Hardware/Software Check
We recommend computer access from home because it is the most
convenient for online courses. On your home computer, you have the
most control over your computer settings and the required hardware
and software. However, other options for computer use include:
- the computer labs on the Marshall University campuses,
(which are configured to work properly with our online courses),
- computers in public libraries, the workplace, etc., so long
as they meet the requirements below..
If you have any technical questions at all please do not hesitate
to call on our staff at the
Marshall
University Computing Services Help Desk.
Visit the
Computing Services Computing Recommendations page for more
information on personal computing on campus.
To ensure a trouble-free start, before you begin your Vista
course please take the time to check a few things on each computer
you may be using to access your course.
AOL Users please click
here first.
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Required Minimum Hardware |
Recommended/Required
Software |
Operating System, Processor, Memory, Storage
- Windows 2000 (SP4 or above, until July 2006) 1Ghz Pentium or above,
256MB RAM minimum, 1GB available disk space.
- Windows XP (SP2 or above) 1Ghz Pentium or above, 512MB RAM minimum,
1GB available disk space.
- Mac OS 10.3 1.25Ghz G4 or higher, 512MB RAM minimum, 1GB available
disk space
Minimum Recommended Configuration:
- Windows XP (SP2 or above), 1Ghz Pentium III or above, 512MB
RAM, 5GB available disk space
- Macintosh OS 10.3 or above, 1.25Ghz G4 or above, 512MB RAM,
5GB available disk space
Please note that Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows NT, Mac OS 9.x, Mac OS
10.x below 10.3 will not be supported to run your Vista course after July
2005.
Internet Connection
- Modem: 56kb v.90 or v.92 Internet Service Provider Service minimum
- Broadband DSL, Cable Modem, or Satellite Internet Service Preferred
Other Devices
- Printer is recommended
- CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Sound Card/Microphone required for some courses
Screen Resolution
- Screen Resolution: 1024x768 (XGA)
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Software
(plug-ins/ converters/ viewers)
Vista courses use specialized
software to view certain kinds of files, videos, and perform certain tasks.
Your course syllabus will tell you what, if any, plug-ins/ converters/
viewers are needed for your course. Most of these are free.
The Plug-in Check below will tell you whether or not you have the
most commonly required plug-ins on your computer and if not, how to install
them as well as converters/viewers.
Plug-in
Check
A complete list of free software is also available at our
Download
Center. |
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We also
strongly recommend that you protect your home computer with antivirus and
antispyware software, and remove any firewalls that may interfere with the
functions of your course.
Please click these items below for
additional help.
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Computer viruses can damage your computer and ruin your files. We
strongly recommend that you install and run an antivirus program on
your computer. New viruses emerge often so please keep your virus
protection software current by installing upgrades as they become
available. Symantec Antivirus software is available at no
cost to Marshall University students for installation on their
personal computers. An MUNet account username and password is
required. To access and download the software, please click here:
Marshall
University Antivirus Site
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Spyware and Adware refers to programs that surreptitiously
monitor your computer activity. These programs can record your
keystrokes, prevent you from accessing websites, from downloading
and installing programs, and generally can intrude on your online
course experience. Screening programs can help protect your computer
from these intrusions.
If you cannot get to the Vista log on screen, if you experience lots
of popup windows or any other odd browser behavior then you probably
have spyware on your computer.
We recommend running antispyware software regularly to protect your
computer.
Anti-spyware programs available free include
Ad-Aware ,
Spybot, and
Microsoft AntiSpyware.
Here are instructions for downloading and running Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/),
but any of the recommended antispyware programs should help.
- Save it to a drive on your computer (remember where it is being
saved on your computer).
- Close all programs, go to the directory where it was saved and
double click on the downloaded file. This will install the program.
- Go to Start >> Programs >> AdAware 6 and start the program
Before you scan your computer:
- Click on Check For Updates Now.
- Under Select Scan Mode, choose Use custom scanning options.
- Click Customize.
- Insure that all available items are checked.
- Click on the folder to Click here to select drives and folders.
- Choose your hard drive letter.
- Click Proceed.
- Click Next. It will start scanning.
Once it has finished scanning Click Next, right-click on the list
and choose Select All >> Next to remove ALL spyware.
Reboot your computer and try accessing WebCT-Vista again.
Note: You have to run this program manually (usually weekly) to keep
your system clean. It will not detect spyware automatically like an
anti- virus protector.
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Many individuals and companies use firewalls to help protect the
security of their computer systems. These firewalls can restrict
your ability to access your online course. If you are not able to
access your online course, you may have a firewall restriction
issue. Personal firewalls, such as Zone Alarm, Norton Internet
Security, and McAfee Personal Firewall can be configured by the user
to allow access to specified sites. Check your software instructions
for details on how to configure your personal firewall to grant
access to the WebCT server (domain = vista.marshall.edu).
Companies using firewalls may have policies that prohibit
personal use of computers and/or making changes to the firewall
configuration. Contact your company's network support technician to
determine what firewall restrictions are set and if they can be
modified to enable access to WebCT Vista.
Please call our
Computing
Services Help Desk for assistance in determining if you are
being blocked by a firewall.
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