|Mercyhurst Student Computer Standards
Hardware Standards Software Standards
Both Macintosh and Windows computers will work on the Mercyhurst network. Students may wish to contact the department chair of the major in which they are interested to find out if the major recommends use of a particular operating system.
Student Computer Hardware Standards
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Preferred Windows Configuration Intel Pentium or AMD 2.5 GHz or higher processor 1 GB of RAM 80+ GB hard disk minimum CDRW, or CDRW - DVD combo Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 AntiVirus software (Sophos free to registered students) No floppy disk Microsoft Office Professional 2003 or 2007 Network connection* ** |
Preferred Macintosh Configuration PowerPC G5 or Intel processor 1 GB of RAM 80+ GB hard disk minimum CDRW, or CDRW - DVD combo Mac OS X version 10.4 .6 or later AntiVirus software (Sophos free to registered students) No floppy disk Microsoft Office Mac 2004 Professional Edition Network connection* ** |
* Pre-installed or integrated 10/100Mbps Ethernet Card and a 25 ft. Cat 5 Ethernet cable
** Laptops should have built-in Ethernet & wireless connections
It is strongly recommended to purchase a full four year warranty on a new Windows computer.
Students may find the following computer accessories to be useful.
- USB Flash memory (256 MB minimum)
- Color Inkjet printer
- Scanner
Network Cards and Cables:
- 10/100 Ethernet cards for PCs or laptops, and Cat 5 Ethernet cables may be purchased at the College bookstore.
- An Ethernet card or integrated connection, and Cat 5 cable are necessary for connection to the Mercyhurst LAN.
No modem/dial-up connection is used for Internet connection through the campus network.
Windows XP Professional operating system:
- For reasons of network access and security, the recommended operating system is Windows XP Professional *
- There is no support for Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME
- Windows XP Home and Windows 2000 will work on the network, but they are not supported beyond the network connection.
*Windows Vista will be widely available on new computers starting January 2007.
Student Computer Software Standards
The Help Desk recommends the following software configurations for the highest level of support and lab/library compatibility.
Windows
- Microsoft Office Professional 2003 or 2007
- Microsoft Internet Explorer browser (version 7.x and higher)
- Microsoft Outlook for e-mail
- Sophos Virus Detection Software (free to registered students)
Macintosh
- Microsoft Office Mac 2004 Professional Edition
- Safari (version 1.3x and higher), FireFox (version 1.x and higher)
- Microsoft Entourage for e-mail
- Sophos Virus Detection Software (free to registered students)