Part 1.1: Computer Guidelines

Our minimum recommended hardware and software guidelines are listed below. If your system does not meet these minimum guidelines exactly, you are still welcome to consider taking an online course. If you are pretty far off from these guidelines, however, you may want to consider upgrading the necessary components to avoid possible problems.

Please Note: If at any point you need to download new applications, or updates, we will provide links for those downloads so you can install them immediately. Because most installations require you to restart your computer, bookmark this page before you install any of the plugins. Bookmarking Help

A note for Mac users: Online course technology is optimized for PC's with Windows operating systems. You are welcome to take an online course with a Mac, but you are more likely to have complications. If you are using a Mac, you must have the Windows Office Suite applications, especially Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Most courses will use these applications often.

Hardware Minimum Recommendations

1 GHz processor or better
512 MB or more of RAM
20 GB free on the hard disk
DSL, Cable, or LAN connection to the Internet (Dial-up is not recommended)
16-bit or better sound card and speakers or headphones
65,000-color or better video display card
15-inch color monitor or larger
DVD drive

Recommended Accessories:

Printer
Flash drive or external hard drive for transporting or backing up data
CD or DVD writer

Software Minimum Recommendations

Windows Operating System, Vista, XP (preferred) or 2000 If you are using a Mac, you should be alright, but note that UNC computer support is focused on Windows computers, and Mac assistance will be somewhat limited.

Microsoft Office Suite. It is essential to have Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Powerpoint products. Most professors will be using all these applications, and students will need to both be able to open the associated file types and complete assignments using these applications. In just about all cases, instructors will be using 97-2003 compatible files, so you should NOT need Office 2007.

Reliable E-mail account and client If you do not already have an email account or an email client, you can use UNC's email system.

Browsers and Plugins:

Please Note: Our Recommended browser is Mozilla Firefox. It has proved to be the most trouble-free, secure, and simple browser to use. If you experience any browser issues using Internet Explorer or Netscape, we recommend installing the latest version of Firefox for free.

Browsers:	Mozilla/Firefox (our recommended browser) Internet Explorer 7 or higher If you are currently using Chrome or Safari, we recommend having one of the above browsers as a backup or alternate in case you run into any issues.
Plugins:	The most recent version of Flash the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader Optional Plugins: (Check with your instructor about whether you need either of these) Quicktime Quicktime is our current delivery method for video and/or audio and is used in some courses. Realplayer Basic Realplayer is our previous delivery method for video and/or audio.

A Note On Buying A New Computer:

If you are considering buying a new computer, just about any current model offered from a well-known brand should meet our minimum system guidelines. We recommend checking out Dell or IBM first. A Mac will also work if that's your preference, but remember that campus support is focused on Windows computers. Even the least expensive models should work fine for an online course, but remember you might have to buy additional equipment and services, like software, a printer, or internet access.

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