This page was written for new Rutgers students and their parents. However it should be useful to anyone who wants to buy a computer for use at Rutgers.

It will start with a basic discussion of types of computer to get, and then give more specific guidance on configurations for the main types of computer.

Do I Need a Computer?

Rutgers does not require all students to own a computer. There are labs on all campuses with computers available to all students. However the majority of students do now have computers, either at home or in their residence hall.

Note however that certain colleges or schools within Rutgers may require students to own a computer (typically a laptop). If the college or school to which you were admitted requires this, you will be notified in one of the packets of material you are sent.

Laptop or desktop?

Most students at Rutgers are using desktop computers. However there are certainly laptops in use, and we expect use to increase over the next few years.

A few programs require laptops, e.g. the Newark law school and the Graduate School of Management (both Newark and New Brunswick). You should be notified of such a requirement in the material you get from the school which you will be attending.

If you get a laptop, we recommend also getting a wireless interface card. The areas that expect students to have laptops are normally installing wireless networking.

We also recommend getting a security device. Laptops are very commonly stolen, even from residence halls.

Operating system

The overwhelming majority of students use Microsoft Windows. However there is also support for Macintoshes, and limited support for Linux and Solaris. (However we would not recommend Solaris for students.)

In the residence halls, the only real requirement is that your computer have an appropriate Ethernet card, and software that properly implements the standard TCP/IP network protocols. However if you use anything other than Windows, Macintosh or Linux, you will not be able to get much help from Rutgers staff in connecting your system or dealing with problems.

Which type of system to use depends to some extent upon the discipline you are in, and to some extent on your own preferences. Macintoshes are often used in the fine arts and humanities, although Windows systems will work for those disciplines (and there are Mac users elsewhere as well). Linux would be a good choice for a student who wants to learn or experiment with computer technology at an advanced level. In general we recommend that you consult with faculty and other students in the discipline in which you are interested.

Wireless support

Wireless support at Rutgers is currently limited. Installations are currently in departments whose faculty or students use laptops heavily, and in public areas such as student centers and some libraries.

We are currently using IEEE 802.11b wireless networking. You should look for wireless interface cards supporting Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is a trade name referring to IEEE 802.11b compliance, plus some additional compatibility testing.

Be aware that in many installations you will need to login in order to use the wireless facilities.

Specific system recommendations

• Windows: We recommend Windows XP for all new systems. Windows 98 is no longer fully supported by Microsoft. We believe We believe users currently using 98 should upgrade. Users of Windows 2000 should be considering upgrades in the next year or so.
• Macintosh: We recommend OS X 10.2 or 10.3 for all new systems. OS 9 is still in use at Rutgers. However we are finding it difficult to support some types of network functionality. Apple's support is winding down. Thus we believe users should be planning to move to OS X, if they haven't already done so. OS X 10.0 and 10.1 should be thought of transitional systems: If you have one of them, you will certainly want to upgrade to 10.2 or 10.3.
• Because of the number of distibutions, this document isn't making specific recommendations for Linux.
• In many ways memory and disk are more important than CPU speed. For Windows 98 and OS 9, the minimum memory we recommend is 128 MB. For XP and OS X we recommend at least 256 MB. Some users report better results with 512 MB or more; this depends upon how many programs you run at once and how big they are.
• When you are buying a computer, also look at the disk. New systems should all have 7200 RPM disks. Make sure that your vendor doesn't shortchange you on disk or memory in order to put in the most impressive possible processor.
• Any new system you buy will have at least a 1.5 GHz processor (1 GHz for Macintoshes). However a 450 MHz Pentium II will work for Windows XP, as long as you have enough memory and a reasonably fast disk (preferably two -- XP will behave better if you configure page files on two disks).
• CD drive, with CD writers a good idea in new systems
• Many systems in the student labs have ZIP drives, particularly in New Brunswick/Piscataway. However new systems are being purchased without them. Most students are now using writable CD's to transfer files between their own systems and the labs.
• For residence hall systems, if you want to take advantage of the Rutgers network you will need an Ethernet card (10baseT or 10/100baseT). You can get more specific information about systems for the residence halls at the Residential Networking web page.
• For home systems, if you want to access Rutgers you will want a modem, cable modem or a DSL connection. If you live within the local calling area of Rutgers (Camden, Newark or New Brunswick), you can use a Rutgers modem. Otherwise you should investigate a commercial Internet Service Provider. If you are going to do significant Internet work, we suggest looking into a cable modem or DSL, if they are provided by your cable vendor or phone company.
• Distribution CDs: When you buy a computer, make sure that you get CDs (or DVDs) with all the software that came installed on it. There are situations when you need to reinstall all software. If you don't have all the software on CD, you will be stuck. A few system manufacturers don't bother, or make you order them as separate items. If it is an extra cost option, make sure you get it.
• Anti-virus software: All computers at Rutgers are required to have anti-virus software. We strongly recommend using the Rutgers Antivirus Delivery Service (RADS). This service is based on McAfee software. It is free for Rutgers users. If you choose to use your own AV software, make sure that you get regular updates of the virus description files ("DAT files"). Many computers come with free AV software, but with updates only for a limited time.
• Other security precautions: Systems at Rutgers are under constant attack by Internet vandals of one kind or another. These vandals take advantage of "bugs" in software. New bugs are being found every day. Thus it is important for you to keep your software up to date. For our recommendations on doing this, please see http://netsecurity.rutgers.edu for Windows systems, and http://rusecure.rutgers.edu for other information.

For more information about getting connected (i.e. Ethernet in the residence halls, modems, etc) see Getting Connected. This includes information for home users, including how to find dialup and DSL providers.

Where To Buy

Bring your CDs

Backup

The most common approach is to save important files, i.e. your documents. You should have some device to which you can copy files. A 250 MB ZIP drive is probably the minimum. A larger (but slower) device is a writable CD.

If you want to be able to do a complete backup of your system, you will need a tape drive or a removeable disk. Unfortunately the sizes of disks are growing faster than the sizes of tape drives. Thus the most practical device is probably an external disk. You can now get a disk that's as big as the one in your computer for a few hundred dollars. If you do this, make sure that you have the right hardware to connect it. External disks normally use either Firewire or USB 2. Only a few vendors (most notably Apple and Compaq) include Firewire ports. USB 2 is only on fairly new systems. (The older USB will be very slow with a disk.) You'll also need appropriate backup software.

The most important thing is to get something you'll actually use. That's why we don't recommend backing up your whole disk to ZIP or a small tape drive: changing disks or tapes is enough of a pain that you won't really do it. It's much better to get into the habit of copying your key files to ZIP, CD or to your account on a Rutgers computer than to have a tape drive you won't use.

How to set up a system

A Note to Rutgers institutional users

The primary difference are

• Consistency in parts
• Long-term supportability

Home systems are designed to be competitive. This means that vendors are under heavy pressure to include the newest and fastest chips and peripherals. Unfortunately this means that the products change quite often. If you are in a large department, you don't want every machine different.

There are also differences in support. Generally vendors do not guarantee that home systems can be upgraded to newer versions of Windows. They typically can be upgraded, but you may need to find device drivers, and in some cases some proprietary features (e.g. special keys on the keyboard) may not work.

It is also common that vendors will not guarantee network support for home systems. That doesn't mean that the Ethernet cards won't work. Rather, if there are compatibility issues with Microsoft or Novell networking, the vendor may not take end to end responsibility for fixing the problem.