ResNet
Software Usage & Tips
Once you've got your connection working, it's time to get the network software installed. Following is information on email, web browsers, anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, and the new Microsoft software program for students
Email options
Just about any email program will work with your UMD email account. We recommend using the IMAP protocol rather than POP so that your mail isn't downloaded to just one computer (you'll probably want to work with your email on a variety of computers). ITSS can't provide support, other than basic settings, for every email program but we do have configuration instructions for some of the more popular programs such as Outlook, OSX Mail, Thunderbird, Entourage, Netscape/Mozzlla and Eudora on our email configration page.
You should also check out UMD's Webmail page (www.d.umn.edu/email) that allows you to read and send email from any computer with a web browser.
ITSS also still supports one of the very original graphic interface IMAP email programs - Mulberry. Mulberry is limited in some ways such as not displaying HTML-formatted messages completely, but many faculty and staff still use Mulberry because of a number of unique and useful features. One main advantage is that Mulberry's preferences and addressbooks are stored on the Mail server, allowing you to install Mulberry on several computers, or use it on the lab computers and always have your settings and addressbooks without having to reconfigure it on each computer.
Note: As of January, 2007 all email programs will need to be configured with secure settings to work with the UMD email system. More information on configuring secure settings for supported email programs (and basic configuration info for other email programs) is on our email configuration page.
Web browsers and secure Telnet & FTP clients
We encourage students to install and use the current version of their web browsers. Many web applications (such as course registration) will not run on older versions of web browsers. You can find links for downloading the current versions of a variety of software at:
Anti-virus software
University policy requires that all desktop and personal computers connected to the University network have an up-to-date version of anti-virus software.
The University has a site license to distribute Symantec Norton Anti-virus software to all University-owned computers and to one personal computer for each student, staff or faculty member at the University of Minnesota. We encourage all students to protect their computers with this free software.
To download a FREE copy for your personal computer, please see Symantec AntiVirus Software and follow the instructions on this site. Students living on campus should install the Managed version as it is automatically updated every time you turn your computer on, providing the most up-to-date protection.
Anti-spyware/malware software
Spyware, adware, malware, pop ups - these are all "annoying" programs that also raise privacy and security issues. What information are they sending? What are they doing with the information?
Additionally, these programs are resource hogs, and can cause web browser and system instability. We have seen many cases where spyware caused browsers (Internet Explorer or Netscape) to quit functioning properly on the UMD network. SpywareGuide.com lists over 1500 700 products in its list of known spyware, and the list continues to grow. Many student computers that we have checked on campus have literally hundreds of these spyware/malware programs running on them, making them almost unusable.
Most adware and spyware is included with other "free" software that you download from the Internet. To find and remove it from your computer, there are a number of products available. A few of these are:
- SpyBot - free for use on all computers
- Ad-Aware - free for use on personal (not University) computers
- Windows Defender - Beta version - currently free for valid Microsoft operating systems
Microsoft software (Windows XP, Office) for students
The U of M Board of Regents has approved the purchase of licenses for Windows XP upgrades and the MS Office Suite (Windows or Macintosh) for all currently enrolled U of M students taking at least one course credit. All software orders must be placed through the Microsoft student online order form, which verifies student enrollment. Once a student places an order they will receive an email with their software order information.
For details, see: U of M Microsoft Software License Program for Students