Computer Repair and Upgrade Services

Computer Hardware Maintenance and Installation Service Requests If you require warranty, repair, upgrade, or installation services for "recommended" computer systems or if you wish to report a technical problem with a Library and Technology Services (LTS) Public Computing Site or Registrar Technology Classroom call the Help Desk (x8HELP) to open a trouble ticket which will begin the process of assigning and scheduling the work. Contacting the Help Desk is the fastest way to get the problem on the team's repair list; calling the technicians directly may result in delays as they may be out of the office doing repairs or classroom/site projects. For a personal system repair, in addition to your name and address we will require a local telephone number as well as the following computer information: Make/Model Number Serial Number (or Service Tag for Dells) Power Adapter if the repair is for a notebook computer Suspected Trouble Trouble Location Your service request will be assigned a trouble ticket number which will be used to track the work.  A technician will contact you for scheduling the work and billing information, if required.  If you are not clear if the problem is hardware-related, your report may be referred to your assigned Computing Consultant for further analysis before assigning it to the TIMS team. The TIMS office is located in the EWFM Library and Computing Center, Room 171.  The easiest access to this room if you are bringing equipment in for service, is to use the entrance door next to the loading dock on the east-end of the building (by Sinclair Lab).  The Office is one flight down.  When bringing a desktop computer in for servicing, the keyboard, mouse and monitor is not required unless the problem is specifically related to those devices. A service elevator is available if needed.

TIMS Policies and Service Goals

TIMS provides warranty, repair and installation services for most models of HP, Dell and Lenovo PC systems. These systems are the "LTS-recommended" computer systems for which technician expertise exists and service agreements are in place for parts, firmware upgrades, diagnostics, documentation and technical support services. Services are available to faculty, staff and students of Lehigh University. Repairs are subject to parts availability from the vendors.

Clients are expected to backup hard drives before repairs or upgrades are done as data may be lost during the work. (Note: the Computing or WIRED Consultants can assist with backup options.) It is also the client's responsibility to provide the software restoration (or recovery) disks that came with the computer when the operating system and drivers need to be rebuilt due to a hard drive failure. In the event that restoration disks are not provided, a $55 minimum labor charge will be applied. The client may need to provide a copy of the proof of purchase or any extended warranty agreements indicating the manufacturer's warranty coverage. The proof of purchase identifies where the system was purchased, the invoice date, the make/model and serial numbers. Extended agreements are usually provided directly from the manufacturer and indicate the make/model, serial numbers and often an extended agreement number. The manufacturers require this warranty information from Lehigh when ordering replacement parts and to cover labor charges. In the case of a conflict between the client's warranty information and the manufacuturer's, TIMS will proceed based on the manufacturer's information. Negotiations to resolve a discrepancy will be the responsibility of the client.

Trouble reports on classroom hardware and shared hardware (e.g. projectors, Backbone network devices, etc.) are classified as critical services and every attempt will be made to dispatch a TIMS technician (or LTS staff member) immediately during working hours Monday through Friday.

Trouble reports on all other Lehigh equipment on campus are high priority and every attempt will be made to respond within 48 hours (M-F) to make a further determination of the parts required. The technicians will repair a systems 1-3 days after receiving the parts from the support vendor.

Hardware upgrade requests and parts orders for out-of-warranty systems will be processed and ordered weekly. Subject to market availability for the part, upgrades will be completed within 3 working days from receiving the part, usually within 15 working days from the date of the Service Request.

Repairs and upgrades on Lehigh's equipment are generally performed at the campus location where the equipment resides. If it is necessary or desireable to bring the unit in for service, take it and the assigned service request number to Room 171 EWFM Library and Computing Center between the hours of 7:00 and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Generally a technician will be available during these times if further discussion is required. The Help Desk can assist you with alternative drop off times if these hours are impossible to meet. At any time, the Help Desk can provide a status of the work if you provide them the service request number. You will be notified when the work is completed and the equipment may be picked up at the same location and times.

Repairs and upgrades for personal equipment are limited to computers manufacutured within the past four years, must be brought in for service (see times above) and will be processed as time permits; Lehigh-owned equipment takes priority.

