The University of Montana School of Law
Computer Recommendations, Requirements and Support Policies

We are in the process of updating the information on this page and some of the prices may be incorrect. This page will be updated with price and ordering information as soon as we receive details from the vendors.

However, there are a couple things you should keep in mind now:

1. BUY A RECOMMEND LAPTOP.

We strongly recommend that UM law students purchase one the laptop computers we recommend because we offer in-house, factory-authorized hardware warranty service and software support on the models we recommend. We cannot offer these same services for non-recommended laptops.

2. WAIT TO PURCHASE UNTIL FOURTH WEEK IN JULY.

We recommend that incoming law students not take delivery on new laptop computers until the fourth week in July so that the three-year factory warranty will be in force through bar exam. Those who wish to purchase earlier should buy the four year warranty.

For more general information about law school computing, scroll down, or click here.

Three Essential Recommendations 

• Buy a PC, NOT an APPLE
• ExamSoft (software that allows students to take essay exams on their laptop computers) does not support Apple computers at UM School of Law .
• WordPerfect version X3 will not run on Apple computers.
• Apple computers do not allow for easy connections to the law school network for printing and data storage.
• Our IT staff cannot provide either hardware or software support for Apple computers.
• There is no local repair service for Apple laptop computers; all Apple laptops must be shipped to Texas for repair.
• Buy Windows XP Pro, NOT XP Home, NOT XP Media Center Edition
• XP Home & XP Media Center Edition lack network components necessary for maintaining connections to law school network resources (printer and data storage). You will not be happy with the network connectivity that these varieties of Windows XP offer you at this law school. Not Vista
• There will be no Windows Vista updates until 2008. Students using Windows Vista have had serious problems.
• Buy a laptop recommended by the UM School of Law - We support the laptops we recommend in-house. This offers several advantages:
• Students never need to call a foreign support line.
• The law school IT staff makes the determination as to whether replacement parts are required.
• Repairs are usually completed within 24 hours (no need to ship your computer elsewhere for repair).
• All law school recommended computers carry a 3 year on-site, next day service warranty which includes damage caused by the user (no fault). Batteries are usually warranted for one year, but all other repairs under such warranties are at no cost so long as you are in law school (3 years from date of purchase). Students should expect to purchase a new battery half way through law school.

General Hardware Recommendations

In general we recommend computers that meet the following specifications:

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional Only (NOT Home or Media Center Edition or Vista) 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.
• 2 GB of RAM (Computers purchased this year should be ready to run the new Vista operating system next year)
• 3 to 4 year on-site, next-day service warranty with "complete care" (no fault warranty) - Students cannot do without a laptop for the 3-4 weeks mail-in service may require . (Note: If you purchase in late July your warranty will continue through your bar exam).
• Ethernet card, 10/100, RJ45 jack
• Required for network access at the law school
• Required for DSL connections at home
• Modem - Necessary only if you want telephone dial-up Internet access.
• Wireless card - Built-in wireless adapter. Wireless access is expanding rapidly at UM. It is currently available throughout the Law School , in the University Center , the Liberal Arts Building and the Mansfield Library .
• 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 - Not Recommended - Floppy disks are an inherently unreliable medium. Floppy drives are no longer necessary for law students. We recommend purchasing an external USB or 'pen' drive instead of a floppy drive (minimum 1 GB).
• Supplemental data storage - USB drives are now inexpensive and recommended as external storage devices. Many students carry these "thumb" drives in their pockets. Drives that hold 512MB (equal to 350 floppy disks) should be available for less than $40 .
• Anti-virus software - The University has a site license for Symantec Anti-Virus software so it is available at no charge to all students. Purchasing it with your computer is not necessary . 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 your system 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 2003 which includes PowerPoint software for law school presentations. However, WordPerfect Office X3 software is also recommended as well 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. Therefore, UM law students should not purchase WordPerfect software. Students should go to room 183 or 184 in the Jameson Library for help with software installation. The Microsoft Office Suite is available for about $80. through The UM Bookstore with your student discount (bring your GRIZ card). Please take advantage of your student discount and do not purchase the MS Office Suite through computer vendors at a cost of $200. The Law School IT staff will install this software for you if you wish.
• OneNote Software - OneNote is a component of the Microsoft Office Suite which is included with Tablet PCs, but not included with conventional PCs. OneNote is not currently included in the Microsoft Office Suite Professional 2003, but must be purchased separately for $49.95. Some law faculty use OneNote to create notes in class and to post class notes to web pages. Many UM law students find OneNote a useful tool for collaborative editing. This system allows several users to share documents and allows all members of a session to edit a single document simultaneously while communicating over the wireless network. We strongly recommend that you purchase OneNote software.
• Music storage - We r ecommended against storing large quantities of music on the laptop computer you depend upon for law school use. Doing so will slow your computer's response time and make it more difficult and time consuming to recover from a system failure. Law school technical staff does not have time to recover voluminous music files from crashed systems. If you plan to accumulate a substantial music library we recommend that you purchase one of the Apple iPods to accommodate stored music or store your music files on a CD or DVD. UM School of Law podcasts may be accessed using any laptop computer; iPods are the best choice for portable access to UM Law Podcasts.

