Questions and Answers for Student Technology Concerns  2008        

1.  I will be living in a residence hall on campus and am wondering whether I should bring a computer to school.
The great majority of students on campus bring their own computers, either a laptop or desktop. However we have nine public computer labs available for general use if you choose not to bring your own. 

2. What kind of computer should I bring?
Preferentially any computer in good shape, running either a current Windows or Mac operating system, will be fine. We have no requirements for a specific model or brand. To access the network from the residence halls, the machine must have a network card properly installed and configured (10/100 Twisted Pair Ethernet).

If you bring a Windows machine, we recommend a computer that is running Windows XP Professional with SP2 or Vista Business or Ultimate. If you purchase a new Windows computer, please see below for additional information on a recommended computer configuration.  If you bring a Macintosh computer, we recommend a computer that is running System 10.4 or greater. See additional information listed below if you decide to buy a new Mac.

Recommendations:
If you have a computer that fits your needs currently there is no need to purchase a new one. You might want to wait to see what power requirements you may need after completing some of your coursework.

The properties of your computer should be based on its uses. If you regularly work with graphics programs like Photoshop/Painter, or do heavy-duty videoediting or have classes that require intensive quantitative computations, the more power the better. But if you use your computer primarily for word processing, email or web surfing, you really don't need the top-of-the-line version. Currently we are outfitting our new labs with dual-operating iMacs. You might try one of these units to see whether they might best fit your needs.

Whether you bring an old or new computer to campus, make sure an Ethernet card has been installed if you wish to connect to the network from your room on campus. Please note that at this time we support wireless connections in selected areas on campus. We are adding wifi hotspots weekly, but are first focusing on common areas. Individual rooms will be added last.

Make sure you bring with you all of your operating system disks and application software. We can not help you if you do not have your own disks.

Recommended minimum configuration for a new Windows computer:
Note that the minimum recommendations for a machine running Vista are different from a machine running XP. When purchasing a new machine, we highly recommend also purchasing the extended warranty, particularly if you purchase a laptop. It’s not unusual for students to drop machines or dump a drink over their keyboards!

Recommended Minimum Computer Configuration for Windows XP Desktops or Laptops

* 1 GHz Intel compatible processor or better
* 512MB – 1 GB of Random Access Memory (RAM) or more
* 40 GB (gigabyte) hard drive or larger
* DVD/CD-RW drive installed
* We recommend the purchase of a thumb drive for data transport (to bring your presentations to class) and if at all possible a backup hard drive.
* 64 MB video card (or greater)
* Application software -Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Anti-virus software, web browser (Foxfire if possible)
* 10/100 Twisted Pair Ethernet network card (required to connect to the internet from the Residence halls)
* 25 foot Cat5 Ethernet network cable (different than a phone cable) available in the College Bookstore
* LAPTOP ONLY – wireless network access: Standard 802.11b/g PCMCIA card, USB adapter or internal wireless connection

Recommended Minimum Computer Configuration for Windows Vista Desktops or Laptops
Note:      We do not recommend the Vista Home Basic

* 2.4 GHz Intel or compatible “P4 generation” processor or better (which includes the new, lower clocked Core Solos and Duos)
* 2 GB of Random Access Memory (RAM) or more
* 80 GB (gigabyte) hard drive or larger
* Direct X 9.0 compatible graphics processor with 128 MB graphics memory or greater
* DVD/CD-RW drive installed
* We recommend the purchase of a thumb drive for data transport and a backup hard drive or plenty of CD/DVDs to back up your work.
* Application software -Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Anti-virus software, web browser (Foxfire)
* 10/100 Twisted Pair Ethernet network card (required to connect to the internet from the Residence halls)
* 25 foot Cat5 Ethernet network cable (different than a phone cable) available in the College Bookstore
* LAPTOP ONLY – wireless network access: Standard 802.11b/g PCMCIA card, USB adapter or internal wireless connection

Recommended minimum configuration for a new Macintosh computer:

Desktop or Laptop (Mac OS 10.5 or above)

* iMac, MacBook or MacBook Pro (MacBook Air NOT recommended)
* Memory 1 - 2 GB RAM
* Hard drive 80GB hard drive or larger
* Combo or Super Drive and USB thumb drive (for backup purposes)
* Video 144 MB video RAM or better
* Application software – Office, Anti-virus program
* 25 foot Cat5 Ethernet network cable (this is NOT the same as a telephone cable) – available at   the College Bookstore

Wherever you buy your computer, be sure to ask about educational pricing.

