At this time, MCAD's academic environment is primarily focused on Apple equipment. Undergraduate students are provided with MacBook Pros and most lab computers are iMacs. There are a number of systems that are not as easily accessible from a Windows computer as from a Mac. However, in most cases, there are workarounds that will allow you to do most of what you need to do on campus with a Windows computer, if needed. This article gives an overview of some issues you may run into and how to address them.
Wifi:
The MCAD wireless network is a large secure network using a certificate that works most smoothly with Mac computers. You'll need to follow a number of extra steps outlined in this article about connecting to the WiFi from a Windows computer, including downloading a small plugin and adding the network manually. If you have issues with this, please contact helpdesk@mcad.edu or stop by our office with your laptop. For desktop computers and laptops that are mainly used in your room, we strongly recommend using an Ethernet cable to plug into the network port located in your room.
Printing:
While the standard Papercut print client does not run on Windows computers, there are still ways you can use the printers in the Service Bureau and other public locations around campus. You can install printers using the Mobility Print client for Windows computers. For access to the widest range of Service Bureau printers and features, you can email files directly to sbureau@mcad.edu for simple jobs or submit a print order for more complex ones, or you can transfer your file to a lab computer in the Service Bureau and print directly from there.
Server Access:
The MCAD academic servers (such as the Class server, Animation server and Studio server) use a protocol that Windows computers need the help of a small program called an SFTP client in order to access. Please see our article with instructions on connecting to a server from a Windows computer.
Software:
The Adobe Creative Cloud apps can be installed and licensed on Windows computers without issues by following the general steps outlined in this article. Many other programs used at MCAD are availabe for Windows computers as well; however, we do not currently offer a license for the Windows versions of Microsoft Office products.
Other options:
There are faculty and student laptop kits containing MacBooks provided by the Media Center that can be reserved through our equipment reservation system. The lab computers are also a great resource. Please contact helpdesk@mcad.edu with any further questions or issues.