Introduction

To make the best use of your online courses you will need certain tools, such as an up-to-date web browser or a media player. This Browser Test contains a few quick tests to make sure your browser can handle the demands of online learning. You are encouraged to download the latest version of your browser, as well as other popular software useful for online teaching and learning.

Download

Download the latest version of your browser:

• Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1
• Internet Explorer 7
• Firefox
• Opera
• Safari

Some browsers have specific problems with how they run tools in Blackboard. See Blackboard & Browsers for more information.

Enabling Cookies

If Blackboard or Webboard login pages are not allowing you access, it may be that your browser is not set to enable cookies. Follow thses instructions to enable cookies in your browser:

Internet Explorer

• In the main browser tool bar, click on Tools, drag down to Internet Options
• Select the Security Tab on the menu bar. Your Security level should be medium or less to allow cookies. The Default IE setting allows cookies. If you have a custom setting, select the Custom button, scroll down to Cookies and make sure the the radio button next to Enable is filled in.

Netscape

• In the main browser tool bar, click on Edit, drag down to Preferences
• Select Advanced. Be sure to click on the word itself not the plus sign. When you click, an Advanced menu box will be displayed on the right in the gray area. The second section bottom right has a heading titled "Cookies." Make sure that you have a check in the radio box next to "Accept all cookies."

Firefox

• From the top menu bar, click Tools and then Options.
• The General tab should be chosen already. Click the Privacy tab.
• Click the plus sign (+) before the word Cookies. This will expand the Cookies options.
• Select the Allow sites to set cookies check box.

Java

Do you see the scrolling menu?

 

• If you see a grey box above, wait a few more seconds and a scrolling menu should soon appear.
• If you do not see the Java applet, check your browser options/preferences to be sure that Java is enabled.
• Download the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment.

JavaScript

Do you see the current time?

• If you can see the current time, then JavaScript is enabled in your browser.
• If you cannot see the current time, it may be that JavaScript has been disabled in your browser. Follow these instructions to enable JavaScript in your browser.
• JavaScript must be enabled to access the Blackboard Learning System.

Real™ Media

Can you hear this hear the Audio/Video lecture?

RealOne files are often used to stream audio and video over the Internet. To play these files, you will need the ealOne Player. If you have a RealOne player, you should be able to see and hear the Com 333 lecture below.

Com 333 Audio/Video Lecture

• If you can not hear the audio message, then download the free RealOne Player.
  Note: You will need to fill out a form prior to downloading the file. Be careful, Real sells other versions of their player. You want the totally free player. 
• RealPlayer Connection Troubleshooting
• Customer Support - Uninstalling and reinstalling RealPlayer

Flash Animation Test

Do you see the flash (.swf) animated image?

If not, download the latest version of Macromedia Flash.

Animated Gif Test

Do you see this picture (.gif) animation?

If you can't see the image change from UIS to OTEL, then it's time for a new browser. 

Download the latest version of Netscape, Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera.

Adobe Reader

Check to see if you can open a Adobe pdf document.

ReadMe.pdf

If you cannot open the .pdf document, you will need to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

Impatica for PowerPoint

Impatica for PowerPoint converts a PowerPoint lecture into a compressed format that is optimized for streaming over the Internet. The Impatica file is typically 95% smaller than the PowerPoint HTML files.

To view IMPATICA FOR POWERPOINT presentations, you need a Java-enabled browser. To make your browser Java-enabled, download the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for free from: java.com

Click here to view an Impatica for Powerpoint Presentation in a new window.

If you only see a gray box with a red X in the corner or a blank screen, the most likely reason is that you do not have Java installed on your computer. You can download and install Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE) at http://www.java.com

Another possible cause for this behavior is that you do not have Java enabled on your computer. To verify if this is the case, do the following in Internet Explorer:

• Select the Tools Menu -> Internet Options -> Advanced Tab
• Once you are in the Advanced Tab of the Internet Options dialog box, scroll down to the setting for: Microsoft VM.
• To enable the Microsoft VM check the "JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled" checkbox, this requires a restart of the browser, not the computer.

Other Frequently Asked Questions About Impatica Products are listed here.

You have completed the browser test!

Visit the Useful Links & Downloads page to download the latest versions of the most popular Internet software:

• web browsers - Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera
• media players - Real Player, Windows Media Player, Quicktime
• and readers - Adobe Acrobat Reader, PowerPoint

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