IT services for schools/departments

Supporting the provision of IT facilities for schools and departments.

Installing a staff laptop on the network

Options for setting up a laptop bought by the University

    Laptop Build Service

    Preparing staff laptops for easy access to Kent resources
    • Who the service is for: staff with laptops purchased by the University (new and existing laptops with a high enough specification). It is not for personal laptops.
    • What it offers: your laptop will be prepared for use at Kent with the installation of operating system updates and core software; it is then easier for helpdesk to support later on.
    • Cost: £25 per hour (usually the full build costs £25 - £50 depending on the make/model and additional software required).
    • To apply: submit a laptop build request.
    • Ongoing support: support is charged per job at a rate of £25 per hour (this is different from a Staff Managed Desktop where a maintenance agreement is available).

    More details of the Service: what we will do

    • upgrade the operating system to Microsoft Windows 7 (unless it is pre-installed with Vista or XP and you request that this remains).
    • install core software and anti-virus protection, including: Office 2010 or Office 2007; Quicktime Player; Adobe Reader; Windows Media Player; Adobe Shockwave; Adobe Flash; RealAlternative; Windows update; Java Runtime; Putty; Divx; Microsoft Forefront Client Security (anti-virus software). Optional software available: RefWorks Cite and Write and Mozilla Firefox.
    • configure the laptop to connect to the University domain, so that a Kent IT account username and password can be used to log onto the PC. This means that you will not be prompted for credentials when using network shared drives or printers.
    • provide an administrator username and password for the laptop, and on request grant administrator access to specific Kent users.
    • configure connection to the Kent Wireless Service (Eduroam) and Home VPN service.
    • install Windows Updates, security patches, and set it to automatically install future updates.
    • install the SMS client on the laptop (this is currently only supported on XP and Vista). This will allow us to provide additional software and updates in the future when connected to the Kent network.
    • provide an explanation of what has been done including details of settings and logins.

    Contact helpdesk if you have any further queries:

    Email: helpdesk@kent.ac.uk
    Phone: (01227 82) 4888