Student Laptops

Notebooks not in the Support Program

Services Offered by the Information Technology Office

Students with notebook computers other than one of the supported models will not be eligible for a variety of services offered by the Information Technology Office. For instance, the Information Technology Office will not serve as a drop off for hardware repairs for non-supported models; instead the student must arrange with their notebook vendor to perform service on their computer at the student's residence or other suitable location. School of Law IT Technicians will not perform operating system reloads (Windows or Macintosh) on any notebook which is not part of the supported notebook program. Students not participating in the supported notebook program will be required to perform all computer maintenance themselves or seek out service providers qualified to perform the work.

The Information Technology Department Technicians will offer limited and general assistance to owners of non-supported notebook models. This includes advice on good computing practices, basic instructions for performing simple maintenance, and suggestions for ways to troubleshoot problems.

General System Recommendations

When purchasing something other than the supported notebook model, please use the information in this section to guide your selection. Nearly all of the minimums listed below are available as the off-the-shelf configuration or as an upgrade to most notebook computers being sold today.

Microsoft Windows (XP or Vista).
2 Gigahertz(GHz) or greater processor. Preferably dual-core (two CPUs on a single chip).
2 Gigabytes(GB) of RAM or more.
Discrete/Dedicated Video Card with 128 Megabytes(MB) or more Video RAM . (This is a separate and powerful video card capable of more intense graphics. It is especially important for the premium visual effects found in Windows Vista. Systems using SHARED VIDEO MEMORY typically have less powerful video cards and will not perform as well with Windows Vista)
DVD Burner for backing up files.
80 Gigabyte(GB) hard drive or larger.
Wireless G (802.11G) Compatible Network Card that supports WPA2 and AES Encryption. Intel brand cards are generally a good choice. Wireless N (802.11N) cards are backwards compatible with Wireless G. Wireless B (802.11B) and Wireless A (802.11A) cards are not supported.
Wired Ethernet Network Port. 10/100 or 10/100/1000 speed cards are appropriate.
Suitable Carry Case or Slip Cover. Students who tuck a bare notebook computer in with their books are likely to experience significant physical damage to the system.
3 or 4 Year Warranty with Accident Coverage. Even when taking good care of a notebook computer, spills and drops occur. The basic manufacturer's warranty will not cover accidents.
Notebook Lock Cable. Some areas of the School of Law and Thurgood Marshall Library are open to the public. Occasionally, thefts have occurred when notebook computers were left unattended and unsecured. Key or combination style cable locks will permit students some freedom to leave a notebook computer anchored to the desk in order to step away briefly.

Electronic Exams

All modern Windows or Macintosh based notebook computers with a wired Ethernet network port are generally suitable for running the School of Law's electronic exam software. However, sometimes vendor installed or student installed applications do interfere with the operation of the exam software. IT Technicians will perform a basic investigation and point out any obvious software conflicts but will not troubleshoot non-supported notebook models to permit the exam software to operate.

Student Wireless Network

In compliance with established security standards for higher education network resources, the University of Maryland will be implementing specific wireless security protocols. Students wishing to make use of the School of Law's wireless network will need to use a wireless network card that supports 802.11g and WPA2 with AES encryption. While many laptops manufactured today do include these features, the student may have to consult their hardware vendor's telephone, email, or website support services to determine this. Wireless network cards from Intel tend to be a good choice and are commonly built into or available as an upgrade option on notebooks from the major notebook vendors. Some other notebook models that appear to support these standards as of 4/30/2008 are:

IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad series R, T, X300, X61s and the X61 Tablet.
Sony VAIO UX Micro PC, and series TZ, SZ, CR, FZ, NR, and AR.
MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air.

Student Wired Network

The School of Law has thousands of wired Ethernet jacks available in classrooms, study rooms, and common spaces. Students should carry a standard Ethernet cable of approximately 7 to 10 feet in order to make use of this resource; longer cables will work but may be a bit cumbersome. Students MUST have an Ethernet cable in order to use the electronic exam software since the wireless network is not suitable for this purpose at this time.

General Security Standards

All students are expected to maintain their notebook computers in a manner that is safe and secure. This means that students must apply all critical operating system updates within two weeks of release from the vendor. Students must maintain an actively running anti-virus product with the latest virus definition files from the vendor applied within two weeks of release. Students who do not conform to these standards are not permitted to connect their notebook computers (wired or wirelessly) to any segment of the network except for the express and immediate purpose of downloading the requisite updates. Any student who suspects that their computer is already infected with a virus must not connect it to the network for any reason; seek immediate advice or assistance from the School of Law or Campus help desk.

Students are also bound by the campus responsible use policy.

Software Standards

The School of Law has standardized on Microsoft Office 2007 as its office suite product. Students are responsible for submitting assignments to instructors in file formats that are fully readable by this product. Attempting to use Microsoft Office 2003(Windows) or Microsoft Office 2008(Macintosh) may lead to document formatting problems, especially with complex documents. This is of particular concern when submitting graded work to instructors, receiving course materials from instructors, and collaborative works with other students as a part of the clinic or a journal. Windows users with Microsoft Office 2003 should be able to simply upgrade to the 2007 version offered through the campus. Macintosh users should review the next section, "Use of Apple Computers".

Students must also have active anti-virus software installed on their notebook computers. If you do not already own a product that can be installed on your new notebook computer, you may either purchase a copy of Symantec Norton Anti-Virus from campus (recommended) or use one of the free products listed in the resources section below. We do not suggest purchasing Symantec Norton Anti-Virus through a retailer because those versions are subscription based and require recurring annual fees; the corporate version of Symantec Norton Anti-Virus which is offered through The Health Sciences and Human Services Library does not expire and therefore has no annual fee associated with it.

Use of Apple Computers

Newer, Intel CPU based MacBooks are generally compatible with the School of Law's network. However, to run MS Office 2007 on your MacBook, you will need to run Windows XP in one of three ways: Apple Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop, or VMware Fusion. All three methods allow you to run a copy of Windows XP and MS Office 2007. The Health Sciences and Human Services Library sells this software at significantly reduced prices. MacBook users who run Windows XP and Office 2007 along with their Mac OS X will need anti-virus software on both the Mac operating system and the Windows operating system. Several reputable vendors offer free anti-virus products; these are acceptable for use at the School of Law and help guard against virus infection as long they remain actively running and up-to-date.