VISTA and ROSS COMPUTER program

[mikus]

Does anyone know if VISTA is compatible with the computer program used at ROSS. All the new computers have vista upgraded on them. Should I chose not to upgrade VISTA onto my computer. Will I be able to downloadthe video lectures from Ross campus if I have VISTA. Do we need MS Office professional or just regular ms office 2003. Does anyone know if there is a list of specific required programs for the laptops such that it will match the ones used at Ross and there would be no problems downloading the Ross video lectures. I looked on the Ross studentresources site where they offer info about the Laptop program at Ross but I got a different computer not an IBM. They do not list any restrictions or requirements. Are all computers with Vista compatable with the G drive that the school installs on the computer.

[mikus]

Does anyone know if VISTA is compatible with the computer program used at ROSS. All the new computers have vista upgraded on them. Should I chose not to upgrade VISTA onto my computer. Will I be able to downloadthe video lectures from Ross campus if I have VISTA. Do we need MS Office professional or just regular ms office 2003. Does anyone know if there is a list of specific required programs for the laptops such that it will match the ones used at Ross and there would be no problems downloading the Ross video lectures. I looked on the Ross studentresources site where they offer info about the Laptop program at Ross but I got a different computer not an IBM. They do not list any restrictions or requirements. :confused: Are all computers with Vista compatable with the G drive that the school installs on the computer.

[islandthrift]

According to Ross when I arrived last August you need MS Office professional 2003. I am not sure about VISTA but I recommend calling Ross and asking and then posting the answer here for us!

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Does anyone know if VISTA is compatible with the computer program used at ROSS. All the new computers have vista upgraded on them. Should I chose not to upgrade VISTA onto my computer. Will I be able to downloadthe video lectures from Ross campus if I have VISTA. Do we need MS Office professional or just regular ms office 2003. Does anyone know if there is a list of specific required programs for the laptops such that it will match the ones used at Ross and there would be no problems downloading the Ross video lectures. I looked on the Ross studentresources site where they offer info about the Laptop program at Ross but I got a different computer not an IBM. They do not list any restrictions or requirements. Are all computers with Vista compatable with the G drive that the school installs on the computer.

i would think vista is backward compatible. Any office version should work.

[vaneleus]

Does anyone know if VISTA is compatible with the computer program used at ROSS. All the new computers have vista upgraded on them. Should I chose not to upgrade VISTA onto my computer. Will I be able to downloadthe video lectures from Ross campus if I have VISTA. Do we need MS Office professional or just regular ms office 2003. Does anyone know if there is a list of specific required programs for the laptops such that it will match the ones used at Ross and there would be no problems downloading the Ross video lectures. I looked on the Ross studentresources site where they offer info about the Laptop program at Ross but I got a different computer not an IBM. They do not list any restrictions or requirements. :confused: Are all computers with Vista compatable with the G drive that the school installs on the computer.

Allright, that's a whole lot of questions with no question marks...but I'll give it a shot.

A friend just got a new laptop with Vista and IT set it up. It works on the network just fine.

You cannot download the videos per se. What you can do is stream them. Vista will not interfere with that.

Anything newer than Office 97 should work, anything newer than Office XP will certainly work. Office 2007 is backwards compatible with prior versions, you just have to watch how you save files if you want people who don't have 2007 to be able to open them.

I believe the standard version of Office will suffice. You will want PowerPoint for viewing/printing the lecture notes. I use Word for typing up my PBL stuff. Occasionally, you may need Excel. I think those are the three programs that come with the standard version. If so, that's all you really need.

The G drive isn't really installed on your computer, you are just able to access it when you are on campus more easily with a program they install. You can access it on or off campus via most internet browsers (mozilla, netscape, IE, etc.).

The fact that your PC is an IBM will not matter. Vista will be fine. Any recent version of Office will work.

[duwende]

I've seen people in class running Vista. It appears they are surfing the web in class, so I assume it works.

I use the newest Office 2007, but any program that can open .doc, .pdf, and .ppt should suffice. If you want to save money, or are against piracy, OpenOffice is a free suite that is compatible with any Office files.

[mikus]

Thankyou for your advice
So if I have Vista I am going to be able to download the class lecture videos with no problems. Iwill look into Openoffice.;)
So the only restrictions that the computers have =Have microsoft office professional and have a wireless Lan.

