Windows Vitsa is the current operating system for most new PCs. It was released January 30, 2007. It is the successor to Windows XP and predecessor to Windows 7. Windows Vista introduced many new features and a new look & feel of the operating system. The recommended system requirements for Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate are a 1 GHz processor (CPU), 1 GB of system memory, and at least a 40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space. Windows Vista also offers a Home Basic version that has lower system requirements, but removes many features. The actual minimum system requirements for all versions of Windows Vista are a 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of system memory, and a 20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space.

Windows XP is a previous operating system for most PCs. Windows XP was the successor to Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows Me. Its also the predecessor to Windows Vista. The minimum system requirements for Windows XP are a 300 MHz processor, 128 megabytes of RAM, and 1.5 gigabytes of free hard disk space.* Mainstream support for Windows XP ended April 14, 2009. On April 8, 2014, all Windows XP support will end.

Office 2007 is a software package released on January 30, 2007. It is the successor to Office 2003 and the predecessor to Office 2010. The programs packaged with Office 2007 include Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Publisher 2007, Outlook 2007, and Access 2007. The programs provide access to word processing, spreadsheets, database design, email, etc. Office 2007 is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, and any later Windows operating system. The minimum system requirements for Office 2007 are a 500 megahertz (MHz) processor or higher processor (CPU), 256 megabyte (MB) RAM or higher of RAM, 2 GB of free hard disk space, and 1024x768 or higher resolution monitor.

Office 2003 is a software package released on November 17, 2003, it was the successor to Office XP and the predecessor to Office 2007. Programs packaged with Office 2003 include Word 2003, Excel 2003, PowerPoint 2003, Outlook 2003, Access 2003, Publisher 2003, and InfoPath 2003. These programs provide access to word processing, spreadsheets, database design, presentations, etc. Office 2003 is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3), Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008. Office 2003 requires a minimum of 233 megahertz (MHz) processor, 128 MB of RAM, and 400 MB of free hard disk space. Mainstream support for Office 2003 application ended in April 2009 and extended support ends in January 2014.

Visio is an extremely powerful tool that can be used for a plethora of design functions, mostly diagramming. It can be used to create flowcharts, database models, charts and graphs, network diagrams, web site diagrams, floor plans, and more. It does not have anything to do with graphical editing, however. Visio 2007 requires Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later as an operating system. The minimum system requirements for Visio 2007 are a 500 MHz processor, 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM, and 2 GB of free hard disk space.*

Microsoft Project is a professional project development software package. It allows the user to plan projects, document tasks, assign tasks, create graphs and charts (including GANTT and PERT charts), and much more. It creates critical path schedules. With a difficult learning curve, this program is not for small projects or for those who don't wish to invest a lot of time learning how to use the software. Microsoft Project requires Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later as an operating system. The minimum system requirements for Microsoft Project are a 700 megahertz (MHz) processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 1.5 GB of free hard disk space.*

Visual Studio .NET is a programming tool used to write code, mainly in the Microsoft .NET environment. It manages C++, C#, Visual Basic, and other programming languages as well as HTML and CSS. It also provides support for ASP and XML development. Visual Studio 2008 requires Windows XP Service Pack 2 or above or Windows Vista as an operating system. The minimum system requirements for Windows XP are a 1 GHz processor and 384 MB of RAM.* For Windows Vista, the minimum system requirements are a 2.4 GHz processor and 768 MB of RAM.

 

Microsoft Products for Apple's Mac OS X

Office 2008 is a Mac version of Microsoft's popular Office suite. Office 2008 is a successor to Office 2004 for Mac and is the Mac OS X equivalent of Office 2007 for Windows. The program suite was released on January 15, 2008 Programs included with Office 2008 include Word 2008, Excel 2008, Entourage 2008, and PowerPoint 2008. Programs in Office 2004 are capable of word processing, spreadsheet creation and editing, email, and presentation creation and editing. The system for Office 2008 include a 500 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, at least 1.5 GB of free hard disk space, and Mac OS X v10.4.9 or later as an operating system.

Office 2004 is a Mac version of Microsoft's popular Office suite. The program suite was released May 11, 2004. Programs included with Office 2004 include Word 2004, Excel 2004, Entourage 2004, and PowerPoint 2004. The Professional Edition of Office 2004 adds Microsoft Virtual PC. Programs in Office 2004 are capable of word processing, spreadsheet creation and editing, email, presentation creation and editing, and Windows emulation. Support for Office 2004 by Microsoft will end on October 13, 2009.

 

* Note: All recommendations for hardware are based on the Microsoft Corporation’s web site information. The minimum system requirements may not run the software adequately in all cases.

** Note: Outlook is not a campus standard and it is recommended that you do not install it.