PC Support News Bytes
Eudora Desupport
The manufacturer of the email client program Eudora has ceased further development and, as a result, NAU software support for Eudora will end after September 30, 2007. If you have not already converted to one of the supported email clients (Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird) you can find downloads and support information by going to www.nau.edu/its and clicking “Software” in the left-hand column.
Microsoft Office 2007 Support
The new Microsoft Office 2007 suite of programs is now available and supported by ITS, but there is absolutely no need to rush to get these latest tools. Office 2003 will continue to be supported and a compatibility pack for Office 2003 is available so that you can access Office 2007 documents while still using the familiar 2003 interface. The compatibility pack is automatically downloaded for NAU-owned PCs and is available for download for home PCs at www.nau.edu/its. Click “Software” to expand the list on the left, click “Software Downloads, ” which will take you to a button labeled “Proceed to Software Downloads.” Click this button and the subsequent “Show Results” and you’ll see the link to the Microsoft Office 2003-2007 Compatibility Tool 2.0.
Before migrating to Office 2007, it is strongly recommended that users get training first as the interface for the new suite has undergone a great change in philosophy and implementation. You can see training information for classes and schedule at www.nau.edu/its by clicking “Training” in the left-hand column.
Windows Vista—the Latest
Microsoft
Operating System
Windows Vista will tentatively be released as a supported OS in the new year. Currently it is in testing for packaging and ghosting and testing with all NAU software packages. Windows XP will continue to be supported beyond this date, so again there is no need to rush to get the “latest thing.” In any case, adapting to a new design philosophy in Microsoft’s products may not be the most productive use of time in a busy semester. Information will be made available via the ITS website when an official support date is announced.
Purchasing Printers, Copiers, and
Multifunction Machines
New support policies for purchasing PCs are available online for buying computers, printers, multifunction machines, and software. See all of the new purchasing policies at
www4.nau.edu/its/pcsupport/computerstore.
Printer policies in particular are new and significant, so be sure to review these before making your purchasing decisions. Also note that new multifunction machines (combination printer/copier/fax) are exclusively supported by the companies that sell them. Support information for printers, copiers, and multifunction machines is at www4.nau.edu/its/pcsupport/policy/printers.aspx.
Handhelds
ITS also has new policies on support for handheld computing devices. Consult the complete policy at
www4.nau.edu/its/pcsupport/policy/handheld.aspx
before making your departmental purchases.
