Hardware, software list for student technology

Posted: October 9, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: General news, Hardware, Software, Students, Tech tips | Leave a comment

While Eastern offers its student access to computers via several labs located across campus, many students find that bringing their own personal computer is more convenient and enhances their academic experience.

Most modern computers, laptops, tablets, or mobile devices will work on the campus network. The following guidelines will help with deciding which device to bring to campus. In addition to these specifications, students should check with the program they are enrolled in to be sure they do not have any other specific computing requirements.

Hardware
To ensure a better experience with the EIU network, Information Technology Services recommends the following specifications, regardless of which operating system you are using:
• Memory (RAM) : 2GB or more
• Wireless Card : 802.11 b/g/n
• Ethernet Card : 10/100 capable

Operating System
Eastern’s wireless network uses a network access management software to ensure our student computers are meeting some recommended standards to prevent campuswide virus outbreaks. This management software supports the following Operating Systems:
• Windows 7
• Windows 8
• Mac OS X 10.6
• Mac OS X 10.7
• Mac OS X 10.8

Although devices running iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and Windows RT are recognized on the network and will work, EIU Online’s lockdown browser will not work on the operating system. If you are bringing a tablet to EIU, you will need to plan on taking some online quizzes in an EIU Lab or on a full-fledged computer or laptop.

Antivirus Software
ITS requires all computers, Windows and Mac, to be running an up-to-date Antivirus software. EIU provides students with a free-for-student-use copy of Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP), found on the ITS Software Download page. The version provided is supported on both Windows and Mac computers.

If you choose not to use EIU’s version of Symantec, the following antivirus software is free for personal use provided by other vendors:
• Avast Antivirus
• Microsoft Security Essentials
• Sophos Antivirus

Internet Browsers
We recommend having at least 2 web browsers installed on your computer. Occasionally, some web services provided do not offer the best experience between each browser. If you are using one browser and running into an issue, we suggest trying a different browser first, as a troubleshooting tip. Most EIU web based services support using the following browsers:
• Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11
• Firefox (most current)
• Chrome(most current)
• Safari (most current)

Additional Software
Many courses require students to write papers, create spreadsheets, update websites, and more. You can find some additional recommended software, freely available for personal use at our Software Download page.

As a precaution, please check with your college or course instructor for additional software that may be required.
Printers

There are many printers in labs on campus that students have access to print to, for a fee. Some can even be printed to from your residence hall. However, if you choose to bring your own printer to campus be aware that EIU’s wireless and residence hall network do not support personal printers. If you bring your own printer, be sure that it can be plugged into your desktop or laptop via USB or other compatible printer cable.

Save energy, money by powering down computers, peripherals

Posted: November 22, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Employees, General news, Hardware, Students, Tech tips | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Turning desktop PCs off at the end of the workday and powering them down during periods of inactivity could save Eastern substantially in electricity costs as well as extend the lives of computers themselves.

Over the course of a year, one PC, powered up all the time, can cost $30 more to operate than one that is shut down during non-working hours and allowed to fall into sleep mode during periods of inactivity such as lunch, breaks and when the user is away from his or her desk.

Power can be saved on a number of levels. Turning a computer’s monitor off cuts about 20 percent of its power usage. PC users can set their monitors to fall into sleep mode after 15 minutes of non-use and the central processing unit, or CPU, after an hour to an hour and a half.

Another way to save IT costs is to run only those individual peripherals that are necessary. In classrooms, for example, speakers and amplifiers can be turned on only when needed, and projectors, too. In offices, having centralized printers is more cost effective than individual desktop printers. It reduces the cost per page to print and tends to reduce the overall amount of printing. You can also print on both sides of the paper.

The cost of printing with an ink-jet printer is about 10 cents per page. With laser printers, it’s in the two- to three-cent range. When your office is looking to buy a new printer, ask if you really need a color printer or if there is one nearby. The cost of black and white is substantially less than color.

Making a draft as a PDF, rather than on a piece of paper, allows for a real feel of what a document will look like while saving paper and ink and is a good way to e-mail documents. Anything you can do to cut the amount of printing to begin with is a real benefit to the university, especially in these financially critical times.