A: No, in that the system will not FORCE you to change it. But we suggest that you do change your password at least once a semester. We would certainly encourage you to change it from the original password that was based on your Social Security or ID number. Changing your password is a standard security measure that helps us frustrate those who would like to break in.

A: Passwords have to be at least seven characters long. In addition, they must have at least three of the following four kinds of characters:

• upper-case letters
• lower-case letters
• numbers
• special characters, such as an asterisk

So BillyBoy will not be accepted (only two of the four types present - no number or special character) but Billy!Boy would be fine. Similarly, pretzel27 wouldn't work, but pretZel27 would.

A: The easiest way is to use MyGFU and choose the "Change Password" link in the header bar.

A: The number one method for hackers to gain entry to a system is by guessing or "cracking" passwords. And, like our neighboring universities, GFU is constantly being probed by hackers looking for an easy target.

A: Students have 150 Megs. Employees have 500 Megs.

A: If you are lucky, you'll get a warning from the system as you near your quota. Every night the system checks all mailboxes and sends a warning to those that are close to running out of space.

For most people, however, there is no warning. This is because most of the time quota is exceeded by a single, very large attachment to a message. By the time the nightly check takes place, you are already over quota, and the system is unable to deliver the warning message.

Unfortunately, the Exchange server does not include the ability to see how much space you are using when you are on the Web. Those using Outlook in offices ("corporate mode") can right-click on "Outlook Today" in the top of the folder list and select Properties.

To avoid problems, you should always copy large attachments to your hard drive and delete them from your mailbox.

A1: At 96% of your quota (480 MB for Faculty/Staff) you will receive a warning that your server space is nearly full.

A2: At 100% of your quota you will no longer be able to send or receive email. Messages sent to you will be bounced back to sender as undeliverable (the text of this bounce will specifically mention that your mailbox is full).

A: In most cases you have to delete messages twice. The first delete just moves the message to the Deleted Items folder, so you will need to delete the message again from that folder. If you've already tried this, then it's time to delete messages from folders other than your inbox. Try Sent Items (especially if you recently sent a large attachment) or Drafts for starters.

A: Yes, or no. If you deleted the item from a folder (Inbox, etc.) then look for it in the Deleted Items folder and drag it back to where you want it. If you deleted the message from Deleted Items, or emptied Deleted Items, there is no way to recover the message.

A: The system does not allow messages to more than 75 people at a time. There are official ways in which to send a message to larger groups (such as all undergrad students), and listservs can send to more than 75 people. If you need to mail to a larger group see our mass mailing options page or contact the IT Service Desk.

Note that sending unsolicited e-mail to a group of people (which can be much smaller than 75 even) is against University policy. Visit our E-mail Policies webpage for more information.

A: Continue to look around this site for expanded pages on such things as listservs, distribution lists, and other topics. If you still haven't found an answer, contact the IT Service Desk.