WIRED Computers
(Student Personal Computers)

The primary distinguishing feature of a WIRED computer is that it's owned, operated, and maintained (mostly) by one person: you. The best thing about that is that you get to personalize it to a vast extent and work exactly the way you want. The other distinguishing feature is that you're connecting it to networks owned and maintained by Lehigh, so it's important to select a machine and a setup that's both capable of connecting to our systems without burdening them, and familiar enough that consultants and staff can give you a hand when you need it.

Requirements
While it's possible to connect almost any kind of computer to Lehigh systems in some manner, we do recommend some minimum hardware for usability within the context of current software and systems.  In addition to relatively current operating systems and browsers, students' machines will have to have some method of network connectivity, either wireless or Ethernet to connect their computer to Lehigh's network.  Ethernet cables can be purchased at the Lehigh University Bookstore. 

Purchase Recommendations
Most students and their parents purchase new computers specifically for use at Lehigh. Library & Technology Services does not sell computers but it does work to provide purchasing guidelines, recommendations and discount pricing at

www.lehigh.edu/computing/buy (The "purchasing pages").

Be aware that we strongly urge parents to choose from one of our recommended vendors, Dell, Apple, HP or Lenovo in order to take advantage of on-site, in-warranty hardware repair services, and that we also strongly recommend purchasing extended warranty coverage directly from those manufacturers for the same reason.

To recap advice on the purchasing pages with an eye toward student purchases, keep the following in mind for each vendor, and click the logos for more detail:

	Check out our considerations regarding Mac use, and the Lehigh Mac Pages for more info. Also note: Apple warranties don't cover accidental damage.
	Most popular brand on campus; offers Lehigh discount on entire catalog.
	Only business models are recommended; retail-store models cannot be repaired on site by Lehigh. Purchase via web.
	Their "ThinkPads" used to be marketed by IBM, but are now sold under their own name. They're a favorite among the staff for durability.

Hardware Repair
While our intrepid student consultants can handle quite a bit, we draw a line at actual hardware services, and leave them to the certified on-campus techs at TIMS. Lehigh Techs are able to perform warranty repairs on machines from recommended manufacturers (Dell, Lenovo (IBM), HP*, and Apple).  For students with other brands of computers Lehigh cannot provide any type of hardware repair assistance.  See the Getting Assistance page for the procedure for submitting work to them. * Note we are not able to repair HPs purchased through retail stores such as Best Buy, etc. Only the business models sold through the web are supported for repair.

LPD Computer Registry
The Campus Police Department is sponsoring a Register Your Computer Program for Lehigh faculty, staff and students. If you own a computer or PDA, you can register pertinent information about it in case it would ever be lost or stolen. If you ever need to report it lost or stolen, Campus Police will already have the required information to enter into the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) system which is available to law enforcement officers throughout the country. For more about the program, or to register your computer or PDA device, visit the Campus Police website.

5/15/09 - dab406