<p>if i got a desktop, would it be incovenient because many people bring their laptops to libraries, the outside, classes, etc.? or do people ususally just bring papers out and leave the laptop in the dorm?</p>
<p>Well I don't go there yet, but being there quite a bit in the last year or so, I have seen a TON of people using them outside of the dorm.. but what does that matter? It's YOUR computer and it's YOUR preference. If you see yourself enjoying surfing the web/doing research in the quad on a Sunday afternoon, then go for the laptop.. but if you envision yourself playing computer games or chilling in the dorm most of the time, go with the desktop. I personally could not imagine having a dekstop at college. I know I will take it everywhere and use it a ton.</p>
<p>Quite honestly, I got my laptop for about $1600. In hindsight, what I should have done was get a really cheap desktop (like $500) just to have on the desk at all times, and then used the other $1100 on a pretty good laptop. My laptop is kickass, but it came at a premium.</p>
<p>FYI incoming freshmen: there is no "quad" at UMD. anywhere. i have never heard anyone make reference to one. the big thing in the middle of campus is called the mall.</p>
<p>no better way to identify yourself as a class of '10er than that :P</p>
<p>hehe. Good heads up there Lindz! I heard my mom call it that at the Open House so it just stuck with me. Good to know though!</p>
<p>getting a desktop isnt bad at all actually. i wanted to get a laptop but my parents were paranoid about laptop theft, which is rampant. on my floor alone 7 people (out of 42) had their laptops stolen during the year. even if you have a lock, its not that hard to remove it from where it's tied to on the desk and it makes theft really simple. i got a desktop and it worked fine. even in my calc I lecture (of 300+ students), only 2-3 brought their laptops regularly. it gets to be a pain to lug around. additionally, desktops are much more powerful and equipped for the same price, and you can leave them in your dorm over winter break and stuff (as i did) with no problems of theft or anything. </p>
<p>i guess you could potentially also steal a desktop, but it becomes much harder. if you see someone walking out of a dorm with a big computer case in their hands youll remember it, but a laptop can be easily hidden in a bag and isnt conspicuous at all. if you plan on doing a lot of studying outdoors or relaxing on the mall (yea there's no quad), where they recently integrated wireless internet, the laptop isnt such a bad thing. its also useful for group studying (which i avoid completely cause its usually a waste of time).</p>
<p>speaking of which, if youre in a group project and people are trying to decide where to meet, saying you can't bring your computer elsewhere cause you have a desktop is very advantageous cause you dont have to move :)</p>
<p>you're kidding!!!!!!! 7 laptops stolen on one floor!!!! I had just finally decided to get my d a lap top but now I'm not so sure. She is in scholars and it says you have to get completely out of your dorm over Christmas break. Can you still leave a computer? Plus, a whole semester of work is gone when it gets stolen. Do you back your work up? I can barely afford to buy one lap top. I can't be buying a second one if the first one gets stolen. What is CP doing about this crime? I think that is over the top. Don't kids lock their doors?</p>
<p>nope. people dont lock their doors much at all, if ever. when they go to the diner, or are in someone else's room down the hall, or are studying in the library - its unlocked for convenience's sake. so i got a lanyard and lock my door obsessively, even if im just going to the water fountain down the hall. i am very paranoid about getting robbed, almost to the point of harpaxophobia. even if you do lock your door, everyone who works at the residence hall desk (all who happen to be student employees) have access to extra keys for every room, so theoretically they could access your room as well, though this isnt something to seriously worry about. but in general, desktops are much more secure and you can leave them in your room - i think they recommend taking laptops home.</p>
<p>marylandgirl,</p>
<p>You don't have to worry about "invasions" but you do have to worry about being careless and leaving your door open. For example, I'm in the South Campus Commons, and there have been a string of robberies lately because people have been leaving their doors open. Very rarely will anything ever happen in a residence hall when people are actually there. It's only when people are away and forget to lock their doors do things happen.</p>
<p>If you have anything small and portable, your best bet is to keep it away from the door and make it less visible. For example, people I know have had their small PS2s stolen because it's so tiny and makes for a quick grab once you disconnect the cables. You can grab it and stick it in a coat pocket with nobody ever the wiser.</p>
