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As you use your personal computer at Dartmouth College, please keep in mind the following general hints and cautions. Several items will refer to links with more detailed information.
...About Network Connections
- In the residence halls and offices, we recommend using an Ethernet network connection to connect your personal computer to the Dartmouth network. An Ethernet connection on campus will be faster than using a wireless connection. If you are in a situation where using a wireless network connection is more convenient or necessary, be sure to use the Dartmouth Secure wireless network. For more information, see Connecting to the Dartmouth Network.
...About Security
- Security must be a primary concern for all computer users. A healthy computer is more efficient in the long run, eliminating downtime and costly file recovery. Keeping your computer's system software up to date, and having antivirus software enabled and updated, are both necessary components. See Safe Computing at Dartmouth for more information.
- When using your laptop around the campus in public areas, be sure not to leave it unattended for any length of time, or invest in a security cable for your laptop.
- Making sure your important documents and data are backed up regularly. Backups are a vital security component that are often overlooked until it is too late. Have a backup process in place before something happens to your computer. While taking the time to make a backup onto an external hard drive or a writeable CD can seem a nuisance, this minimal investment in time can make the difference between inconvenience and catastrophe.
...About Traveling with Your Personal Computer
- Save the boxes, packing material, manuals, and any disks or CD's that came with your computer. If you need to ship your computer or to check it in as luggage on an plane, it is much easier and safer to use its original box.
- For laptop computers, make sure to also purchase a padded bag made for your computer model. Look for one that either fits the computer snugly, or has adjustable straps to keep it from shifting. Before traveling long distances, such as overseas, be sure to back up your documents on a separate device, and pack a copy in a different bag than your computer case. Take your system disks with you, as they can be used to repair system errors. Application installation disks can also be useful if you have to install updates or if you need to reinstall or repair an application that might become corrupted.
- For more information on traveling with your computer, see Traveling with Your Personal Computer.
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