Below are some recommendations to consider when choosing a computer to bring to campus:

• The Technology Services department will provide limited telephone-based technical support to students with personal computers in the residence halls. However, support can only be offered if the computer meets the minimum specifications listed below. We may be able to provide support for operating systems other than those listed, but the department officially supports only those listed.
• In order to connect to the campus network, each computer must have a 10BASE-T or 10/100BASE-T network interface card. This card, when connected to the campus network, will provide access to a large number of network resources, as well as access to the Internet. (NOTE: We cannot and do not allow students to access the Internet from Residence Halls via a modem connection. The campus Internet link is substantially faster than that available through a modem, and the costs to maintain a phone system large enough to support multiple modem connections in addition to our normal voice call volume is prohibitive.) In some areas, we also provide 802.11b (or 802.11b/g) wireless network access.
• Students are responsible to provide a network cable to connect their computer to the network port. These cables are available from many local stores in addition to being sold in the Crown College bookstore. Students leasing a laptop from the college will be provided with a network cable as part of their lease.
• In a large residential network, antivirus software is now a necessity. Viruses can spread quickly between computers in the ResNet. All students will be required to own and maintain a working antivirus program on their computers. We provide antivirus software to our students. See the software licensing page for more information.

Minimum Specifications

For Microsoft Windows XP  (Home, Pro, or MCE):

• Service pack 2 & patches installed
• 500 Mhz+ Processor
• 256 MB Ram  (512MB Recommended)
• 20 GB Hard Drive
• CD-ROM
• CD-R drive or USB flash drive recommended

For Microsoft Windows Vista (any Version):

• Current patches installed
• 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 512 MB Ram (1GB recommended)
• 40 GB Hard Drive
• DVD-ROM drive
• DirectX 9 Compatable Graphics Driver/Hardware

For Apple OS X:

• Anything that runs Apple OS X...

Every student at Crown is given an email account. The username and password is issued to each student when they register for courses.

The email address for each student is structured as follows:

[lastname][first initial][middle initial][entrance year]@crown.edu

Example: If a given student’s name is George John Doe and their entrance year is 2008 then the email address would be doegj08@crown.edu.

Crown College licenses a number of software applications for use by our Students. Some are available only while a current student. Others are licensed in such a way that after graduating from Crown College, the license becomes perpetual and the student is allowed to retain the program indefinitely.

• Microsoft Office Professional: The full version of Microsoft Office Professional is licensed for student use. Both the PC and Macintosh editions are covered by this license. Students are allowed to install one copy of the program on their own computer. If a student is leasing a laptop from the Technology Services department, that laptop will be pre-installed with the most recent version of Microsoft Office Professional. This application suite includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher (depending on the version of the suite)
  
  Upon graduation, Microsoft grants us permission to print a perpetual license agreement for graduates of Crown College, giving permission to continue using the software after leaving the College.

• Symantec Antivirus: Crown College provides Symantec Corporate Antivirus for all students to help curtail the spread of viruses in the student network.
  
  This software is licensed only to current students, so once a student leaves Crown, they must remove the software. But, for the time it’s available, it’s an awesome product, providing a great level of protection from viruses.
  
  The product is available for installation from a secure website. See the Computer Checkup page for instructions.

Crown provides high-speed access to the Internet. The Internet is available from any part of the Crown College network – from dorms, labs, classrooms, and offices, as well as over the wireless network where it is available.

Because this connection must be shared by a large community, some restrictions must be instated to maintain the usefulness of the connection:

• Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking is strongly discouraged. The downloading of copyrighted materials (such as music and movies) without permission is theft and Crown College does not condone or accept such activities. Peer-to-peer networking also tends to severely tax the networks it runs over; to prevent problems, the Technology Services department regulates the types of traffic that travels through our Internet link, and peer-to-peer network traffic is severely limited.
• Crown College Technology Services utilizes a product to monitor and filter access to pornographic and adult-content sites. The pornography industry is thriving in the new Internet economy. Often, adult sites are disguised to "trap" Internet users who inadvertently click on a seemingly innocuous link or mistype a URL. The filtering product protects our community from these adult-industry tricks. Crown College recognizes that pornography can also be a dangerous trap. The filter provides a measure of accountability as well, by logging Internet activity.
• Streaming audio and video can be very bandwidth intensive. We ask that students be courteous and mindful of the fact that the Crown College Internet connection is a shared resource and therefore to make responsible use of these technologies.

Crown College is currently in the process of greatly expanding our wireless network. We’re beginning with public areas (like the student center and lobby) this fall and expanding to cover most of main building and the residence hall lounges soon.

The areas currently covered include:

• Front Lobby
• Storm Café
• Student Union
• Computer Labs
• Gymnasium
• Student Center
• Watne Memorial Library
• Faith Village
• Dining Room
• Classrooms
• Conference Rooms

The wireless network is comprised of a large quantity of 802.11b wireless access points arranged around the campus. Any computer equipped with a wireless network card capable of communicating using the 802.11b standard will be able to connect to the wireless network in those areas where it is available.

A number of printers are available for student use on campus. The computer labs are equipped with high-capacity, black-and-white networked laser printer for student use. Technology Services is currently investigating the possibility of providing a color laser printer for student use during business hours in the computer lab. Details, unfortunately, are not available as of this time.

Students are given a print allowance at the start of each semester. This allowance is decremented with each page printed. If a student uses their entire allowance, additional pages are available at a cost from the computer lab Technology Services office.

Crown maintains a file server for student use. This server is accessible from anywhere on campus. Each student is granted 100MB of storage on the server.
Use of this “network drive” is strongly recommended as it allows for easy access to documents and information from virtually anywhere on campus. Data on the student server is also backed up nightly, preventing accidental loss of information. 100MB is the equivalent of over 70 floppy disks, and unlike floppy disks, that tend to fail at the worst possible moments, the network will be there when you need it!

Current students, staff, or faculty with technology issues can contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@crown.edu or login to the my.crown.edu portal to access the Information Technology webpages.