Course Information   Registration   Faculty   Computer Use   Colby College

Use of Computers at the Maine Orthopaedic Review

You must read this document if you are thinking of bringing a
computer with you to the Maine Orthopaedic Review (MOR).
Online intranet access is available from 3 p.m. June 21st to 5: p.m., July 2nd.

Risks

In the past, a number of MOR participants lost several days attempting to connect their computers to the network when they should have been studying. This undoubtedly had a negative effect on their Board scores. Complete compliance with the requirements below represent your best chance for a hassle-free connection.

Benefits

MOR provides a unique opportunity for online learning and review with self-assessment exams and online references. However, there are approximately 50 workstations available for an estimated 250 course participants. In the past, this has frustrated access to MOR review materials during hours of peak demand. Bringing your own computer is an effective antidote to a crowded lab.

Aside from extensively using a computer for study purposes, you will probably want to check your email and browse the web while at Colby. Using your own computer to do this is safer and more private than using a public workstation. Internet access is free and available from each room and many lounges and study areas throughout the campus.

Off-campus limitations

MOR computer review materials are not accessible from off-campus locations. If you reside off-campus, you will need to come to campus and either use a public workstation or connect your personal computer to Colby's network.

Requirements

If you think you will bring your computer, make sure it meets the following requirements.

There is NO modem access to the Colby network and there is no supported wireless network

As an absolute minimum, you should bring either a recent Macintosh laptop (such as a MacBook/Powerbook/iBook) or a Windows 2000, XP, or Vista notebook with:

  • 512 MB RAM
  • 250 MB free hard drive space
  • 10/100 base-T ethernet
  • wireless adapter/built in wireless
  • A 10 to 20 foot ethernet cable (not a phone cable)
  • high color (16-bit/thousands of colors) display
  • Latest versions of Firefox / Mozilla, Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator / Communicator, or Safari for the Mac

Also note that the MOR Video segments require a sound card and that headphones should be used in the public labs. Bring a comfortable pair if you plan to listen to audio in the labs.

Networking

NOTE: Modems do not provide ethernet connectivity
and will not connect to MOR review materials!

There is NO modem access to the Colby network. Colby provides a standard 10/100T ethernet network and also a full wireless in all Dorms. If you have not connected your computer to an ethernet network before, we highly recommend that you have either your departmental or hospital tech support verify that you can connect your computer to an ethernet network before you decide to bring it to Maine.

We ask that you make certain your computer can connect to a 10/100T ethernet network. All recent Macintosh computers have built-in ethernet available, but not all Windows computers do. If you do not know if you have an ethernet option installed on your Windows computer please talk with your Hospital or program IT person and ask for help.

Use of Colby College's network and/or computing facilities implies consent with the College's Code of Ethics for Information Technology, whether or not you have read the document. Click here to review it.

Preparation of your computer

Before arrival...

  • All critical updates must be done on your computer.
  • Your virus software updates must be up-to-date.
  • Make a backup of your entire computer, and ensure that you can recover all applications, data, and system software if necessary
  • You should bring your original system software installation disks or cd-roms and installation disks for any accessories and devices you may have.
  • Please take the time to equip and test your computer as indicated prior to arrival.
Maine Orthopaedic Review is not responsible for any data loss incurred by the use of our software.

After arrival...

  • Instructions will be posted here by early May 2009

All computers that do not have their updates and have infections will not be allowed on the network. Technical assistance is available for the duration of the Review. Details on how to obtain assistance will be provided at registration, or email Gene Cornwall at cornwall@ufl.edu anytime.

Operating Systems:

We support modern, popular operating systems such as Mac OS X, Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. Other modern operating systems, such as Linux, flavors of Unix, and older operating systems like Mac OS 9 can be used in a limited manner as they can access the MOR webserved content through any modern web browser. While we cannot provide support for these operating systems, our support team is always willing to try.

Email

Please note that we do not provide support for issues not related to MOR review materials, including email. If you desire to check an existing email account at your home institution while at Colby, please review how to check your email remotely with your email administrator. Alternatively, consider having your email administrator forward your mail to a web-based account, such as hotmail.com or mail.yahoo.com, for the duration of the course.

For More Information

Questions not covered here should be addressed to Gene Cornwall, cornwall@ufl.edu.

We look forward to seeing you in Maine!

William D. Burman, M.D.
Gene Cornwall, M.Ed.