombs email through Entourage. Users of older Entourage software may find that their contacts and calendar do not sync properly. In addition, you cannot access the Global Address List from a Mac. You can find our Entourage instructions here. Please Note: McCombs Computer Services does not support Apple computers, and we are unable to help troubleshoot issues.

Q. Why is my email address so long?

A. The Business School tries to model itself after the Business environment. At most companies, you are given a standardized email address using some combination of your first and last names and the company email address. McCombs does the same thing - everyone's email address is firstname.lastname@___.mccombs.utexas.edu. What comes immediately after the @ sign depends on what type of student you are and what year you entered or will graduate from the school. All faculty and staff are just @mccombs.utexas.edu.

Q. How do I log in to Outlook Web Access?

A. Please see our Outlook Web Access page.

Q. Why can't I log into Outlook Web Access?

A. First, make sure that you are logging in correctly, with the username mccombs\msbaccount, where msbaccount is your personal McCombs account. For students, this is msb followed by some letter & numbers. For faculty and staff, this is your last name + first initial.

If you are logging in with the correct account, your password may have expired. Your password expires once a year. You can reset your password online at the Password Change Site. (Does the Password Change Site tell you that your account is disabled? Read this question and answer.)

Q. Can I forward my McCombs email account to another email address?

A. Generally, no. Currently enrolled students cannot forward their McCombs address to another account until they graduate. When you graduate, you can forward your McCombs address using lifetime email forwarding.

If you are a faculty member, the Exchange Administrators may make an exception to allow your email to be forwarded. This usually must be approved by your departmental chair. Please contact the Exchange Administrators by email with questions.

Q. Can I forward my UT email account to my McCombs email?

A. Yes, you can forward your UT @mail.utexas.edu email to any account you'd like. For information, see the UMBS Email Forwarding page.

Q. I'm transferring out of the Business School; can I keep my McCombs email address?

A. No. The only way you can keep your McCombs email address when you leave the school is by graduating from the Business School. If you are transferring to another college in the UT system, you can sign up for an @mail.utexas.edu email account at http://mail.utexas.edu.

Q. Can I change my name in my McCombs email address?

A. The Training Team would be happy to change your McCombs email address name if it fits our email naming guidelines. We can modify your first name to what you prefer to be called, such as a nickname or middle name. We cannot shorten your name to initials.

Examples:

Given Name Name Change Acceptable?
Elizabeth Doe Beth Doe (nickname) yes
Elizabeth Doe Sara Doe (middle name) yes
Tran Doe Tony Doe (nickname) yes
Julio GuerraRafael Julio Guerra (double last name) yes
Elizabeth Disisalongname E.Disisalongname (initial) no
Elizabeth Doe Superstar no
Original email: elizabeth.doe@___.mccombs.utexas.edu New email: beth.doe@___.mccombs.utexas.edu

To request a name change, please email us with your current McCombs email name, your MSB account, and your change requested. Please be aware that your old email address will not forward to your new address, so if you have already emailed someone or given out your McCombs email address to anyone, you should contact them and let them know your new address.

Q. How can I turn off sounds in Outlook?

A. Even when you mute your computer, Outlook sounds will still play. Annoying, huh? You can find instructions for turning off Outlook sounds here.

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Q. How can I turn off Desktop Alerts in Outlook?

A. By default, Outlook has the Desktop Alerts feature turned on - when you receive a new email, a little box appears in the lower right corner of your screen with the name of the sender, the subject, and the first 2 lines of the email. If you don't want these alerts to appear, you can turn them off by following the instructions here.

Miscellaneous

Q. I missed Technology Orientation, what do I need to do?

A. If you are an undergraduate student or MPA student, please go to the Millennium Lab, CBA 5. 322, and tell a lab proctor that you missed Orientation and need to get your MSB account and set up email. They have handouts and can assist you if you have problems. You can also visit the Technology Orientation website for this information.

If you are a full-time MBA student, you can visit the Training Team offices in GSB 3.129. Please email us to make an appointment, as we are very busy at the start of the semester.

Q. I'm graduating, is there anything I need to do?

A. Yes, your technology resources will significantly change when you graduate. Check out our Graduation page to prepare for these changes. Make sure you do this before your graduation date!

Q. I cannot open my McCombs website through FrontPage. How can I fix this?

A. First, verify that you are attempting to connected properly:

  1. You have a secure connection to the University, either by being physically located on campus or connected through the University's VPN.
  2. You are logging in with mccombs\msbaccount where msbaccount is your personal MSB account. For students, this is something like msbba001; for faculty or staff, it is your last name first initial.
  3. Your password hasn't expired. If your password has expired, you can reset it at https://acsprod.mccombs.utexas.edu/Admin/PasswordChange/.

If you've verified that all of the above are true, you can either use the workaround or permanent solution to fix this problem.

Workaround

  1. Open your website in Internet Explorer.
  2. In the IE toolbar, click the Edit drop-down arrow and select Edit with FrontPage.
  3. FrontPage will open. Log in with mccombs\msbaccount, where msbaccount = your personal MSB account.

Web Folder Reinstall

This web folder reinstall fixes the issue on most computers.

  1. From your Start menu, select Run.
  2. In the window that opens, type C:\WINDOWS\system32\webfldrs.msi.
  3. An installation window will open. Click Select Reinstall Mode.
  4. Check the following options, then click OK:
    1. Repair all detected reinstall problems
    2. Force all files to be reinstalled, regardless of checksum or version
    3. Verify that required user registry entries are present
    4. Verify that required local machine registry entries are present
    5. Validate shortcuts
  5. Click Reinstall.
  6. After you run the web folder reinstall, you should restart your computer.

If you are still having issues and have a McCombs computer, contact Tech Support (faculty and staff) or the SWAT Shop (students).

Q. On my Dell notebook computer, how can I use the number keypad (blue numbers)?

A. Turn on Num Lk, and then to use the number keypad, hold down Fn while pressing the keys on the number keypad.

If you'd like to enable the keyboard to use the number keypad just by turning on Num Lk, follow these instructions:

  1. Restart your computer
  2. While it is booting up, press F2 to go into the BIOS screen
  3. Go to POST Behavior and then Keypad (Embedded)
  4. Turn on By Num Lk (if you're not sure how to do this, instructions on how to move around in BIOS are at the bottom of your screen)
  5. Hit Esc, then select Save and Exit, and allow your computer to finish starting up
  6. Now you can just press Num Lk whenever you want to use the number keypad

Q. I've installed ITS Remote Printing software, but my print jobs are not printing. How can I fix this?

A. It's possible that some settings on the printers were not set correctly during installation. Check and make sure that these settings are set up correctly:

  1. If you are not already there, go to the Start menu and open Printers and Faxes.
  2. Right-click on the printer and select Properties.
  3. Go to the Ports tab.
  4. Make sure Enable bidrectional support is NOT checked.
  5. Go to the Advanced tab.
  6. Select "Start printing after last page is spooled."
  7. Check "Print spooled documents first."
  8. UNcheck "Enable advanced printing features."
  9. Click OK.

If all those settings are already correct and your job is still not printing, you'll need to visit the ITS Help Desk for troubleshooting assistance. They are located in the FAC Lobby.