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If you are a looking into buying a new or replacement laptop, please consult the following suggested specifications. It is HIGHLY recommended that you always purchase a 3 year extended warranty (AppleCare Plan if it is a MAC). Replacing hard drives, motherboards, LCD screens etc is incredibly expensive when not covered by a warranty. Make the investment now and you may be glad you did.
Hardware Minimum Requirements
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Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo minimum is preferred. For new laptops Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 -depends on how you plan to use your laptop – gaming etc requires a faster processor otherwise one of the cheaper processors will be fine.
Memory – 2GB minimum
Wireless Card – 802.11 b/g integrated wireless card
Hard Drive – 250GB minimum
Backup Drive – highly recommended
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Operating System - Windows
Windows 7 or Vista (Enterprise or Ultimate editions) and XP Professional are the recommended Windows operating systems. If you are thinking of upgrading your current laptop to Windows 7, a fresh full install is always preferable to an upgrade.
Operating System - Macintosh
MAC OS X (Tiger – 10.4, Leopard – 10.5 & Snow Leopard – 10.6). Older Macintosh operating systems are not recommended.
Software
A good word processing application is essential for Law School. PowerPoint is also widely used for presentations. Your laptop may come with a Student/Teacher version of Microsoft Office, which includes MS Word and PowerPoint. If not, a copy can be purchased from Microsoft.com for about $60. Just do a search for “student” on the Microsoft homepage. Apple also provides a version of Office for MAC for $129 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Browsers recommended are Internet Explorer 7 (or later) and Firefox 3.5 (or later). Latest versions of Adobe Reader, Flash & Shockwave, Microsoft Silverlight and RealPlayer are also recommended.
Virus/Malware Protection
Virus and Malware/Spyware infections are one of the biggest problems encountered by students who seek Helpdesk assistance. It is highly recommended that that all students (using Windows Laptops or NetBooks) install and keep up to date a reputable Anti-Virus program. Most ISP’s now provide as part of your plan a market recognized Anti-Virus program such as McAfee or Norton Symantec. This is part of your service so take advantage of it. There are also some good free programs available. One of the most reliable and consistent ones is AVG Free. You should also install a good malware/spyware program. There are some good free ones available for download such as SuperAntispyware and Malwarebytes. Also make sure you keep up to date with Microsoft Updates (Mac updates if using a Mac), Adobe Updates and Java Updates.
Support for Student Laptops
The IT Helpdesk is here to help with laptop issues whenever we can. Unfortunately, there are limits to what we can do.
What we can assist with:
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Virus/Malware/Spyware Removal
Data Backups
Sluggish Performance Issues
Installing Student Printers
Wireless Connectivity Issues
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What we can not assist with:
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Hardware Issues – Complete hardware failure, hard drive crashes, broken/damaged/replacement of keyboard keys or keyboards, damaged LCD screens, faulty power adaptors or provide loaner power adaptors
Software Issues – Reload of Operating Systems and other software
Phone Support – We do not provide phone support to students. You must stop by in person for all laptop support (hardware or software). We only provide phone support for Email or NECIN logon problems. All other issues must be presented in person.
If you do require assistance we are located in the Library Basement – beside the Computer Lab. Our regular hours are Monday thru Thursday 8:00am – 10:00pm. Fridays 8:00am to 5:00pm and noon to 4:00pm at the weekends. These hours change slightly during the summer months. You can also call us at 617-422-7404 or email helpdesk@nesl.edu.
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