Now that you are graduating ....

Your Rensselaer laptop came with a software image made up of a broad array of application software. When you picked up your laptop, you accepted responsibilities for the use of that software. Below we will explain your current responsibilities and acceptance terms.

Software responsibilities and upgrades

Responsibilities:

• You are entitled to continue to use the versions of the following Microsoft products currently installed on your laptop. However, you are no longer entitled to upgrades of this software.
  
  
  • Microsoft Windows operating system
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

• If you would like proof that you have a license to run these Microsoft products, you can request a certificate by sending e-mail to the Mobile Computing team. Please include your name and RIN. We will send you the form (in pdf format) by return e-mail.

Software Upgrades (Windows Vista Ultimate and Office 2007):

• Before you graduate, you have the opportunity to upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate. (However, we do not recommend installing Vista on a laptop older than a T60, because these machines don't have the hardware capability or memory to handle its requirements.) First, you must purchase a single installation CD (for backup or installation) for $20 at the Campus Computer Store. The product key is on the media. Bring a copy of your laptop status page from SIS to prove that you are participating in the Mobile Computing Program.
  
  After you have purchased the CD, you can choose to either install Vista from the CD yourself or re-image your laptop at the Help Desk.
  

• Before you graduate, you can upgrade to Microsoft Office Pro 2007. You can install the software at the Help Desk. If you would like a copy of the media (for backup or installation), you can also choose to purchase it for $15 at the Campus Computer Store. Bring a copy of your laptop status page from SIS to prove that you are participating in the Mobile Computing Program.

Other software:

Due to license restrictions, as previously agreed, the following applications should be deleted from your laptop when you leave campus:

• Bentley MicroStation
• EZ-Snapshot
• Matlab
• Mapinfo
• NX4/5
• PDMWorks
• SecureCRT
• SolidWorks
• Symantec/Norton Anti-Virus software

Be sure to install an anti-virus program. The Campus Computer Store sells Symantec/Norton Anti-Virus software for $39.

Backing up your system

Backup your laptop regularly. We have always recommended backing up your system, and this is even more important now because you might not have media (CD, DVD) available to restore your operating system to its original state. It is strongly recommended that a backup of your system be performed after the required licensed software is removed to prepare in case of a disk failure or data corruption.

Future warranty and non-warranty repairs

If you do encounter hardware problems, you may contact IBM EZ Serv directly at 1-800-426-7378 for assistance or your local IBM authorized retailer. Drivers and configuration assistance are also available.

Please continue to check back for additional information and instructions.

Still have questions? Please contact us!

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