Software

Where can I obtain a license for a specific piece of software?

Some software is available for free via the College's campus agreement site licenses (such as Microsoft Office and EndNote). Other software (such as Mathematica or Adobe Acrobat) must be purchase using project/grant funding. In both cases, you must request the software from a member of DIDE IT. You can read more on the Software page.

Can I install my own software onto my College machine?

You can install software onto your College machine if it is free to download from the internet, or if it is open source software. Any other software can only be installed onto a College machine if it has a license obtained via the College.

You need to be a local administrator of the machine you are using in order to install any software onto it.

What software will be provided on my DIDE machine?

By default, we install the following software onto all machines:

• Microsoft Windows 7
• Microsoft Office 2010
• Symantec Endpoint Protection
• EndNote X4
• Adobe Reader
• WinZip

For Macs, we recommend installing the following software as a minimum requirement:

• Mac OS X
• Microsoft Office 2011
• Symantec Endpoint Protection
• EndNote X4

Can I use software purchased via the College on my personally owned machine?

No, you can only use College purchased software on College machines. You may have a College machine for home use, in which case it is fine to use College licensed software on it.

Can I get any free software to use on my personally owned machine?

Yes, you are able to install Symantec Endpoint Protection (antivirus & antimalware) onto a personal machine to keep it free from viruses. You must register your request with the ICT Software Shop, who will then send you information on how to install it.

Please note that if you leave Imperial College, you must uninstall the software from your personal machine(s).

How do I Register Mathematica?

Wolfram believes that some users of Mathematica in the College are using it without having purchased a legitimate license to use it. Therefore, ICT would like all Mathematica users to register their license with them. 

When you purchase a copy of Mathematica, you must e-mail your MathID and license number to ICT for registration. Your MathID can be found in Mathematica itself, by clicking on Help -> About Mathematica. Click on the System Information button. In the window that appears, the Machine ID is your MathID. Your license number will be on the e-mail confirmation from ICT Software Shop. 

If you have Mathematica on more than one machine, you will need to register the ID’s for all of them, as a single license only covers use on a single machine. 

It is very important that you do this on all machines that you are in possession of.

Where can I get training for Microsoft Office?

If you would like to learn more about the Microsoft Office suite, or any of the individual components (Word, Excel etc.), then you can do so by using the LearningGuide Solutions provided by ICT. You can study at your own pace, and you can get information on specific functions within an Office application (e.g. mail merge in Word) if you prefer.

The LearningGuide Solutions are located here (College login required):

LearningGuide Content for Office 2007

LearningGuide Content for Office 2010 

Windows Vista/7 is reporting that it is not activated/licensed

You may receive an error message in Windows Vista or 7 that it is not properly licensed or that it is not activated. This is especially true for College desktops that you use at home or College laptops that you do not regularly connect to the network/VPN in with.

The reason for the error is because Windows must activate itself with the College's servers at least once every 180 days. To do this you should plug the computer into an active network port in our department and start Windows. It should automatically see the servers and activate after a few minutes. If it is not possible to bring your machine in, then this can also be achieved by activating your VPN connection to either IC or DIDE, and again it should activate itself automatically within a few minutes.

If this does not resolve the issue, please contact a member of DIDE IT for further assistance.

Office 2010 is reporting that it is not activated/licensed

You may receive an error message in Office 2010 that it is not properly licensed or that it is not activated. This is especially true for College desktops that you use at home or College laptops that you do not regularly connect to the network/VPN in with.

The reason for the error is because Office must activate itself with the College's servers at least once every 180 days. To do this you should plug the computer into an active network port in our department and start an Office application (e.g. Word). It should automatically see the servers and activate after a few minutes. If it is not possible to bring your machine in, then this can also be achieved by activating your VPN connection to either IC or DIDE, and again it should activate itself automatically within a few minutes.

If this does not resolve the issue, please contact a member of DIDE IT for further assistance.

How do I renew my SAS license?

The license for SAS must be renewed annually. When SAS notifies you that it is due to expire, you should do the following:

1. Click on Start -> All Programs -> SAS.
2. Windows XP users: Click on Renew SAS Software. Windows Vista/7 users: Right click on Renew SAS Software and choose 'Run As Administrator'.
3. Click on Browse and browse to the location of the renewal license file, as given to you by a member of DIDE IT.
4. Click on Ok at the confirmation screen.
5. Click on the Renew button.
6. Click on Ok at the Success notification prompt.