<p>Over winter break, you can leave whatever you want. Just be aware that people do check the rooms while you're gone, and things have been known to go missing. Some people lost actual valuable items, while others had items confiscated/stolen that were hidden away. For example, in Easton my friends had bottles of liquor confiscated/stolen from them that were buried in dressers and storage compartments they had. These are places that NOBODY should be inspecting, but what are they going to do? If they told their RAs/CAs that somebody stole their liquor, they'd be in trouble for possession anyway. See how they get ya?</p>
<p>As far as backing up work goes, if you're computer savvy, your best bet is to store work on the UMD Mail Server via File Uploads, on a server provided with webhosting, or to configure an FTP on a home computer that a student can upload files to.</p>
<p>UG- I'm not feeling very good about CP right now......who do you think does all this stealing? Other students? On the tour they kept telling us how safe it was because everyone had to swipe a card just to get into the building in the first place. ...............</p>
<p>Big J - when we get to campus - is there someone who helps set up our PC's if we need help? Right now I'm on dial-up - only alternative where I live. On campus we'll be cable - right? What do I need to connect? And where can I go to learn about the File Upload? Right now I use a 8GB flash to back up important stuff and I usually carry that with me on my key chain. I live way out in the country - but even here we lock our doors these days. But who knows what a roommate's inclinations will be!</p>
<p>marylandgirl,</p>
<p>I know you're concerned, but don't be. The campus is EXTREMELY safe. But I'm telling you right now, the whole swipe card business is a load of bull. Everybody winds up holding the door open for each other, even if you don't live in the building. Nothing short of wearing a sign around your neck saying "I'm going to rob someone in this building" is going to keep someone from holding/opening a door for them.</p>
<p>The biggest threat to your security is common sense on campus. For example:
Don't walk by yourself along dark streets in College Park at 3:30AM.
Don't forget to lock your door.
Don't go wandering up towards the 495/95 on foot.</p>
<p>People get stuff stolen out of their rooms because they lack common sense. "A lock keeps an honest person honest." There are almost no incidents of forced entry in the dorms. It just doesn't happen.</p>
<p>People get confronted by wanna-be thugs because they decide to walk along the back of Cumberland at 3:30AM in an area without any lights and with no people around. Stick to Regents or Stadium Drive and you're fine. You will not be confronted if you're with 3-4 people.</p>
<p>Up towards the 495/95 along Route 1, you get much shadier people. Stay away from the area if you're on foot. The majority of robberies happen at shops close to the 495/95. If you're walking along Route 1 by Knox Road, you're perfectly fine.</p>
<p>GGT,</p>
<p>Techincally, it's not cable, but it is "broadband." Each user gets what typically translates to as a 10mbit down/1mbit up connection.</p>
<p>As far as requirements are concerned for connecting to the campus:
-Ethernet Card (AKA NIC [Network Interface Card]). Some people may have this integrated onto their motherboard and have a space for it on the I/O Panel of their computer (the big piece of metal where you plug your mouse, keyboard, etc into). If you're not familiar with what it looks like, it looks exactly like a phone jack, except there will only be one of them instead of two right next to each other.
If it's not by where you plug your keyboard/mouse into, it's going to be down towards the bottom where those horizontal metal tabs are. If there is no single jack, then you don't have a Ethernet connection on your computer and will have to buy a NIC</p>
<p>-Ethernet Cable. What is important here is that you absolutely, do NOT buy an ethernet cable that says "Crossover" on the package. If it says "Crossover" on the package, proceed to put it back on the shelf. If it says Patch cable, or doesn't say anything at all, that's fine. Just make sure you have one that's long enough. Another thing. If it says CAT6, put it back. it will work on the network, but it will be almost double-triple the price of a CAT5e cable. Avoid shopping at BestBuy or OfficeMax for these cables. You'll get a much better deal at Home Depot.</p>
<p>When setting up your PC when you first arrive on campus, you are provided with a worksheet that instructs how to long onto the campus network for the first time. It's a very simple process. When you open your browser, you will automatically be taken to the Resnet page for registering your computer. You will be prompted to register your MAC address (if you don't know what this means, don't worry. Just know you're registering your computer). You can always choose to setup your voicemail later. You'll choose a name for your connection onto the campus, and then you'll be prompted to reboot. Once you restart, you'll be able to access the internet. Since you are on Dial-Up, you'll have to disable dialing out everytime you try to connect to the internet. I forget where, but that should be under Phone and Modem Settings.</p>
