Minimum System Requirements

2009 - 2010 Computer Memo for First Year Students (pdf format) - updated 23 July 2009

Congratulations and welcome to the University of North Dakota School of Law from the Computer Services team!

Computer Services, which is part of the Thormodsgard Law Library, endeavors to provide a stable, functional and modern computing environment for the School of Law and to address computer related problems that students, faculty and staff may experience.

The following computer services are available to you as a student at the law school:

• Student computer lab with both Macintosh and Windows computers
• Student computer kiosks at various locations in the hallways of the law school and throughout the law library
• Color and black & white laser printing
• Fileserver storage
• Law school e-mail account
• The option to take some exams electronically
• Hardware and software technical support
• Other specialized services

The law school and law library have wired and wireless network access available throughout the buildings. Both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems are supported on the network. Computer Services provides limited technical training and software and hardware technical support for your laptop, but cannot perform any work that could void a warranty.

Although the law school does not currently require students to purchase or bring their own laptop, having a laptop during your academic career here at the UND School of Law is highly encouraged. Virtually any current production laptop on the market will suffice. Be sure your laptop has wireless network ability so you can take advantage of the wireless networks in the law school and throughout the campus.

Important note: When using SofTest to take electronic exams, the minimum system requirements you must consider when choosing a laptop are:

Other Requirements:

• Internet Browser (IE or Firefox preferable - other newer browsers may not display correctly)
• Internet access (wireless preferable) for the exam software installer, exam download and upload
• Screen Resolution must be 1024x768 or higher
• AOL Users: Version 6.0 or higher required
• Microsoft Office 2000 Users: Although you are never required to have a copy of Microsoft Office installed to use the exam software, if you are running Microsoft Office 2000, you must have at least Microsoft's SR-1a Service Pack installed. You can download the latest Service Pack through the following Microsoft link: MS Service Pack.

If you need additional loan funds to purchase a computer, contact Career Services at the law school for forms and application information. You may contact Career Services by telephone, at (701) 777-6265, or via the web.

In order to maximize your computing experience, here are some other recommendations you may want to consider when choosing a laptop:

• Ethernet port
• Wireless PCMCIA or internal card (802.11g/n is recommended; 802.11b is discouraged)
• Video out (VGA, RCA, or S-video)
• A three-year extended warranty to cover any repairs while you attend law school
• Microsoft Office Suite or equivalent, for word processing and presentations (this software suite and other software is available at a student discounted price from the UND Information Technology Systems and Services web site

If you have applied for all your financial aid availability and you need additional loan funds to cover the cost of purchasing a computer, you should contact the Student Financial Aid Office at 701.777.3121 or by email for information on, and applications for, increasing your financial aid budget.

If you have any questions about the School of Law computing facilities or services, please contact the Computer Services Help Desk at 701.777.2484 or via email.

You may visit us at www.law.und.edu to learn more about the UND School of Law or for additional information.

Carl Warrene
Systems Administrator
Thormodsgard Law Library
University of North Dakota School of Law
warrene@law.und.edu
Ph: 701.777.5075