Part 1.1: Computer Guidelines
Our recommended hardware and software guidelines are listed below. If your system does not match these 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 HelpHardware Recommendations
- 266 MHz Intel Pentium processor or better
- 64 MB or more of RAM
- 200 MB free on the hard disk
- 28.8 Kbps or better modem or LAN connection to the Internet
- 16-bit or better sound card and speakers
- 65,000-color or better video display card
- 15-inch color monitor or larger
- CD-ROM or DVD drive
- Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3, or Windows 2000 (with the Microsoft Office suite)
Software Recommendations
- Netscape Communicator 4.7x or higher
- Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher (for Macintosh)
- Realplayer 7 Basic or higher. Realplayer comes in both free and not free versions. The free version offered on the website will be all you need.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher
- E-mail that sends messages over the Internet and can include file attachments.
Internet Service Providers
Internet Service Providers, or ISP's, allow you to access the internet from your home computer, through a modem or cable connection. We have noticed over the years that some ISP's work better with online courses than others. If your ISP is not on the recommended list, or if you have one of the non-recommended ISP's, you are still welcome to take an online course, but we do want to warn you that you might experience technical problems.| Recommended: | Non-Recommended: |
| University of Minnesota Earthlink |
AOL Road Runner |
Other Recommendations
- Ink-jet printer (Laser printers are sometimes desirable unless you want color)
- 4x speed CD-ROM drive (Faster is better)
- Option: A Zip, Jaz, tape, or other removable drive for backing up valuable data
We would like to thank and credit University of North Carolina School of Public Health, for sharing the UNC skills test adapted here.
Copyright 2001 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.