Frequently Asked Questions

Yes we do have a document that lays out our recommended computer hardware for students in Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering programs.

No. The CEE IT staff can only help out with computers owned by the university, but you can contact Information Systems & Technologies (IST)  for help.

Make sure you are logging in by using userid@uwaterloo.ca, followed by your Quest/WatIAM password. If you still can't connect, try following IST's eduroam page.

Simply press Ctrl and Shift at the same time.

Log on to WatIAM using your Nexus credentials, go to User Profile, followed by typing your personal e-mail into E-mail forward (delivery mailbox).

Computer peripherals such as mouse and keyboard can be rented out from the CEE IT staff office. 

Multimedia equipment can be borrowed to assist with teaching, research and special events. Please contact IST Service Desk (CHIP) for multimedia equipment loans.

If you choose to have your computer managed by CEE, you will be put on our network with the ability to have software and updates pushed onto your computer through us. You will have all the necessities such as printers and setups all installed onto your computer but there will be no admin privileges.

An unmanaged computer allows for full admin privileges on the computer. You cannot receive any software help from CEE except for us wiping your entire operating system if needed. Just hardware support is given based off warranty. It will almost be entirely your responsibility to deal with any software or updates. 

If you wish to fax or print securely, you may find instructions on how to do so here.

E-mails that come from an unknown source accompanied with hyperlinks or urgent requests for action are often signs of a phishing e-mail which are used in attempt to obtain sensitive information on the user. If in the case that you feel that your computer has been compromised, run the built in virus scanner on your computer. It also helps to install another anti virus scanner in case the built in scanner doesn't find anything.

Install the University of Waterloo Virtual Private Network (VPN) client (Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client). After installation run the application, enter cn-vpn.uwaterloo.ca and click connect. Then sign in using your WatIAM credentials. If you are still experiencing problems try connecting to 'UW-General-Campus' group as opposed to 'UW-Campus' group.

First confirm that you are connected to the University of Waterloo Virtual Private Network (VPN) client. For information about installing and set up instructions for the Microsoft Remote Desktop client, visit Microsoft's webpage on remote desktop clients. Make sure that the PC name is the hostname.uwaterloo.ca, and when logging on to a machine include the domain in the username field as shown e.g. NEXUS\username. 

For Remote Desktop Frequently Asked Questions, please see: https://uwat.ca/ZoX

In order to obtain a personal license key for McNeels Rhino3D for undergraduate use, please see: https://wstore.uwaterloo.ca/rhino-rhino-6.html 

Once you obtain the license key, it can be applied during the installation.