Other Service Offerings

Estimates, orders and installations of upgrades for "LTS-recommended computers" are charged at the cost of the part and at the prevailing labor rate. All upgrade service requests carry a $30 assessment fee if the client decides to not proceed with the upgrade after the research has been completed. Generally, upgrade parts will not be maintained in inventory but requests will be reviewed with clients, parts researched, quotes obtained and parts ordered weekly. Vendors have been selected on their ability to provide quick delivery and good warranty support, i.e. life-time or 3-5 years. If you have an upgrade request for an individual computer, call the Help Desk to open a Service Request. If you have a request to upgrade multiple computers in a department or lab, contact Client Services to arrange for a project estimate and scheduling. The technicians will provide clients with a copy of the packing slip of parts ordered so that warranty information may be maintained when the installation is completed. The client will be expected to provide warranty information for future repairs. LTS has no facilities to track individual upgrades by serial number and system and will make every effort to select vendors which offer lifetime warranties or track the required information, but clients should not rely on the vendor records. Upgrade services have been identified for the following upgrades for "LTS-recommended" computer systems:

• Memory SIMMs, DIMMs, etc.
• Internal or external hard disk (SCSI, IDE), floppy disk, associated controller cards, cables, rails, etc.
• CD-ROM drive, CD/DVD-ROM drive, Zip drive, sound card and internal modem for selected computer models (usually systems not older than 3 years).

TIMS can also arrange for data recovery services for "crashed" hard disk drives through an off-campus, commercial data recovery provider, if requested. This service is limited to "LTS recommended computer systems" running either Windows XP, IRIX, Linux or AIX. With any data recovery option, there is no guarantee that any data or that 100% of the data can be recovered, e.g. a recovered executable program may not run. Backing up your data and storing copies at separate places are still the best practices for protecting your files. Upon receiving a service request, a technician will call to discuss recovery options and potential costs. Generally, $100, non-refundable, is required to send the disk to the recovery center where it will be evaluated under their standard service level. ($1000 is due in advance for emergency service). After a few days, the vendor will call and provide an assessment of data recoverable along with a cost estimate. Should you decide to proceed with the recovery, we will determine the best way to obtain the recovered information, e.g. tape, disk, CD-ROM, etc.

LTS Labor Charge (includes travel) and Parts Charge

• Technician labor rate is $55/hour, $30/half hour (minimum charge)
• Student Technician labor rate is $15/incident.
• Part cost for upgrades or repair part cost for systems out of warranty are set at the LTS purchase cost (no mark up) and includes shipping.
• Part cost for parts not requiring technician installation, e.g. batteries and laptop removable devices (CD-rom drive), are set at the LTS purchase cost including shipping plus $30 labor charge. Customers requiring parts in this category are encouraged to order parts directly from the vendor as it is cheaper. The Technician can provide web ordering information if needed.
• Operating system rebuild without the original restoration (or recovery) disks will be charged a minimum of $55 for labor. In this case, the software will need to be downloaded from the manufacturer's web site. LTS can not be responsibile for exactly mirroring the original vendor's software image without the restoration disks and can not provide warranty for this service.
• Most preventative maintenance service requests such as system cleaning are charged at $30.

LTS and Computer Manufacturer's Warranty Policy for Parts and Upgrades

• LTS Labor - 30 days
• Parts - 90 days for manufacturer repair parts for computer systems. Computer repairs are tracked by LTS. Warranty for upgrade parts or computer manufacturer repairs out of warranty depends on the part ordered and the vendor. This warranty information is provided to the client.
• There is generally no charge from the computer manufacturers for parts or labor to repair computers under warranty. Vendors will charge for parts damage due to negligence or vandalism.   LTS will bill for parts and labor to repair systems out of warranty and bill labor for all preventative maintenance requests, e.g. system cleaning (in or out of warranty).

Billing

• All charges for Lehigh-owned equipment will be billed to a department account number.
• All charges for student-owned equipment will be billed through the Bursar Office using their social security number or may be paid by a check. Parts and labor are subject to Pennsylvania sales tax.
• All charges for personal-owned equipment must be paid with a check before the hardware is released. A copy of the work order will be provided detailing the work done, parts used and a copy of the part packing slip for warranty information. Parts and labor are subject to Pennsylvania sales tax.

Computer Hardware Tips

This section contains hardware tips that the Computer Technicians have found to be helpful in maintaining equipment.