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What is the Recommendation?
The Gunnery has put together specifications for a laptop. The
specifications are intended to allow a student to work easily on The Gunnery
network.
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Windows XP sp3(professional not home) or Vista sp1 (Business not home) - English Language Version (Tablet PCs
are acceptable also). Vista Business (not home) - English Edition.
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MS Office
- 1 GB ram (min) and 40 GB or greater hard drive
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3 year warranty
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CD or DVD drive
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Wireless Network card for connecting to The Gunnery's
network. Most
laptops have this built in.
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Up to date
anti-virus. The Gunnery will supply Microsoft Forefront to matriculated
students who need it.
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Be sure to bring the installation disks that came with the computer. This
may be the only way to fix a machine that gets infected.
You may want to consider a built in Ethernet port. Though you cannot use
wired connections on The Gunnery's campus, many other places may require it
(like colleges). Getting one ensures compatibility wherever you go.
Macs are not supported.
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What brand should I buy?
The Gunnery has had good luck working with IBM and Dell systems. We
recommend getting a name brand and a good warranty. Macintosh systems should not be
brought to campus.
What support does The Gunnery offer?
The Gunnery does not have the staff to support student owned machines. We
will help students get their English XP/Vista laptops connected to our network using a wireless
network card (assuming no hardware/software conflicts exist making it
impossible to get the card working). We will also give help where we can
- but we cannot guarantee any level of support. We will not go to student
rooms. We suggest all students bring any disks and documentation that
came with their system.
What if I own a desktop computer?
If you already own a desktop, then you are welcome to use it on campus.
However, you will not have any technical support options through the school. In
order to be compatible with school systems it should have:
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Windows XP professional or Vista Business
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Office 2007
Wireless antenna's for desktop systems do not tend to be as sensitive as
the laptop cards. Therefore, desktops may not be able
to get connected to The Gunnery network in areas that laptops can.
There is no solution for this.
If I don’t have a computer, are there public stations available?
The Gunnery currently maintains a state of the art Computer Science Lab and
Writing Lab. Further, the Library has 15 computers for student use.
There are also many computer stations in the Art, Science, and Math
departments. However, many students find it easier to use their own
laptops.
What about theft, fire, or accidental damage?
The warranty on most systems does not cover theft or fire damage.
Likewise, accidental damage from such things as dropping the laptop or breaking
the screen are not covered. You should check with your insurance company
about what is and is not covered. There are many insurance programs you
can buy into if you would like further protection.
Further Comments and questions?
The Gunnery is interested in your thoughts. We want to work in
partnership with Gunnery families. If you have specific questions you may
contact BJ Daniels (the Director of Technology) at
danielsb@gunnery.org or (860)-868-7334. |
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