Minimum System Requirements

2008 - 2009 Computer Memo for First Year Students (pdf format) - updated 25 June 2008

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 state-of-the-art computing environment for the School of Law and to address computer related problems brought forward by faculty, students and staff.

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 in various locations throughout the hallways of the law school and 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 has wired and wireless network access available for our students anywhere in our 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 will not 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: If you think you might be interested in using the electronic software to take any exams with your laptop, the minimum system requirements you must consider when choosing a laptop are:

Other Requirements:

• Internet Explorer 6.0 or greater
• 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 Microsoft's SR-1a Service Pack installed. You can download it through the following Microsoft link: Office 2000 Service Pack.
• Vista Users: Please note that your computer must meet the minimum requirements for the specific edition of Vista you are using. Please check the documentation that came with Vista to find these requirements

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 (802.11b or 802.11g)
• 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

If you have any questions about the School of Law computing facilities, please contact Computer Services at 701.777.2484 or via email. Please visit our website for more information.

Carl Warrene
Systems Administrator
University of North Dakota School of Law
warrene@law.und.edu.