At IU, how do I use ITHelpLive?

ITHelpLive, a UITS support service available Monday-Friday 8am-9pm, is one of the many ways you can request assistance with technological resources at Indiana University. To request assistance through ITHelpLive, visit:

You will have to authenticate using your IU Network ID.

Note: Guest accounts will not allow authentication to ITHelpLive, but Guest account users may use all the other support options described in How do I contact the Support Center at each IU campus, and what are the hours and options for help?

Note: If you use Internet Explorer and have difficulty due to security restrictions, add ithelplive.iu.edu to the "Trusted Sites" setting; see Using Internet Explorer, how do I add sites to the Trusted Sites list? Alternatively, UITS provides a small program that can do this for you, available from IUware at:

In ITHelpLive, after authenticating, enter a brief description of the issue for which you are requesting support in the "Question:" text box, and then click Continue.

If you are on a Windows computer, the software will be sent as an executable file (.exe). Save this to your desktop and double-click it to connect to the ITHelpLive support queue. If you are on a Macintosh or Linux computer, ITHelpLive will open within a web browser.

While you are waiting for a consultant to pick up your session, you can customize your ITHelpLive security settings, which will determine the consultant's level of access to your computer.

A consultant will pick up your session, and your live automation window will change to display a chat window, through which you can describe your problem and troubleshoot with consultants. The Live Automation software allows consultants to interact directly with your computer, e.g., running scripts that give them information about your computer, such as getting a list of currently running programs if they suspect a virus.

Depending on the security level you've set for your session, you may be asked to allow these scripts to execute. If you feel comfortable with the consultant and don't want to be bothered by many pop-up windows, you can remain in low security mode. If you prefer to know each script that the consultant wants to run, you can set your security to high so that you will be prompted to allow each script.

When your problem is solved, you can end the session. You'll receive an email message containing your session log. You can also view this at any time during the session by clicking the View live log button.

Note: Your information on your computer is private and personal, and will be treated as such. UITS consultants will never use this service to break that privacy. As a guarantee, after each session within ITHelpLive, you will receive via email a log of all actions performed during your ITHelpLive session. If you feel the consultant took any questionable action, please contact the Support Center (812-855-6789 in Bloomington, and 317-274-4357 in Indianapolis) and ask for a supervisor. The supervisor can review and explain the consultant's actions, and if necessary, take immediate action to ensure your security and prevent any such occurrences from being repeated.

To help UITS improve the ITHelpLive service, please send your feedback and suggestions via email to  ithelp@iu.edu .

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