University of Southampton

iSolutions

How to return, reassign, or recycle university-owned IT equipment

This article explains what to do if you need to:

  • Return university-owned devices to iSolutions
  • Return IT equipment such as monitors, keyboards, mice, or servers
  • Ask to reassign a device to another member of your staff

The article gives an overview of the University approach to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)".

Return a device or a peripheral

You can return a university-owned device or peripherals* by:

  • Dropping it to the Tech Hubs,
    or
  • Requesting a collection. 

*You can return the following university-owned peripherals:

  • Keyboards
  • Mice
  • External storage hard drives
  • Headsets
  • Speakers
  • Dongles
  • Chargers

Drop your device or peripheral to Tech Hubs

If you need to return a device or a peripheral, you can visit our Tech Hubs and deliver it in person to a Tech Hub technician.

Tech Hubs locations and working hours.

Request a collection

Any staff or line managers can request iSolutions to collect the item they do not need any more.

If you need to request the collection of a desktop or a laptop, please fill out the form "Return or reassign IT equipment".

If you need to request the collection of peripherals or other equipment (such as monitors, keyboards / mice, servers, mobile),  please fill out the form "IT Equipment Collection".

After receiving your request, iSolutions will arrange a visit with you to collect the equipment from your office.

What’s next

The device will be returned to central stores and rebuilt or refurbished as follows:

  1. Clear the data saved in the device
  2. Check whether the device needs any hardware upgrades
  3. Reinstall Windows or the previous Operating System (OS)
  4. Assign it to a member of staff when requested

Once ready, iSolutions will deploy it again within the University. If the device cannot be reused / rebuilt / refurbished, iSolutions will recycle it through its partner.

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Reassign a device to another member of your staff

Line managers only can request to reassign a device to a member of their staff when another staff moves on or leaves the University. You can raise your request by filling out the form "Return or reassign IT equipment".

New starters in existing posts are expected to use the equipment of the previous postholder. Where no equipment is available or is too old to be useful, iSolutions will provide replacement equipment. This device may be refurbished or recycled, and will be completely cleaned of any data previously stored there.

What’s next

After receiving your request, iSolutions will arrange a visit to assess whether the device needs any hardware upgrades.

If the device does not need any hardware upgrades, our technicians will:

  1. Clear the data saved in the device
  2. Reinstall Windows or the previous Operating System
  3. Reassign it to a member of staff or your choice

If the device requires any hardware upgrades, our technicians will discuss with you any available options.

Disclaimer on rebuilding a computer

Overview

1. With your consent we will replace or rebuild your computer. 

2 Anything stored only on your computer will be lost, including:

  • Files
  • Programs
  • Settings
  • Any other data. 

If you have any files on your computer that are NOT stored on OneDrive, SharePoint or other University network file locations, we recommend copying them to OneDrive, SharePoint or another University network file location. 

3. Your replacement or newly rebuilt computer will come with:

  • All the files you saved in Microsoft OneDrive 
  • Access to any University network file locations

    Standard set of programs including Microsoft Office and other University programs can be installed from the Software Centre. 

If you have any programs you use that you installed yourself manually, or were purchased specifically for you or your project you must tell the technician you are dealing with. 

What to do if you do not know where your files are stored

If you are unsure whether your files are stored locally or your programs were manually installed, a good way to check is to:

  1. Visit a public workstation room
  2. Try using your files and programs from one of the computers there. 

Alternatively, you can log on to a Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE) session and try using your files and programs from within the virtual environment. 

What to do in case of missing files or programs

If any of your files or programs are missing when using a public workstation or the Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE), please make a note of which ones they are and seek advice from the technician you are dealing with. 

If you are unsure whether you have any such programs, please:

  1. Log on to the Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE)
  2. Check you can access programs there

If you cannot, please seek advice from the technician who is handling your case. Before we replace or rebuild your machine, please carry out the following actions:

  1. Confirm that all OneDrive is fully synced without errors. If you need guidance, please read the article "Checking the Synchronisation Status of your OneDrive Client
  2. If you share your computer with anyone else, please ensure that they also understand that this is happening and carry out the same checks as you
  3. Send us any concerns you have.

Final disclaimer

You are responsible for the files, programs and settings stored on your computer. iSolutions do not accept responsibility for any files, programs or settings lost while stored locally on your computer.

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Device repairs

If your laptop or desktop computer is performing poorly, this could be due to:

  • Components performances
  • Updates or other issues related to software
  • The age of the device

If you struggle using it, please:

Our technicians will investigate the issue and try to repair or upgrade it (if possible) to extend the device’s life.

Mobile devices will be repaired by trusted suppliers.

Disclaimer on repairing and replacing old computers with new ones

Overview

1. We will repair or replace you university-owned computer only after receiving your consent 

2 In case of rebuilding, anything stored only on your computer will be lost, including:

  • Files
  • Programs
  • Settings
  • Any other data. 

If you have any files on your computer that are NOT stored on OneDrive, SharePoint or other University network file locations, we recommend recommend copying them to OneDrive, SharePoint or another University network file location. 

3. In case of replacement or newly rebuilt computer, the device will come with:

  • All the files you saved in Microsoft OneDrive
  • Access to any University network file locations

Standard set of programs including Microsoft Office and other University programs can be installed from the Software Centre. 

If you have any programs you use that you installed yourself manually, or were purchased specifically for you or your project you must tell the technician you are dealing with. 

What to do if you do not know where your files are stored

If you are unsure whether your files are stored locally or your programs were manually installed, a good way to check is to:

  1. Visit a public workstation room
  2. Try using your files and programs from one of the computers there. 

Alternatively, you can log on to a Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE) session and try using your files and programs from within the virtual environment. 

What to do in case of missing files or programs

If any of your files or programs are missing when using a public workstation or the Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE), please make a note of which ones they are and seek advice from the technician you are dealing with. 

If you are unsure whether you have any such programs, please:

  1. Log on to the Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE)
  2. Check you can access programs there

If you cannot, please seek advice from the technician who is handling your case. Before we replace or rebuild your machine, please carry out the following actions:

  1. Confirm that all OneDrive is fully synced without errors. If you need guidance, please read the article "Checking the Synchronisation Status of your OneDrive Client
  2. If you share your computer with anyone else, please ensure that they also understand that this is happening and carry out the same checks as you
  3. Send us any concerns you have.

Final disclaimer

You are responsible for the files, programs and settings stored on your computer. iSolutions do not accept responsibility for any files, programs or settings lost while stored locally on your computer.

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IT equipment reuse and recycle process

At iSolutions, we are committed to doing our part to make a positive impact on the environment.

The re-use of existing equipment is now a core part of our Hardware Policy:

  • We will now only provide new equipment for newly created roles
  • Whenever possible, we encourage new starters in existing positions to re-use equipment
  • If the equipment is unavailable or too old, iSolutions will provide a replacement which may not be brand new.

If you want to know more about how the University reuses and recycles its devices, please read the article "University approach to Electrical and Electronic Equipment".

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Getting IT help

If you need help, please contact ServiceLine or visit one of our Tech Hubs.

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Related content

Strategic Plan - Sustainability | University of Southampton

University’s Hardware Provisioning Policy

University approach to recycling IT equipment

Computer and IT equipment - Catalogue and prices

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