Whilst there is no general University requirement to bring your own PC, many students do decide to bring one for the convenience of having it in their room.
If you do bring your own PC, remember to also bring the manuals, warranty information, and installation disks. Keep these in a safe place in case you need to reinstall or reconfigure any hardware or software.

Flexibility

A laptop with built in wireless or a wireless card gives you the ability to connect to many locations across campus using the wireless network (WiNet).

Follow this WiNet link for a list of wireless locations

Frequency of use
If you spend a lot of time working on your PC the separate monitor and keyboard that comes with a desktop PC may be more comfortable to use than a laptop. Some laptops come with a docking station allowing you to plug in an external monitor and keyboard.

Theft and damage
A laptop's size and weight make it very flexible and portable but unfortunately also make it easier to be accidently damaged, lost or stolen.

Price
Laptops are now a lot cheaper and may not cost much more than an equivalent desktop PC but may cost more to maintain, upgrade and repair than a desktop.

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If you decide to bring a PC to campus you may think about bringing a printer as well.
You can print documents from the various ISS PC Labs and from the Learning Zone; however, you may also want the convenience of being able to print to a printer in your room.

Follow link for more information about Printing at Lancaster University

You aren't required to have a particular suite of software, but you'll find word processing and spreadsheet applications, and a web browser to be essential. For a full list of software installed on ISS Lab PCs see the ISS Lab webpage. Lancaster University has entered into licencing agreements with software manufacturers and suppliers. For a complete listing of available software see the ISS Software web site.

To access University resources on the Web, we recommend that you use an up-to-date version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Apple Safari.

Eligible students and staff are allowed to purchase heavily discounted software: Follow the microsoft offer link - you will be asked to provide your university email address

Lancaster University has a site licence for Symantec/Norton AntiVirus. This means that all students have free access to one of the best antivirus programs whilst they are studying at Lancaster University.

Windows Symantec/Norton Antivirus software is provided free when you validate your PC/laptop either from home before you come to Lancaster, or from your student room when you complete the online ResNet installation. Students not on ResNet may collect a free CD from the ISS Service Desk.

To find out more about keeping your antivirus software up-to-date at Lancaster University see: Threatwatch

What about before I come to Lancaster University - Can I protect my PC or laptop now?

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download that will give you antivirus protection.

See: www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

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If your PC or laptop is no longer under its initial manufacturer's warranty, The Workshop (a University owned store on campus) can provide you with a cost-effective service plan. You may also want to take out insurance against your PC or laptop being damaged, stolen, or lost.

Ultra-violet (UV) marking

To discourage theft, it is a good idea to use a UV marker to identify equipment you bring to campus.

UV marker pens cost about £1 from stationers and security shops. Use them to put your postcode and house number in invisible ink on the bottom of your valuables. If your things are found, the Police can read your details under UV light and get your property back to you. Do this every year, as the writing fades.

To secure a laptop in your room you could purchase a Kensington laptop security cable.

Laptop security cables and UV marker pens can be purchased on campus from The Workshop.

All student rooms have PC network points which allow students to connect their own PC or laptop to a private network. Once connected, the 100Mbps Ethernet link provides you with access to the world wide web and network resources on campus, including:

• University email account.
• Central printers.
• Personal filestore.
• Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
• Personal web space.

Follow this link for more information about ResNet

If you have problems connecting to ResNet from your room, book a ResNet workshop - available through the ISS Service Desk in the Learning Zone (09:00 to 17:00) throughout the year

Microsoft Windows is predominantly used at Lancaster University, but some departments may use Macs or Linux systems.

ISS provides full support for machines running Windows 7, Vista and XP. Apple systems running OSX 10.8 (Lion), 10.7 (Mountail Lion), 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and 10.5 (Leopard) are also supported. Other systems, such as Linux, will work on the University campus network, but only limited support is available.

For more information about which ISS services are supported under Windows, Mac OS and Linux follow the link to the ISS Matrix

For more information regarding connection to the campus network follow the link Network Connections in Student Residences

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ISS Hardware Recommendations 2011

Component	New Desktop	New Laptop	Used Desktop	Used Laptop
CPU	Intel Core i5 or core i7 Quad or equivalent	Basic: Intel Core i3 mobile processor Standard: Intel core i5 mobile processor High Spec: Intel core i7 mobile processor	Intel core 2 or quad	Intel or AMD 1 GHz (minimum)
System memory	4 -8 GB	4 -8 GB	4 GB (minimum)	4 GB (minimum)
Optical Drive	DVD writer ±RW	DVD writer ±RW	CD-RW / DVD	CD-RW / DVD
Hard Drive	1Tb GB, SATA (minimum)	320 - 500 Gb (minimum)	500 Gb (minimum)	250 Gb (minimum)
Monitor	19" LCD (minimum)	12 - 17" LCD (minimum)	17" CRT (minimum)	14" LCD (minimum)
Video	256 MB ATI or nVidia graphics card minimum 512 MB ATI or nVidia graphics card optimal	128 builtin graphics card minimum 512 MB ATI or nVidia graphics card optimal	Support 1024 X 768 (minimum)	Support 1024 X 768 (minimum)
Operating System	Windows 7	Windows 7	Windows 7	Windows 7
Network card	Built in	Built in	Built in	Built in
Wireless	No	802.11 G/N	No	802.11 B/G/N
Warranty Service	Manufacturer's warranty	Manufacturer's warranty	12 month service plan from The Workshop	12 month service plan from The Workshop

 

Suppliers such as Getech and Stone offer educational discounts to students directly. Apple also have a Higher Education Store offering discounts and a 3 year warranty.

www.studentstore.co.uk/or Stone www.it4study.co.uk

Once registered on these sites you can purchase IT kit at NDNA special discount prices; these will also include benefits like the 3 year warranty on Samsung notebooks etc.

Further information regarding Lancaster University preferred IT suppliers can be found on the Lancaster University Strategic Purchasing website. For more information regarding preferred PC hardware follow the link to Strategic Purchasing or go to the ISS IT Purchasing site

Please note, ISS are not directly involved in the sale of these machines but are simply offering them as examples that match our specifications and are well priced. Your contract is with the manufacturer and you should contact their after sales support organisation for support. Of course we will always try to assist you should this not work out.

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