Academics

Library and Information Technology > Computer Recommendations

LIT maintains computing labs on campus for student use.  Many students find it beneficial to have their own computer and printer. To help you with your computer purchasing decisions, we offer the following information:

Internet
Every room in every residence hall is connected to the Internet both via wireless and “wired” access.  Many students prefer the convenience of wireless access, while others like the faster download speeds that come with wired access.  It’s your choice, given the right features on your computer. 

To access the wired network, your computer will need to have a network adapter.  Almost all new computers come with this built in today.  If you do need a network adapter for your computer, ask for a 10/100 Ethernet RJ-45.  The College will provide you with an Ethernet cable free of charge, and there is no charge for your network connection.

To use the wireless network in the residence halls, you may need to purchase a wireless network adapter for your computer although most newer laptops offer wireless networking as a standard feature.  Our wireless network supports all three wireless standards (802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g), but we recommend you buy a card that supports 802.11b and 802.11g because those standards support faster download speeds.

What To Get

Storage Devices
Do not rely on floppy disks for storage.  They can be unreliable and may fail over time resulting in loss of data.  Rather, we recommend that you purchase a computer with a CD-RW drive that can write data to a CD.  Another recommended form of portable storage is the removable “flash” or “jump” drives that plug into a computer’s USB port.   Each student is also provided with storage space on a network server that can be accessed from any computer on our network.  This server is backed up each day and is a very reliable place to store your documents and files.

Software
Anti-virus and Anti-spyware software
You must protect your computer from viruses and malicious spyware.  The most effective way to do this is to install anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer, make sure that this software is being kept up to date, and routinely scan your computer for viruses and spyware.  To make this easier for you, Lake Forest College will supply MacAfee VirusScan, Spybot and Ad-Aware anti-spyware software that you can install on your computer.  This software can be downloaded from our server the first time you connect your computer to the College network.  These programs are set to regularly update your computer so that it is protected from new viruses and spyware.  Students are responsible for keeping their computers free from viruses and software.  LIT staff cannot help students clean up computers that become infected with viruses or spyware if you are not using College-supplied .

Microsoft Office
For Windows users, we suggest buying Microsoft Office 2003 suite, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Mac users will buy Microsoft Office 2004 for Macintosh. Be aware that Microsoft Works, a different program, often comes bundled with many new computers.  Microsoft Word (part of Office) is the preferred word processing program and is what is used in our computer labs.  Students may run into compatibility issues with lab computers when trying to use documents created in Microsoft Works.  Microsoft Office can be purchased at an educational discount through the Lake Forest College Bookstore or online at JourneyEd.com.

Bells & Whistles
Some extra options that you might consider when purchasing a computer:

• USB "Flash" or "Jump" drive  – Carry your computer files around in your pocket.
• Modem – You will not need a modem to access to the College network.
• CD-RW – A great way to back up your data.  Highly recommended.
• Zip Drives – Slightly better than a floppy drive, but not as good as a CD-RW.  Not recommended.
• Speakers – A nice option. You can usually get a good pair for around $25.

Questions
If you have questions, feel free to call the Help Desk at x3456 on campus. From off campus, call 847-234-3100 and ask for the Help Desk.)

We look forward to working with you in the fall!