<p>Also, there will be an extension you can dial if you're having connectivity issues.</p>
<p>As far as uploading files is concerned, if you're using their mail server (which is limited to 20megs I believe), it's as simple as sending an e-mail to yourself with an attachment.</p>
<p>If you're talking about the other things I listed, OIT will not help you set those up. They're backup solutions I've personally used and have helped others used in the past.</p>
<p>Okay - you made me look! :></p>
<p>I plug my mouse in on a USB connection and they're situated on 3 dif sides of my laptop. </p>
<p>But next to my modem/dial up plug space - there is another space that will hold a plug about twice the width of a modem plug. Is that where I plug the Ethernet Cable?</p>
<p>Do you know if there's someplace on the umd website that describes the connection requirements/etc? FAQ on computers for campus, etc? I found the site that helped me set up my e-mail - but they don;t have FAQ's on connectivity on campus - that I could find.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh - and does this mean I can't go window shopping at IKEA on foot in the middle of the night by myself? Darn! Just a little Route 1 humor.</p>
<p>GGT</p>
<p>GGT,</p>
<p>Yep, that double-width plug is going to be your port for the ethernet cable. Another way to distinguish the port is that typically, your modem jack will have a little phone printed onto plastic or metal right above or below the jack. That means the other larger jack is for your ethernet cable. And sorry about what I said above; it was only referring to Desktops, not laptops.</p>
<p>What kind of questions are you worried about with connecting? If you post them, I can more than likely answer them. You can even PM me and I'll get back to you on them.</p>
<p>Hah! And good luck getting to IKEA. I used walk to work at Alario's down on Route 1 towards the 495/95, and it took over a half hour just to get there. I don't want to know how long it would take to get to IKEA by foot.</p>
<p>-John</p>
<p>Yeah - the modem has a phone and the Ethernet has a line with 3 little dots on the left and two little dots on the right printed over it.</p>
<p>I guess I'm a little confused because recently at a hotel, they offered broadband and I plugged their cable into the bigger port and nothing happened - and I couldn't open AOL - so I backed off and just used the phone line. I have this mental pic of sitting in my dorm room with what I now know will the the Ethernet cable in my hand - staring at the laptop and scratching my head.</p>
<p>Well u know - when I decide I need to go to IKEA and wander - I'm usually around the bend mentally anyway - its the shopping equivalent of comfort food for the overstressed.</p>
<p>GGT,</p>
<p>I'm telling you right now, the biggest issue you're going to run into is Dialing Out with your modem everytime you try to connect to the Internet. Please remember what I'm telling you here. You're going to have to go into the Control Panel where it says Phone and Modem Settings. It's either going to list a telephone number, or it's going to list AOL. You have to choose to Never Dial Out When Connecting. After that, you'll restart your computer and be able to use Internet Explorer or any other Web Browser. In you AOL settings, you're going to have to Create a New Connection and Choose Broadband. Then it'll do it's wizard and you'll be able to connect to AOL via the campus' network. Make sure to set this New Connection as the Default Connection.</p>
<p>Ok - gotcha. I'll try it out when we go on vacation. So what I was doing wrong before was that it was still looking for a dialup and finding no modem = no wonder nothing was happening.</p>
<p>So once I tell AOL to look for a Broadband connection and make that my default - there will be some magic thing happening in the various blackboxes and it will configure that connection and when I restart - voila!</p>
<p>Got it! Thanks!</p>
<p>Big J - John - Reread your messages this morning and I think I'm good to go - the first place to change is the setting on the control panel. I wonder if I have to get a different version of AOL for broadband - I'll have to check that out - but thanks so much for the help - I printed it out and put it in my folder for campus stuff! GGT</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info. Don't know what we would do without it..........can you rent lap tops through the school?</p>
<p>marylandgirl,</p>
<p>Rent laptops? No. They do have some deals with companies, but you can typically find a better deal elsewhere.</p>
<p>If you need help buying a laptop, PM me. Include with it what the minimum requirements you're looking for, what it's going to be used for, and is going to be either primarily on the desk or if it's going to be constantly carried around. </p>
<p>I can either find you a deal through Dell at significantly reduced prices, or I can instruct you on how to find one while waiting a few weeks.</p>
<p>-John</p>