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.  The College will provide you with an Ethernet cable free of charge, and there is no charge for your network connection.

Our wireless network supports 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g.  We recommend the 802.11b and 802.11g protocols because those standards support faster download speeds.

  
Where To Buy
 
Apple: Apple Store for Education 1-800-800-2775
CDW: http://www.cdwg.com/lfcstudents/ 1-866-243-2041

Storage Devices 

Each student is also provided with storage space on a network server that can be accessed from any computer on the campus network. This server is backed up each day and is a very reliable place to store your documents and files.  We also 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. 

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, and anti-spyware software that you can install on your computer at no charge.  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 personally owned computers free from viruses and software.  LIT staff cannot help students clean up computers that become infected with viruses or spyware if you they are not using College-supplied anti-virus software.

Microsoft Office
For Windows users, we suggest buying Microsoft Office 2007 suite for PCs, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. We recommend that Mac users buy Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh.  Microsoft Word (part of Office) is the preferred word processing program and is what is used in our computer labs.  Microsoft Office can be purchased at an educational discount through the Lake Forest College Bookstore.

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. This is a good way to transport your data from your personally owned computer to lab computers. 
• CD-RW – A great way to back up your data.  Highly 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, extension 3456.)  Also questions may be directed to the Help Desk email account Lithelp@lakeforest.edu.

We look forward to working with you in the fall!