The following instructions are designed for users who are having problems viewing all or part of their web course or the Independent Study Web site.
These items are in order of importance, so if you have success, you do not need to continue with the subsequent steps.
Verify that you have the most recent version of your Internet web browser. For the Internet Explorer browser, you do this by clicking on the menu item: Help -> About Internet Explorer. This should bring up a small window with quite a bit of information. Look for something that says "Version:"; if the version number begins with "6.0" or higher, then you have the most current version. If not, please update your browser at the following link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp
We recommend and support only Microsoft Internet Explorer (preferred) and Mozilla Firefox (you can get the latest version of Firefox at ). If you are using another browser (such as AOL or MSN), please use one of the FREE recommended browser options.
The following instructions are specifically for Internet Explorer. Similar actions can be taken with other browsers. Consult the help documentation associated with your browser.
On your Internet Explorer browser window, click on Tools -> Internet Options, and perform the following tasks (please note that across the top of the Internet Options window that you opened, there are several tabs: "General", "Security", etc…):
Delete Cookies, Temporary Files, and History:
Click OK to exit out of the "Internet Options" little window, restart your computer.- Go to the "General" tab
- Click "Delete Cookies" -> OK
- Click "Delete Files…" -> (check the box that says "delete all offline content") -> OK (this only deletes accumulated temporary files used for web browsing)
- Click "Settings…" -> (mark the box that says "Every Visit To Page") -> OK (this might cause slower web browsing on Dial-up connections)
- Click "Clear History" -> Yes
Add IS Web site to list of trusted sites- Go to the "Security" tab
- Click the "Trusted sites" (green checkmark) icon.
- Click the "Sites…" button located on the right.
- In the new little window that comes up, UNCHECK the box at the bottom that says "Require server verification . . "
- Then in the top text box type: ce.byu.edu
- Click Add -> OK -> Apply -> OK.
Set medium cookie acceptance level- Go to the "Privacy" tab
- Verify that the level is set to "medium" or lower.
Restore original browser settings- Go to the "Advanced" tab.
- Click "Restore Defaults."
- Click Apply.
Next, we need to verify that any types of Internet Security, pop-up blocking, or Internet Filtering Software are not interfering with your viewing of Independent Study Web pages.
- You can often check to see if you have one of these programs running by holding your mouse over various icons in your "system tray." The "system tray" is located on your start bar, usually near the time clock. Holding your mouse over each icon should bring up a little text box that says what that icon is. These small icons correspond to different applications that are running "in the background" of your computer. Common harmless icons that are in the System Tray include: "Volume," "Local Area Connection" and internet chatting software. Other programs in this tray could be responsible for your inability to use the Independent Study Web site, as well as other sites on the Web.*
Please hold your mouse over the icons previously discussed, and if any of the icons resemble the descriptions below, follow the corresponding instructions.
- Icon: INTERNET SECURITY/PERSONAL FIREWALL. These icons often are from companies like "Norton" or "McAfee," among others.
- The main problem most students run into with internet security software or firewalls are their built in pop-up or ad blockers. Pop-up blockers insert JavaScript on every page you visit on the internet. Sometimes this JavaScript can affect how the pages are displayed. We recommend turning the pop-up blocking off. Generally you can do this by double clicking on the icon in your system tray and looking for the preferences or settings of your particular program. If you are not sure how to change the settings, consult the help documentation associated with your particular program
- Another reason for having trouble with your course when you have these types of programs installed is called Script blocking. Our courses use advanced JavaScript in order to make them more interactive and usable. The JavaScript used in our courses does not violate your privacy or security. If your internet security or firewall is set to block Scripts, you will need to change this setting in order for your course to work properly.
- After disabling or changing settings in your security software, you will need to clear your temporary internet files and cookies and restart your Internet browser. Refer to the Configure Web Browser section for instructions on clearing your temporary internet files and cookies.
- Icon: POP-UP BLOCKER. Running this software will often create problems with Independent Study Courses. Disable it in a similar fashion as the instructions above for internet security software.
- Icon: INTERNET FILTERING SOFTWARE (popular software: CyberSitter, NetNanny). We assure you that the content provided on each course for Independent Study is appropriate for the subject matter. Often certain strict settings and added features on such software can create problems with Independent Study Courses. Most filtering software allows you to specify "trusted" or "allowable" sites. Please add our site "ce.byu.edu" to this list to make sure your filter is not blocking our courses.
- Icon: FIREWALL. (Please see first step above)
- Icon: Anything that appears to be modifying the way you use the Internet. There are countless applications that are used for viewing the Internet in a certain way. It is very important to understand WHAT these programs are doing and what effect they have on your computer.
- Often, certain problems with Independent Study courses come from the disabling of "JavaScript" capabilities of an Internet Browser. JavaScript is merely a way for a web page to display content in a much more interactive way. You can verify if JavaScript is working correctly on your browser by going to the following link: If you see that JavaScript is not functioning, Restart your computer, and disable again all possible programs that could be interfering with your web browser. If you still cannot view JavaScript, please go to the Switch Browsers section below.
If you are using Microsoft Windows, verify that you have installed all the necessary updates to your Windows operating system. You can check this by going to:
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp
Click on "Scan For Updates" and if there are any to install, please follow the instructions. If you are current in your updates, "Critical Updates and Service Packs" on the left hand side will show a "(0)" next to it. If the link did not take you anywhere, just go to http://www.windowsupdate.com. After installing all updates, restart your computer. (Again, printing out these instructions would be useful at this point. Click here to print this page. If this link does not work, click File->Print...)
Check to make sure that you have the most recent version of Macromedia Flash Player (currently version 7): Please go to
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash
(If this link does not take you there, just go to http://www.flash.com , and follow the instructions to install Macromedia Flash Player.)
If you have reached this point without success and have not restarted your computer, please do so now. Please make sure to disable the features as described in Adjust or Disable Interfering Software following the restart.
If you still have not had success, please try Netscape Navigator (or switch to Internet Explorer, if you have not been using it). You can obtain the most recent version of Navigator at: http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp or the most recent version of Internet Explorer at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp.
Independent Study Technical Support-updated April 15th, 2004
*(NOTE: During this process, we may ask you to disable certain programs that handle such issues as security, pop-ups and internet content. The settings that we suggest will change the way you view information on the internet and how your computer deals with security issues. While these options often do not produce undesired results, please consult the documentation that accompanies your software to verify how to successfully use it. The settings we suggest are meant ONLY to be used with the BYU Independent Study Web site and associated courses.)