1. Traditional PCs - quite adequate for law school needs - Toshiba M9, Toshiba R500, Thinkpad R-61.
   
   
2. Tablet PCs - more expensive, but you can write on the screen - Toshiba M400, Thinkpad X-61

Tablet PCs - An Emerging Technology

The UM School of Law is in the process of evaluating the value to students of tablet PCs in the law school environment. Some law school faculty already use tablet PCs in lieu of white boards in classroom instruction. Tablet PCs also have potential for use in conjunction with collaborative classroom technologies that allow faculty to broadcast content to student's laptop computers. Tablet PCs allow users to use a stylus to write text or draw directly on the screen in their own handwriting in such applications as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Outlook, to highlight text in the color of their choice and to capture handwritten notes to typed text and search handwritten text (using Microsoft OneNote).

Tablet PCs also allow users to share handwritten documents with other PC users regardless of whether they have a Tablet PC. While there are yet no law-specific tablet-based systems available, these will surely come and tablets are already useful for client interviews, depositions, negotiations and closings and especially at trial and in other situations where typing would not be allowed. It is entirely possible that during the three years you are in law school Tablet PCs will become much more important tools than they are today. A Tablet PC still costs more than a comparable conventional computer and at this point they are not required for law students; but most people find them intriguing and increasingly useful. Law students should determine for themselves whether Tablet PC technology is something they wish to invest in at this time.

Recommended Software

• Symantec Antivirus Corporate 10.0 - Required - Free to students, UM site license
• WordPerfect X3 - Required - Free to students under UM site license
• Microsoft Office 2003 - Necessary -- $80. at UM Bookstore with Grizcard
• Microsoft OneNote - Strongly recommended -- $50. at UM Bookstore

Delivery of Laptops:

If you purchase any of the laptops we recommend these will be sent to the UM School of Law (no shipping cost). We will set up these machines and configure them for law school use. We are happy to hold them until you arrive. When you do pick up your computer we would like to spend 30 to 45 minutes with you acquainting you with the UM IT environment and with your new computer.

Law School Computing In Context:  

• Laptop computers are not required for law students, but all members of the class of 2008 own one and took their end of semester essay exams on one. We strongly encourage law students to utilize this most important tool.
• Laptop computers are particularly useful in this law school because they can be used for taking notes in class, preparing assignments, doing research at home and at school, for taking exams and for accessing Blackboard for on-line course materials on reserve including streaming audio and video lectures.
• The law school technical staff offers full support for DELL D620 laptop computers and TOSHIBA Tecra A6, Tecra M7 and Portege M400 laptop computers configured in a way that is consistent with minimums specified on this page. We offer only limited support for other models of Windows XP Professional computers. We do not support Apple computers at all.
• Computer hardware technology presently doubles in functionality about every six months. Consequently, computer equipment can become outdated (unsupported and difficult to use) after about three years.
• Computer viruses that can completely disable individual computers and even entire networks now circulate freely. Therefore continuously updated Norton Anti-Virus software (free to UM students) is required for all computers that connect to the University network. University of Montana network access is necessary in order to print from personal computers at the law school, to access shared storage on law school servers, and for wireless or LAN access to Westlaw, Lexis/Nexis or other Internet sites from campus.
• Users should be aware that University of Montana computers are subject to the security, monitoring and appropriate-use policies specified by the Montana Board of Regents. These policies are located at: http://www.montana.edu/wochelp/borpol/bor1300/bor1300.htm Unauthorized use is a violation of 45-6-311, MCA and Montana University System policies. By continuing to use University of Montana systems, users are deemed to have indicated their awareness of and consent to these terms and conditions of use.
• CONTACT: LawIT@Umontana.Edu for further information concerning computer use at the UM School of Law or feel free to call James Cramer during business hours at 406-243-5584.

Computer Purchase Recommendations
We strongly recommend that you purchase either the DELL D620 laptop OR the TOSHIBA Tecra A6 OR the TOSHIBA Tecra M7 OR the Toshiba Portege M400 T ablet PCs configured according to the minimum options offered when purchased through this site. We offer full support only for these models.

Full Support Includes Software Installation - When you purchase one of the recommended computers the law school technical staff will pre-configure your computer with all recommended application software and updates (MS Office, OneNote, WordPerfect, Symantec Antivirus, etc.). We will also install software required for wireless connectivity at the law school as well as drivers and utilities you will need for your course work. In addition we will include all of the Internet bookmarks (favorites) you will need for legal research and for access to all other law school resources.