3. Should I bring a laptop or a desktop computer?

The majority of our students now bring laptops, but really it's a personal choice.  Here are some things to think about as you make your decision:

   (+) With a laptop you will be able to take advantage of the wireless hotspots on campus.
   (-) Laptops are considerably more expensive than desktops for the same configuration. Generally, you will get a faster CPU, more memory and a larger hard drive in a desktop computer.
   (+) Desktops are less expensive to maintain. Parts for most desktops are generic and less expensive than parts for laptops, which generally require the same brand parts as the laptop.
   (+) Laptops take up less space. If you like to sit at your desk and do other things than work on your computer, consider a laptop.
   (+) Laptops can be used anywhere. If you like to work on your computer in places other than the desk in your room, such as your bed or in the library, you will like the flexibility of a laptop. In addition, when you go home for breaks and want to work on your computer at home, a laptop is easy to carry back and forth.
   (-) Laptops are easily stolen. If you do bring a laptop to school, practice good security:

• Lock your room when you are gone
• Purchase a cable lock for your laptop so you can secure the laptop to a piece of furniture
• Ask the Campus Safety Office to engrave your laptop with identification information
• Ask your parents to check their homeowners' insurance to make sure that your laptop and other personal belongings in your room are covered in case of theft.

4. I will be living off-campus, but I want to buy a computer to have at home. Do the same recommendations you made for the resident student apply to me?
Yes, but make sure you buy a computer with the appropriate hardware if you want to connect to the network from your computer at home. Check with your Internet Service Provider to see if you need a modem or a network card.

5. Can I buy a computer through the school?
We currently do not have a special pricing for Windows machines as we do not specify what model you should bring. Shop around for the best bargain given the recommended requirements provided above. Look for educational discounts online.

For students interested in buying a Mac we are currently working on an agreement with Apple for an additional discount beyond the set educational pricing. More information will be forth coming.

6.  What kind of software should I have on my computer?
We suggest you have the same standard software that is on the computers in the labs.  Then it will be much easier if you need to work in the lab or print to one of the laser printers.

    * Microsoft Office
    * Full version of an Anti-virus software (required if you are connected to the College’s network)    

• Symantec
• MacAfee
• Bit Defender 8
• AVG 7.5

    * Web browser and email program

7. Where should I buy the software?
If you are purchasing a new machine you may want to buy the software at the same time. McDaniel College students with a current student ID may go to www.campusEstore.com or www.academicsuperstore.com for academic pricing on software and for peripherals.

8. Is wireless network access available on campus?
We are in the process of extending our wifi network. Currently we are adding wifi hotspots almost weekly in the common areas, and this coming academic year we will add on classrooms and individual dorm rooms to the list of supported spaces.

9.  Can I connect to the campus network from a computer in my room?
Yes. We have Ethernet connections in all residence halls. You will need a network card (10/100 Twisted Pair Ethernet) and a 25 foot Ethernet cable. If you are purchasing a new machine make sure you get a network card installed. If you want to buy the network card separately, they are available at the College Bookstore. Installation of the cards will be available (at a charge) in the fall. Check with Information Technology when you arrive on campus. The 25 foot network cables are also available at the College Bookstore.

10. What kinds of things will I be able to do when I am connected to the campus network?
You will be able to access your McDaniel College e-mail, the Archway (grades, transcripts, online registration), Blackboard (online materials for courses, drop boxes for assignments, e-portfolio), search the collection at the Hoover Library, get on the Internet and soon play games on a LAN.

11. How do I get a college email account?
All McDaniel undergraduate students are required to have and regularly use their mcdaniel.edu email accounts. This account will be used for official communication from the College and for your Blackboard account. You should have received a letter from the College with your email account user id and your temporary password. If you did not receive this information contact Tina Nguyen (410-857-2790)

12. Will my friends at other schools be able to find my college e-mail address?
It will be available on our web site unless you indicated otherwise when you activated your account.

13. What computing lab facilities are available on campus?
We have nine computing labs on campus and additional departmental labs as well for specific class use. All have access to the Internet.

   1. Charlson Lab in Hoover Library (24-hour access during the regular semesters) –dual operating systems iMacs (windows+ mac)
   2. The Margaret Denman West Technology Center in Academic Hall – Mac + Windows computers
   3. The Writing Center in Hill Hall –dual operating systems iMacs (windows/mac)
   4. The Windows Lab in Lewis - Windows computers
   5. The Graphics Lab in Peterson – Macs
   6. The Foreign Languages Lab in Baker – Windows
   7. The Math/Computer Science Lab in Lewis –Macs
   8. The Physics Lab in Lewis – Windows
   9. The G1 lab in Academic Hall - Windows

Hours for these labs are posted on McDaniel's web site.

14. What software is available for e-mail on the computer lab machines?
Starting last Fall, we implemented Zimbra as our campus email/calendar package. All college correspondence must use this package to insure the secure transmission of sensitive information. This powerful package, akin to G-mail, has many filters to cut back spam, a calendar with multi-layer properties and so on.

15. How can I get more information about computing on campus?

-Please check our McDaniel's Information Technology Website at (http://www.mcdaniel.edu/3613.htm). We will be adding more information on wifi spots, deals with vendors, security updates and so on.

-If you would like to ask a specific question, you can email Esther Iglich at eiglich@mcdaniel.edu
-Or you can call Donni Folendorf at 410-857-2537. She can forward your question to the appropriate person if need be.