NEARStar - About NEARStar

To run the NEARStar student software, each student will need to use a computer with Internet connectivity. These are minimum system requirements:

Web	PC	Mac
Internet Connectivity	Internet connection through high-speed cable modem, DSL, T1, or T3	Internet connection through high-speed cable modem, DSL, T1, or T3
Hardware	Pentium 233 Mhz or better, 32 MB RAM, 32 MB free hard disk space 800x600 256-color display Sound card Speakers or headphones	G3 PowerMac or better (e.g., iMac, iBook, G3, G4, PowerBook), 32 MB RAM, 32 MB free hard disk space 800x600 256-color display Sound Card Speakers or headphones
Software	Windows 98, 2000, or XP Internet Explorer 5.0 or later (does not work with Netscape) Flash 6 or later plug-in	Mac OS 9.0 or later Internet Explorer 5.0 or later (does not work with Netscape) Flash 6 or later plug-in

Additional Requirements (for online Teacher Resources)

Software
Quicktime Player
Adobe Acrobat ®
Microsoft Word

Use this list to make sure your school can support the NEARStar program.

Check your Computer Hardware

PC — Select Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information > System Summary. The OS Name should be a variation of Windows 98, 2000, or XP. The Processor should show a MHz rating greater than 233. Total Physical Memory should have a value higher than 32,000 KB.

Mac — Select Apple Menu > Apple System Profiler > System Profile Tab. Mac OS Overview, Finder and System should be 9.0 or higher. Memory Overview (click triangle to see details), built-in memory should be 32 MB or higher. Hardware Overview, Processor Info should show G3 or G4 and Machine speed should be 233 MHz or higher.
Check your Bandwidth Speed

Follow the instructions at http://webservices.cnet.com/bandwidth and look for the connection speed that appears in red. It should be greater than 100 kbps.
Check your Web Browser

Open your Web Browser and look at the very top bar of the browser window. The browser should be identified as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

PC — Select Help > About Internet Explorer. Verify that the version is 5.0 or greater.

Mac — Select Apple Menu > About Internet Explorer. Verify that the version number in the lower left corner is 5.0 or greater.

Downloading — If your browser is not Internet Explorer 5.0 or greater, download and install the latest version for your PC or Mac from www.microsoft.com/downloads.
Check for the Macromedia Flash 6 Player

Click here www.nearstar.org/demo to view our sample lesson. If the sample lesson does not run, you do not have Flash™.

Downloading — If you do not have Macromedia Flash™ Player 6 or greater, install the latest version for your PC or Mac from www.macromedia.com/downloads.