BATON ROUGE SCHOOL OF COURT REPORTING

 

Equipment Recommendations

Laptop Computer

            

Laptop:  PC Compatible (no Macs, please)

Operating System:  Windows 10 Professional is the recommended operating system for use with modern software like Total Eclipse.  Home versions are okay.  (The student version of Total Eclipse, by Advantage Software, Inc., is the computer aided transcription software we recommend and support. )  Macintosh operating systems are not supported. 

Processor: 

Minimum:  Intel i5 (An Intel i5 processor is just right for steno machine writers.)

Recommended (for Voice writers):  Intel i7 or i9

Note:  Students participating in the Voice Writing program will not be happy with the performance of anything lower than an i7 processor.  Voice recognition software is very labor intensive on the CPU.  The Intel Pentium i7 processor is ideal.

RAM: 

Minimum:  8GB (Gigabytes)

Recommended:   16 GB

 

Hardware Ports: 

Serial Port:  Older steno writers typically connect to the laptop PC via a DB9 pin serial port.  Some of the newer laptops do not ship with a serial port as standard equipment.  If your laptop does not have a serial port, you will need to obtain a "serial – to – USB" adapter in order to connect your writer.  A serial to USB adapter can be purchased at electronics stores like Best Buy or Amazon for around $35.00. 

 

USB:  Make sure you have at least one USB port.  A USB hub may be needed to connect multiple USB devices (external mouse, keyboard, writer, etc.) simultaneously. 

 

Internet Access:  Study and practice material is provided to students via our website.  High-speed Internet connectivity from home is recommended.

 

Storage / Drives:

An external backup drive is recommended for backups and storage.  A one Terabyte (1TB) drive should be large enough.

Computer Hard disk:  A minimum size of 250 Gigabytes is recommended. 

Computer Disk Type:  A solid state drive (SSD) is recommended for everyone, especially for voice writers.

 

 

Software Utilities: 

• Anti-Virus:

o        Minimum:  AVG Anti-Virus

o        Recommended:  Webroot SecureAnywhere

•  PDF:  Adobe Reader

Software Productivity: 

• Microsoft Office products, such as Word, Excel and Outlook are recommended.

• Internet Browsers:  Chrome, Edge and Firefox. 

• Total Eclipse computer aided transcription software is available through the BRSCR.

• Note:  A transcriber and foot pedal (with transcription software) will be introduced in your coursework.  You do not need this at the beginning of your studies.