Bringing a computer to campus

You are not required to have your own computer, but if you decide to bring a computer for use on campus, here's what you need to know.

Computer Requirements

Networking

Wireless Internet access is available in all campus residence halls for laptops with wireless access. Wired networking is also available in all residence hall rooms; if you want to use a wired connection, a CAT5 or CAT6 Ethernet/network cable is required to connect to the network jack.

Operating System

Technology Support Services supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Macintosh OS 10.5 or later.

Anti-virus software

In order to connect a Windows computer to the Internet, our setup process requires you to install Microsoft Security Essentials. All other anti-virus software will need to be uninstalled. Mac users are not required to install anti-virus software.

Restore/Resource discs

When buying a computer, be sure to get whatever "restore" or "resource" discs are available. These discs contain all of the information necessary to restore your computer to the condition it was in when you got it and restore functionality in the event of a major system problem. When setting up your computer for the first time, if you are given the opportunity to create restore discs, do so.

When you bring your computer to campus, be sure to bring along all of the discs and manuals that came with it: the "restore" discs (or restore procedure instructions), operating system discs, "resource"discs with drivers for your hardware, and software that came with the computer. These discs may be required if you need to repair your computer.

Teacher Education students

The Teacher Education program requires Macintosh laptops. See the Teacher Education program website for more information.

Choosing a computer

A computer is a major purchase. Our goal is to help you purchase one that will stand up to the demands of college life and last you throughout your residence at St. Norbert College. Some general considerations:

What will you use it for?

Obviously you'll want to write papers & go online, but consider other things like playing video games, storing digital photos, editing videos, etc. What programs will you use & what are the computer requirements for those programs?

Windows or Mac?

This is a personal choice, and you should choose whichever platform you're more comfortable with. Our campus supports both, and we have both Windows and Mac computers in our labs, so you will always have access to the other platform if needed. (Again, the Teacher Education program requires Mac laptops.)

Laptop or desktop?

It really depends on your personal preference. Although desktops are usually a bit cheaper, most students bring laptops. Wireless access for laptops is available in all residence halls and the public areas of all campus buildings.

Buying a new computer: Recommendations

Windows

Minimum: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, 100GB hard drive, Windows XP
Recommended: Intel i3 or i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, Windows 7

Apple Macintosh

Minimum: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, 100GB hard drive, OS 10.5/Leopard
Recommended: Intel i3 or i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, OS 10.7/Lion or 10.8/Mountain Lion

St. Norbert College online stores

St. Norbert College has the following online stores providing discounts beyond the regular student/educational discounts:

Apple	You must log in with your 6-character SNC network login ID (e.g., duckdf) & password to access this store. If you don't know your network login ID, look up your account at http://www.snc.edu/pw.
Dell	Get the best prices on consumer PCs from Dell.
CDWG	Get SNC's discounted pricing on HP computers as well as external hard drives, printers, flash drives, and other equipment and software.

Other educational discounts

Many computer manufacturers offer educational discounts for high school and college students. If you shop at our online stores, you'll be sure to get these discounts. If you're shopping somewhere other than one of our online stores, don't forget to ask about these discounts.

Software

Anti-virus software

Windows users will be required to install Microsoft Security Essentials in order to connect to the Internet through the campus network. All other anti-virus software must be uninstalled at that time.

Microsoft Office

Good News! SNC students can now get Microsoft Office for only $20! The College's Microsoft license now allows students to purchase Microsoft Office as well as Microsoft Windows 7 upgrades at greatly discounted prices. This program is operated by an external vendor named JourneyEd. See their web site for details:

www.snc.edu/go/getoffice

JourneyEd says that after you complete the order on their web site, you will be required to fax or e-mail a copy of your academic verification. They will send you an e-mail message with instructions for submitting your academic verification. Once verification is completed and depending on how you place your order, you will receive either a license code, a link to download the software, or a physical DVD set mailed to you. Delivery of the software download instructions are generally completed same day while shipment of the physical DVD takes 3-5 business days.

Note that most students need Microsoft Office for Word, PowerPoint, and possibly Excel. Business Administration majors take a course that usually requires Microsoft Access (a database program), and other students may find that they need it as well.

If you need a copy of Microsoft Office that does not qualify for the above program, see our Buying Software page for a link to other vendors offering academic discounts.

Other software

See our Buying Software page to learn how to get educational discounts on other software.

Printing

Students can print from their personal computers to College network printers after installing the printers. Printing from personal computers will be charged at the same rate as printing from College-owned computers. For details, see Installing Network Printers on Personal Computers.

Computer Setup & Registration (on campus)

To access the Internet from your room, you will first need to set up your computer. Once you connect your computer to the network in your room and turn it on, open your web browser and you should see the St. Norbert College Network Registration page (if that page doesn't open automatically, go to http://netreg.snc.edu/). The instructions on that page will walk you through the setup process, in which you will install Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows only) and register your computer. Once you complete those steps, your Internet connection will be active.

By accepting a connection to the St. Norbert College computer network, you agree to adhere to the Student Computer Networking Terms and Conditions, Computing and Networking Appropriate Use Policy, and all File Sharing guidelines. If you do not adhere to these conditions, you will be subject to losing your network connection privileges.

Support

Technology Support Services provides assistance during all steps of the connection process. We will make our best effort to help you connect your computer to our network, however, there may be computers that simply will not work with our network.

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Assistance and questions

If you have any questions or need more information, contact the Help Desk at (920) 403-HELP (4357) or helpdesk@snc.edu. The Help Desk is for St. Norbert College students and employees only.