Student Life & Services
Required Laptop Program
UNM Law School requires that all entering students own a laptop computer. The law school does not require a particular brand but has determined a minimum hardware configuration and has, in conjunction with other UNM departments, negotiated special pricing on Dell systems and peripherals. All Dell products are discounted up to 10% beyond already-discounted educational pricing. We encourage you to take advantage of this purchase plan. You can access the UNM School of Law’s Dell Store to review the recommendations. Anderson School of Management has Dell-certified technicians who can provide warranty work for those systems covered with a next business day warranty. To initiate the warranty process please send an email to asmisstaff@mgt.unm.edu.
Mac Support
Some students choose to use Macintosh laptops, including more recent models with Intel processors and running Apple Boot Camp or Parallels software to emulate a Windows environment. While students may use any brand of laptop computers, the Law School help desk does not have expertise to provide advice on the operation of Macintosh systems. Therefore, students bringing Macintosh laptops must be self-sufficient in the use and operation of their systems. Mac users must follow the general law school guidelines for anti-virus and patched systems on both the Mac OS and Boot Camp/Parallels Windows partitions.
How to Finance Your Laptop
If you would like to have the laptop cost added to your cost of attendance, please contact Carol Cravens, the law school’s Financial Aid Officer, at cravens@law.unm.edu or Susan Mitchell, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, at mitchell@law.unm.edu, prior to making your purchase. Laptops may not be purchased prior to August 1 if they are to be included in your cost of attendance.
Minimum Hardware Specifications
Operating System |
Windows XP Professional - see Notes |
| Processor | New computers: Intel dual core processor at 1.6 GHz or better (or equivalent) Existing computers: Pentium M Processor operating at 1.0GHz or greater |
| Memory | 1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended |
USB Ports |
At least 1, Also recommended: a USB flash memory storage device, a.k.a. "memory key" or "flash drive" |
Hard Drive |
40 GB minimum, 80 GB or more recommended |
| CD-ROM Drive | DVD,
DVD/CD-RW (for backup purposes) |
Network Card - Wired |
Integrated or PCMCIA 10/100/1000 - See Notes |
| Network Card - Wireless | Strongly Recommended - see Notes on compatibility |
| Modem | Optional - 56k, v.90 |
| Printer | Laser Jet or Inkjet Recommended, (Laser Jet recommended) |
| Warranty | 3 year parts and labor, On-site strongly recommended |
| Virus Protection Software | Must be updateable, AVG Free strongly recommended |
| Productivity Software | Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 strongly recommended |
Notes
Operating System Notes
The law school recognizes that most manufacturers install Windows Vista on laptops but strongly encourages purchasing Windows XP Pro whenever possible. The computers on the law school’s Dell site are all configured with Vista Business Downgrade, XP Pro installed. Windows XP Home is not compatible with law school network services such as the wireless network, personal file server space, and network printers. Students should be aware that the University’s central computing center has not certified Vista's use on the university network or enterprise systems until further notice.
Wired Network Card Notes
The law school has Ethernet ports available in most classrooms as well as the library carrels and other common areas. The wired network card is used to attach to the law school network for Internet access, email, printing, and other computing services.
Wireless Network Card Notes
Your wireless card must operate on the 802.11b/g standard if you plan to use the Law School’s wireless network. The driver must support WPA encryption.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the configuration and purchase of a notebook computer, please contact the Assistant Dean for Information Technology, Cyndi Johnson, at (505) 277-0695 or via email at johnson@law.unm.edu.
