IT Department: Student Laptop Hardware & Software Recommendations

Minimum Laptop Specifications

Although we strongly encourage you to purchase one of the recommended laptops, if you choose not to, you should make sure your computer meets at least these hardware and software specifications:

Hardware

• 2 GB of RAM.
• Ethernet card, 10/100, RJ45 jack. This is required for network access at the law school abd for DSL connections at home.
• Modem. A modem is necessary only if you want telephone dial-up Internet access.
• Wireless card (built-in wireless adapter). Wireless access is available throughout the law school.
• DVD/DVD-RW Drive. Effective backup procedures that will safeguard your law school documents require the capacity to write to non-volatile media such as CDs or DVDs . Users are now storing unusually large amounts of data which is why we recommend a drive that will burn DVDs. DVDs offer about six times the storage capacity of a CD. (Floppy drives are NOT recommended. Floppy disks are an inherently unreliable medium.)

Software

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional Only (NOT Home or Media Center Edition). XP Pro is recommended because many older operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft, less stable than newer systems, expensive & cumbersome to maintain, do not support recent hardware innovations and conveniences, and are not supported by Law School technical staff. Windows Vista is not yet reliable and although some of our recommended computers come only with Vista, we recommend that if you have a choice, you do not buy Vista until it is a more reliable software package.
• Anti-virus software. You MUST install Symantec Anti-Virus software before you connect your laptop to any University network. The University has a site license for Symantec Anti-Virus software so it is available at no charge to all students. Do NOT purchase it with your computer. Please see James Cramer at the Law School for details, initial download, set up and automatic virus definition updates via the UM Law School anti-virus server. If you purchase a recommended laptop through this web site, Symantec Anti-Virus software will be installed on and configured on your computer when you receive it.
• Word processing software. UM law students will need Microsoft Office Professional Suite 2007 which includes PowerPoint software for law school presentations. Microsoft Office Professional Suite 2007 is available from the UM Bookstore for approximately $80 (student discount, with your Griz card). The Law School IT staff will install this software for you if you wish. WordPerfect Office X3 software is also recommended because WordPerfect is used widely by Law School faculty as well as in many courts and law firms. The UM School of Law has a site license for WordPerfect X3 so this software is AVAILABLE AT NO COST to our students. Do NOT purchase WordPerfect X3. See the IT staff for installation of Wordperfect X3.
• Microsoft OneNote 2007. OneNote is a component of the Microsoft Office Suite which is included with Tablet PCs, but is not included with conventional PCs. OneNote is not currently included in the Microsoft Office Suite Professional 2007, but can be purchased from the bookstore for $49.95 (with your Griz card). Several faculty members create and post in-class presentations using OneNote and many students find OneNote to be useful for notetaking and other law school projects.

Warranty

You should purchase a 3- or 4-year no-fault, accidental-damage, next-day warranty. Students cannot do without a laptop for the 3-4 weeks mail-in service may require. If you purchase a 3-year warranty, we recommend you wait to purchase until late July so your warranty will continue through the bar exam. Be aware, however, that if you purchase a non-recommended laptop, the IT staff will not be able to perform the warranty service.