[mikus]

Thank you for the information. You mentioned streaming the video lectures without downloading them. I just want tomake sure that my computer with Vista will be able to open the video lectures and download them. Does it mean that computers withut vista would have to download the video lectures?

[vaneleus]

Nope. I think some confusion is arising here in the difference between downloading and streaming. When you download a video, it's on your computer and you can watch it online or offline (connected to the internet or not) because the video file is actually saved on your computer. When you stream a video, it is only transiently stored on your computer and you must be actively connected to the internet.

Ross uses a mediasite software that only allows streaming. While it is technically possible to capture the streams and in effect "download" the videos, it is difficult and really not feasable unless you can write your own code. So you are left only with the option of streaming the video. This functionality is more dependant on your video player than your operating system and should work on anything current (including Vista).

[JMixZ82]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if one HAS to purchase the Ross network license with the included anti-virus software. Is there any way to access the school network without it. I spoke to Ross IT and they said that when they configure your laptop for their server, they remove the existing anti-virus program and replace it with their own. Rumor has it, their program is not as effective and/or is outdated. Any information or help would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

[DOCplucinski]

Nope. I think some confusion is arising here in the difference between downloading and streaming. When you download a video, it's on your computer and you can watch it online or offline (connected to the internet or not) because the video file is actually saved on your computer. When you stream a video, it is only transiently stored on your computer and you must be actively connected to the internet.


This is true, I don't go to Ross but I am a techie and you will be fine using Vista at Ross.

Just to bring up, someone mentioned OpenOffice, this is a great *free* alternative. Keep in mind, this is probably the equivalent to Office 97, but anything you need to do will work fine in OpenOffice. You may find that some things may not look as they should in OpenOffice, thus you can download file readers from Microsofts website, including a Word Reader, Excel Reader and Powerpoint reader to view any of your files.

[vaneleus]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if one HAS to purchase the Ross network license with the included anti-virus software. Is there any way to access the school network without it. I spoke to Ross IT and they said that when they configure your laptop for their server, they remove the existing anti-virus program and replace it with their own. Rumor has it, their program is not as effective and/or is outdated. Any information or help would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Unfortunately, if you want the network keys placed on your computer (so that you can access the wireless network) you will have to pay for and have an older version of Norton Corporate antivirus installed. I am not a fan of the antivirus they use, especially because I never seemed to be able to find or configure automatic virus definition updates.

In any case, I am back to the antivirus that I was using before.

[JMixZ82]

Thanks for the information vaneleus! That's been my worry with the laptop thing. One may have a program already on their laptop with which he/she is comfortable only to have it removed by Ross IT for their "older" version. So without purchasing their license, one cannot access their wireless network while ON campus? How about off campus? How's it going for you?

[mikus]

So while being at Rosss there is no need to have a preinstalled antivirus because they will installl Norton antivirus on your computer. But then you have to get your own antivirus after graduating from Ross. Has anyone heard about the Firefox Mozilla as being a good antivirus protector?
:confused:

[vaneleus]

Thanks for the information vaneleus! That's been my worry with the laptop thing. One may have a program already on their laptop with which he/she is comfortable only to have it removed by Ross IT for their "older" version. So without purchasing their license, one cannot access their wireless network while ON campus? How about off campus? How's it going for you?

There are two wireless networks on campus. One is secured and allows access to the G-drive and mediasite. The other is a guest network that just allows internet access and can be accessed without any special settings from the IT dept. If you want on the secured network, they will not set your computer up without their antivirus.

Their settings don't affect the off campus use of your computer.

I'm not a fan of the way they run the laptop set-up program, but it does work for most people.

[vaneleus]

So while being at Rosss there is no need to have a preinstalled antivirus because they will installl Norton antivirus on your computer. But then you have to get your own antivirus after graduating from Ross. Has anyone heard about the Firefox Mozilla as being a good antivirus protector?
:confused:

Correct. Once IT sets your computer up for the network, they install an antivirus program.

I would imagine that you will need to obtain a new version of antivirus software before graduation. This isn't anything to worry about though, as they are typically reasonably priced.

Firefox Mozilla is not an antivirus program. Firefox is an internet browser, much like Internet Explorer. Some people like Firefox because it seems to do a better job of protecting your PC from certain types of online threats. However, it shouldn't be confused with Antivirus software.

[mikus]

Thank you for clarifying these things to me.