What will I need to use the system? A computer that has a high speed (Broadband/ADSL) connection to the internet using Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 or higher. The computer must be running Microsoft Windows 98SE or higher (preferably Windows XP) and can be a standalone machine or attached to a network. We recommend that you use a fast computer to facilitate the speedy uploading and downloading of documentation to the system. You will need an email address and email program - all Microsoft operating systems provide free versions of Outlook Express, which we recommend. You will also need to install a version of Adobe Acrobat that can convert and produce copies of all original and scanned documents in PDF format. This is easily obtained and more detailed advice on these programs and their use will be a feature of the Firsthips site. Firsthips through its associated company Forfront.net, is able to offer advice and internet and email facilities for users who require it.
Apart from a printer (for printing land registry plans and coloured documents, we recommend a colour laser that are quite cheap these days) you will also need a scanner to scan in individual documents for uploading to the system, although our objective is to have the majority of documents available to complete online. There are some fairly sophisticated models available for just a few hundred pounds that come complete with file management scanning software and automatic document feeders, and we can help with advice and installation if necessary. Firsthips will be able to offer a scanning service but we would urge you to get your own scanner as there will be the need to scan and send documents across the system as the transaction progresses. The majority of documentation will be in industry standard Adobe PDF format, readers for which are freely available.
PDF Documents The Firsthips system uses electronic documents in Portable Document Format (PDF).
To view PDF documents you will need the free PDF reader from the Adobe website.
To create PDF documents you will need to buy Adobe Acrobat Standard or Adobe Acrobat Professional
Alternatively you can use the free PDF creator
You will also need a scanner to convert paper documents to electronic PDFs. We recommend that you consult your IT consultant and consider the volume of scanning you anticipate.