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315-859-4169
315-859-4185 (fax)

ITS Support for Microsoft Windows Vista


For the 2009-2010 academic year, ITS will continue to provide Windows XP Professional on all institutional computers. For students and employees running Windows Vista Premium Home Edition on their personally owned computers, ITS offers full support. Microsoft is in the process of developing a successor to Vista, Windows 7, slated for release sometime in 2010. ITS has been testing the pre-release versions of Windows 7 and will provide more information regarding compatibility and support as it becomes available.

Students or employees with personal computers running Windows Vista may find the information below very helpful.
 

Information for students running Windows Vista


Software Compatibility
Software developers are at various stages of preparing their respective products for Windows Vista certification and support. We recommend using the developer's web site for the most up-to-date information on Windows Vista compatibility.

Virus Protection

The current version of Sophos Anti-Virus provides virus protection for Windows Vista. Sophos is fully supported by ITS and provided free-of-charge to students of Hamilton College. Installation instructions can be found on the following web-page:
Virus Protection at Hamilton College


If you prefer to use another anti-virus product, you will have to find out if your preferred anti-virus vendor supports Windows Vista and install the software yourself.

Connecting to the Student Storage Server (SSS)
The Student Storage Server is accessible on Windows Vista. To connect to the student storage server while on-campus, refer to the following instructions:
Connecting to SSS in Windows Vista

To connect to SSS on Windows Vista while off-campus, refer to the following instructions:
SSS File Manager on the WWW

Installing Windows Updates
ITS recommends that you keep your operating system up-to-date with security updates from Microsoft. Instructions on how to enable and run Windows Update in Vista can be found here:
Enabling and Using Windows Update in Vista

Turning on the Firewall
The built-in firewall in Windows Vista should be turned on by default, but to verify this and enable the firewall if necessary, refer to the following instructions:
Verifying/Enabling Windows Vista Firewall


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