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Optional Laptop Program for Students
Frequently Asked Questions
I am interested in purchasing a laptop through the UMB School of Nursing Student laptop program. What do I need to do?
Go to the special Dell/SON Premier web page (www.dell.com/nursingumb) and click on “Start Shopping” under School of Nursing Bundle section to place your order and purchase the laptop. You will need your UMB Student ID Number to place an order.
I have received my new Dell laptop, but it was damaged in shipping or there are items missing from the order. What should I do?
If your order is damaged or incomplete, please contact Dell Customer Service (1-800-695-8133 ext 7235430). You will need to have your Dell order number available for them.
I’ve received my new Dell laptop in good condition. What should I do now?
While waiting for your laptop to be delivered, you should purchase Symantec Antivirus and Microsoft Office 2007 software. These two software packages are available from the University of Maryland, Baltimore at a cost of $110.00 (Symantec Antivirus $30.00, Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise $80.00). To purchase Symantec Antivirus and Microsoft Office 2007 software, you must visit the front desk at the University of Maryland, Baltimore HS/HSL Library at 601 West Lombard Street.You will need to bring your UMB student ID with you. Payment can be made by cash, personal check or credit card. You will also need to sign a software license agreement. If you are a distance-learning student that does not come on campus, you can purchase the software by mail. Additional details about the discounted software can be found on the CITS web site www.umaryland.edu/cits/software/student/Getting_software.
After you have unpacked the laptop and the AC power adapter, plug the power adapter into the laptop and the wall. This will allow you to power on the computer and also begin charging your battery.
Press the power button on your laptop to turn it on. You will be prompted through the setup of Windows XP. After setting up Windows XP, you should also install your Symantec Antivirus software, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft patches and security fixes, and all other software detailed in the document nursing.umaryland.edu/resources/laptop/setup.htm.
Also, to ensure extra security, you should now create a user account for yourself using the "User Accounts" icon in the Control Panel. This new account should be created as a "Limited" account type. If you log on using a limited account for normal daily use, you will help prevent potentially harmful applications (spyware, malware, etc.) from being installed on your laptop. You can log on with the account created during Windows setup whenever you need to install Microsoft operating system updates or security updates, new applications, etc.
At this time, you should also change the password of the original user account and the local administrator account. These passwords should be written down and stored in a safe place that you will easily remember when you need to use it.
What is the warranty period of my UMB Dell laptop?
Your new Dell laptop has a four-year warranty from the date of purchase. This warranty covers any hardware failures or any physical damage sustained to your laptop.
My UMB Dell laptop seems to have a hardware problem. Who should I call?
Dell Technical Support can be reached at 1-800-695-8133 option 3. Be sure to have your Service Tag Number (Serial Number) available for them to assist you.
What software comes installed on my new UMB Dell laptop?
Your laptop comes with Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 installed.
It is recommended that you install the following software:
- Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 (available for $80 from the HS/HSL Library)
- Symantec Antivirus v10.1.5 Corporate Edition (available for $30 from the HS/HSL Library)
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (available for free download)
- Adobe Flash Player (available for free download)
- Adobe Shockwave Player (available for free download)
- Apple QuickTime Player (available for free download)
- Sun Java (available for free download)
- Real Player (available for free download)
Please tell me how to purchase the Symantec Antivirus v10.1.5 and Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 software.
While waiting for your laptop to be delivered, you should purchase Symantec Antivirus and Microsoft Office 2007 software. These two software packages are available from the University of Maryland, Baltimore at a cost of $110.00 (Symantec Antivirus $30.00, Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise $80.00). To purchase Symantec Antivirus and Microsoft Office 2007 software, you must visit the front desk at the University of Maryland, Baltimore HS/HSL Library at 601 West Lombard Street. You will need to bring your UMB student ID with you. Payment can be made by cash, personal check or credit card. You will also need to sign a software license agreement. If you are a distance-learning student that does not come on campus, you can purchase the software by mail. Additional details about the discounted software can be found on the CITS web site www.umaryland.edu/cits/software/student/Getting_software.
Can students that do not purchase the discounted Dell laptop or that already have a computer purchase discounted software?
Discounted software is also available for students that do not purchase the laptop through the UMB School of Nursing student laptop program or that already have a computer. This software is available at the circulation counter of the HS/HSL. Details about the discounted software can be found on the CITS web site www.umaryland.edu/cits/software/student/Getting_software.
Are patches and fixes from Microsoft automatically installed on my UMB Dell laptop?
During the initial setup of Windows XP, you should configure Windows to automatically check for and if necessary, install updates from Microsoft for both Windows XP and Microsoft Office.
What about annual subscriptions for virus definition updates?
The Symantec Antivirus software is configured to download and install the latest virus definition updates weekly. The Symantec Antivirus available from the HS/HSL Library is the “Corporate” edition and you will not need to renew an annual subscription to receive definition updates.
I don’t want to lose my files. How do I make sure that my data is safe?
Backing up your files is very important. Under most circumstances, your files are by default saved to your “My Documents” folder. You will occasionally want to save these files to another form of storage.
Your new laptop comes equipped with a CD/DVD burner, and the necessary burning software (Roxio Easy CD Creator). You can archive your files to either blank CDs (up to 700MB each) or blank DVDs (typically up to 4.7GB, but available up to 8.5GB each).
You can also use external hard drives, or a flash (thumb) drive. Both are available in various capacities.
How do I connect to a wireless network?
When you are within range of a wireless network, your laptop will detect it. Double click the wireless network icon in your system tray (lower right corner, near the clock). A list of wireless networks that are available will be shown. Select the network that you wish to use and click on ‘Connect’. Some networks will require that that you enter a user name and password.
What do I do if my laptop becomes infected with spyware or viruses?
By using a ‘Limited’ user account for your everyday computing, you should be able to greatly reduce the chance of your laptop becoming infected with spyware. If your computer does become infected, the first step you should take is to run a complete system scan with Symantec Antivirus. It will detect almost all viruses and most spyware. Other excellent anti-spyware programs are available, including Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition, Safer Networking Spybot and Microsoft Defender. All three of these programs are available for free from the web site www.download.com.
Occasionally, computers become so badly infected that the only sure way to remove all of the offending software, is to return it to its original configuration. Your UMB Dell laptop comes with a “Restore” DVD that can be used to erase everything on your hard drive and reinstall only the software that was on your laptop when you received it from Dell. This is a ‘last resort’ option. Please be sure to back up all of your data before performing this operation. After restoring your system from DVD, you will need to reinstall Symantec Antivirus, Microsoft Office 2007, Adobe Flash/Shockwave/QuickTime players, Sun Java, Real Player, as well as any other programs that you may have installed. You will also need to restore any data that you backed up before you restored your laptop.
I am having problems with my laptop, but I did not purchase it through the UMB School of Nursing Student Laptop program. Can you help me with my problem?
The School of Nursing IT department can provide basic support for laptops purchased through the UMB School of Nursing Student Laptop Program that have the recommended Symantec Antivirus and Microsoft Office 2007 software. Unfortunately we are unable to provide support for any computer not purchased through the student laptop program, or for laptops purchased through the student laptop program that do not have the recommended Symantec Antivirus and Microsoft Office software.