SEARCH
headerimage

Student Technology Purchases

To All New Nazareth Residential Students from Information Technology Services:

Welcome to Nazareth College! If you plan on bringing a computer to campus this Fall, please take a minute to review the following information.

Purchasing a Computer

If you plan to acquire a computer, there are some details that you will need to know. We recommend that you have a machine with at least the following minimum requirements:

PC

PC Intel Pentium III desktop or laptop
500 MB RAM
15" color monitor
At least 40Gigabyte Hard Drive or more
Windows XP or Vista, Service Pack 2
At least 500 megabytes of free hard disk space
NIC (network interface card or built-in networking)
USB or Thumb drive

Mac

Macintosh PowerPC or better
512 MB RAM
15" color monitor
40Gigabyte Hard Drive
OS X or higher
Thumb Drive

Note: This is a minimum configuration that should get you through your first year and might apply if you are bringing a used computer. If you expect the system to last you four years, you should be buying a much higher level system.

Recommended Applications

Browser: Firefox or MS Internet Explorer 7.0
E-mail: No special software needed -- use any browser to access our email server.
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) is the commonly used productivity software campus wide. You may purchase discounted software from http://www.campusestore.com.
The labs on campus will be using Windows XP and MS Office 2003 for the PC and OS X and Office X for the MAC.
Anti-Virus: IT Services expects that ALL computers brought to campus have anti-virus software installed.
We will also provide the anti-virus software for any students needing it.

Use of the Computer Network

Nazareth College has installed a high-speed computer network including hookups in the residence halls and unlimited direct Internet access (you do not need to use your phone line and an Internet service provider as you probably would from home). In order to make use of network applications such as electronic mail and Internet, students may connect to Nazareth's campus wide network. However, student computers must have a network card installed and necessary software, including your Win 98 or Win 2000 or Win XP install CD-ROM and network card install disks. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND WIN ME.

If students would like to purchase their network cards before the start of school, these cards may be purchased and installed through any computer dealer who carries them. Nazareth College staff should not be expected to install cards, setup, or fix your computer.

If you own a PC (not a MAC),we recommend a 3COM Network Card or INTEL Card. Specify to the dealer that this card will be used to connect to a 10/100-Base T network (RJ45 connector) - a 10/100 switchable card would be ideal.

You will also need a Category 5 patch cable (RJ45 connector) to connect your computer to the network jack in your residence hall room. These can be purchased at any computer or office supply store.

Note: new computers, both PC and MAC, are generally purchased today with networking built in. A specification sheet for the computerwill usually mention "integrated networking." If you have this, you do not need a separate card. Also, if you buy a laptop, you may wish to purhcase a card that has both "wired" capability (described above) and "wireless" capability. Those combo cards do exist and may be a good investment.

Some additional information is available on the Naz web site. If we have any deals with specific vendors for special pricing, we will put information there (although we do not generally promote such deals since retail pricing has become so competitive.)

That's www.naz.edu to start
Click on Services
Click Information Technology Services
Click Technology Purchases
Click Student
This path might change a little, but it should help you get to the right spot.


Please note the following items:

  • Network cards installed by the owner (namely, the student, parent, etc.) are done so at the owner's risk.
  • No student is required to purchase a network card unless he or she chooses to be connected to the campus-wide network.
  • If a student is missing any of the minimum required hardware or software specified above, including all installation disks, students may not be able to have their computer connected to the network.
  • Students should have on-site warranties for systems -- Nazareth employees will not service your computer or install cards or devices for you.
  • Due to the increased number of computer viruses, IT Services expects that ALL computers brought to campus have anti-virus software installed and that students keep the software updated on a weekly basis. Please be aware that IT Services reserves the right to disconnect computers from the campus network if they are found to be infected with a computer virus. You will be provided a CD to download anti-virus software at no cost, along with other software patches that you may need.ue to the increased number of computer viruses, IT Services expects that ALL computers brought to campus have anti-virus software installed and that students keep the software updated on a weekly basis. Please be aware that IT Services reserves the right to disconnect computers from the campus network if they are found to be infected with a computer virus.
  • Nazareth will enforce its Computing Code of Conduct so you should read it (available on the ITS Web Site). Downloading copyrighted material, and many other technology abuses are covered.

Hiring Students as Computer Assistants

It might be of interest to you to know that Nazareth hires students to assist with all kinds of computer needs and services. Look for the User Support Center in Smyth Hall to ask about details.

We look forward to assisting you in making your stay at Nazareth a great experience. Should you have questions regarding computer purchase or other issues in this flyer, stop by the User Support Center in Smyth Hall, Room 85 or call 585-389-2111.