Taking Exams on Computer

Students who wish to use laptop computers to take exams are required to use SofTest software. The minimum hardware and software requirements for utilizing this software can be found at http://www.examsoft.com/faq . To determine the current minimum requirements, click on the question, "What are the minimum system requirements?" Students are provided instruction in the use of SofTest software before the first exam period. Note that SofTest is not available for use with Apple computers and the UM School of Law.

Student Email Accounts

Student Email Accounts are automatically created for all students at The University of Montana School of Law. All Official University of Montana communication will be sent to the student's official University email account and not to their Hotmail, Yahoo or other private email accounts. It is therefore necessary for students to check the email that appears in their student account on a regular basis. Students should know the following about their student email accounts

• Form of Account Names:
  Account names are in the form: "FL000000@mso.umt.edu" Where "F" represents the first initial, "L" represents last initial and "000000" represents a randomly generated six digit number. Thus, Joan Smith's email address might be: "js907502@mso.umt.edu".
• Email Alias:
  Each student account carries an alias that "points to that account". The alias is in the form: firstname.lastname@umontana.edu. This means that if a friend writes to you at: "Joan.Smith@umontana.edu" you will receive the message. However, you will also receive the message if the friend writes to you at: "js907502@ grizmail.umt.edu"
• Logging In:
  It is not possible to log into a student account via a umontana alias. The login name for your University email account is the one that is a combination of letters and numbers. Joan Smith would be successful with the login name: js907502 but would not be able to log into her account with the login name: Joan.Smith.
• Finding Your Email Account Name:
  To find your email account name go to your Cyberbear account ( http://www.umt.edu/cyberbear ). The initial login for Cyberbear is: student ID number (no dashes). The initial password (until you change it) is: your six digit birth date (no forward slashes [ / ] ). Example: 082181. Once you are in Cyberbear go to "Personal Information", then "View Email Accounts". Your email address will be displayed here.
• Web Email Access:
  To log into your email account via the World Wide Web, go to http://grizmail.umt.edu or go to http://www.umt.edu , click on the Student Email link and enter your login name preceded by missoula\ (missoula\js907502) and then your password at the prompt.

Blackboard

Blackboard is the courseware provided by the University of Montana . Blackboard class pages are available for all Law School classes. Materials placed on reserve for any law school class will appear on the Blackboard web page for that class. When students log in to Blackboard they will see a link to every class they are registered in for the current semester and will also see links to other Blackboard pages that offer additional law school resources (IT support, General Reserve Materials, Career Services, Student Organizations, etc.) Blackboard pages will begin to be available to new students no later than August 15, 2006.

Logging in to Blackboard:
Students log into Blackboard using their UM Student Email account name: "FL000000". Your initial Blackboard password will be the last six digits of your GRIZ card number (no dashes), ex: 123456. To reach UM School of Law Blackboard pages go to: http://courseware.law.umt.edu

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Wireless Access

Connecting to the University of Montana Wireless network requires installation of the Cisco VPN client and the UM Wireless profile. If you purchase your system through this web site, this software and other utilities necessary for UM law students will already be installed when you receive your computer.

• Logging in to Wireless Access Points:
  Students log into Wireless Access Points using their UM Student Email account name, ex: "FL000000". Your wireless access password will always be the same as your student email password (last 6 digits of your Grizcard number). Ex: 790 334567

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Computer Support Policies

The University of Montana School of Law has a small technical staff. In order to provide the highest level of support to our students, faculty, and staff we restrict support to exclude equipment that is outdated, thus enabling us to focus our efforts on technology used by the majority.

Computer Support at The University of Montana Law School includes full support for DELL D505, D600, D610 and D620, Toshiba Tecra A6, Tecra M7, Toshiba Portege M400 PCs purchased in accordance with the minimum options offered when purchased through this page. This includes in house warranty repairs for DELL and Toshiba laptop computers. Support for systems other than these systems is necessarily more limited. Generally, computer support is limited to:

• One laptop computer owned/used by students currently enrolled in the UM School of Law, but not:
• Additional computers owned by UM law students
• Computers owned by friends or relatives of enrolled students
• Computer peripherals such as printers, scanners, iPods, etc.
• PCs running the Windows XP Professional operating system (NOT XP Home or Media Center Edition)
• WordPerfect Suite 12 , WordPerfect Suite X3
• Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Suite including OneNote
• For pre-Windows XP computers, recovery of data only
• Diagnosis and repair of minor laptop computer hardware problems. This would include such things as:
• Installation of memory upgrades
• Installation of new hard drives
• Installation of new network cards, and modems
• Configuration of existing hardware
• Installation of software so long as original software disks or proof of license are presented.

The UM School of Law IT staff does not support Apple / Macintosh computers. Students seeking support for equipment or operating systems not supported by law school technical staff should contact IT Central in Social Science 120 (243-HELP).

IT Central, however, is not equipped to perform hardware repairs of laptop computers and will undertake only limited repairs of desktop computers. Computers that are under warranty should be serviced by factory authorized service personnel, while others should be taken to a local repair shop.