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Computer Specifications

D’Youville College provides students, faculty and staff access to DYCnet resources and the Internet through high-speed LAN connections, as well as limited VPN remote access. Students living in the dorms connect directly to DYCnet using a network card. Wireless access to the Internet is available is several common areas on campus including: the college center, library, Madonna lounge and the commuter lounge by Classifieds in the basement of the ALT building.

The college does not require students to purchase a computer. However, for network integrity and support purposes we require that all computers brought on campus meet the hardware specifications and software requirements.

Hardware Specifications

At a minimum, your PC should be able to run the Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista operating systems, Microsoft Office 2000, XP, 2003, or 2007 Professional, Internet Explorer 6 web browser, and anti-virus software. A CD-ROM drive that enables you to read a CD is sufficient, but a CD-RW drive, or one that can both read and write a CD, is recommended. A DVD burner is common in most new machines, but ensuring you have a CD-RW drive that reads DVDs is highly recommended.

If you are living on campus, your computer should have an approved high-speed network interface card or integrated network interface capable of accessing DYCnet on a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet network connection. If you are living off campus, you should have a cable or DSL connection to access campus resources.

These specifications are the minimum required to connect to DYCnet:

PC - base system

  • Intel Pentium IV or equivalent, 1.6 GHz
  • 1024 MB RAM
  • Windows XP or Windows Vista Home Premium operating system
  • Video memory: at least 64 MB, 256 MB or more suggested
  • 80 GB hard drive

MAC - base system

  • PowerPC G3 500 MHz or higher
  • 256MB RAM
  • OSX 10.2.8 or higher (OS 9 is no longer supported)
  • 20 GB hard drive

Additional required components for base system

  • CD-ROM (DVD or CDRW is recommended)
  • 100 Base-T Ethernet or equivalent wireless card
  • Monitor
  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
  • USB memory stick ("thumb drive"), 512 MB recommended
Recommended components
  • 3.5 floppy disk drive
  • 2 USB I/O Ports
  • Integrated sound or sound card with speakers/headphones

You can significantly improve the performance of your computer and increase its useful life by configuring it at a higher level. The best value added upgrades are additional memory, a faster processor and larger hard drive. Contact your computer sales representative directly for upgrade pricing. Remember to plan for the future and buy not what is needed today, but what might be needed to keep your machine for at least three years.

What if my current PC doesn't meet these requirements?

Although you may be able to get your system to work on DYCnet with less than the required specifications, the Help Desk staff will not troubleshoot or support systems with less than the minimum requirements due to troubleshooting time and staffing constraints. These specifications are based on what is readily available and supported today in higher education within the past 3 years.

The Help Desk staff is limited and will work on student machines as a courtesy to students if time permits but can not guarantee immediate service.

Software Requirements

In addition to the hardware requirements, students looking to connect their computers to DYCnet must ensure that their systems have up-to-date service packs and security patches for their operating system.

Run Windows Update at least twice a month to ensure that your system is updated. You must also have up-to-date antivirus software (Norton, Trend or McAfee are recommended) installed and active on your computer with virus definitions updated at least weekly. We also recommend the following free anti-spyware applications: Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Students in the dorm rooms will need to have (a) all critical windows updates done and (b) a valid anti-virus program with all updates done in order to access the Internet. A program, CISCO Clean Access, will need to be downloaded the first time a student connects via Ethernet cable and will scan the student machine to verify all updates are current. Students will need a DYC email ID and password in order to login to the system.

The purpose of keeping your system current with Windows Updates is to ensure it cannot be hacked. The anti-virus software also ensures some protection against viruses so that your machine runs smoothly. One infected machine can mean little or no connectivity for all students so our procedure is for your benefit.

If you connect your computer to DYCnet and use any P2P program that results in a network slowdown/shutdown, disciplinary action will be taken. Programs such as Skype will also cause extreme network slowdown and prevent other students from gaining Internet access. The seriousness of this issue cannot be overstated since failing to adhere to this policy has the potential for adversely affecting all DYCnet users. P2P file sharing programs can utilize network bandwidth and prevent other users from gaining Internet access. It is for this reason, along with the legal issues assoctiated with downloading materials that are copyright protected, that we limit/prevent p2p programs. Remember that music and movies that you do not own a legal copy of may not be legally downloaded without being purchased.

updated 6/7/2007