Access to the School's computing services

A Windows PC can access many Informatics computing services:

Windows licences (and other Microsoft software)

If your desktop or laptop was purchased by the School, it may already be licensed to run Windows. If so, it should have a Microsoft licence label somewhere on the case giving details of the Windows version for which it is licensed.

If your machine doesn't have a Windows licence, or you want to run a different Windows operating system, you will need to obtain a Windows licence. Microsoft Licensing explains how to get Windows licences.

All students and staff in Informatics can download a variety of Microsoft software - take a look at the Microsoft Licensing page for details.

Anti-virus software

The University recommends Windows anti-virus software to help you protect your home and work desktop PCs from being infected with malware.

Backups

If you keep University files on your computer, you should make backup copies of them, in case your computer breaks or is lost. We run a network backups service.

Further Information

You can find out how to use Informatics services from Windows by choosing the Windows topic from the Choose a topic option in the right sidebar on this page. The self-managed topic might also be of interest.

Last reviewed: 
18/07/2025