PC Troubleshooting Steps
This FAQ is designed to help PC users to go through various troubleshooting steps to allow them to view the FerrisConnect Learn/Vista sites appropriately.
• Compatible Browsers
• Check Windows Version
• Check Firefox Version
• Uninstalling Firefox o Windows XP o Windows Vista/7
• Installing Firefox
• Firefox Auto Update
• Check Internet Explorer Version
• Uninstalling Internet Explorer
• Internet Explorer Auto Update
• Java Version Check o Windows XP o Windows Vista/7
• Removing Java Version
• Installing Correct Java Version x86 Java Auto Update option
• x64 Java Auto Update option
• Clearing Firefox Cache
• Clearing Internet Explorer Cache
• Clearing Java Cache
Compatible Browsers
Some web browsers have issues running FerrisConnect properly. If you are having problems with FerrisConnect, you may be using a web browser that does not support it.
The following web browsers support FerrisConnect:
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Internet Explorer® 8 Internet Explorer 7 Firefox® 3.6 Firefox 3.5
Windows® XP (32-bit) Compatible Unsupported Compatible Compatible Windows Vista® (32-bit) Certified Compatible Certified Compatible Windows Vista (64-bit) Compatible Compatible Compatible Compatible Windows 7 (32-bit) Certified Unsupported Certified Compatible Windows 7 (64-bit) Compatible Unsupported Compatible Compatible
Apple® Mac OS® Operating System
Safari® 5.0 Safari 4 Safari 3.2 Firefox 3.6 Firefox 3.5
Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard®" Provisional Certified Compatible Compatible Compatible Mac OS 10.6 "Snow Leopard®" Provisional Certified Unsupported Certified Compatible Certified: fully tested and supported.
Compatible: partially tested but should function properly.
Provisional: future technologies considered supported by Blackboard Support.
Unsupported: either impossible or not tested.
Checking Your Browser Compatibility
1. Go to the MyFSU login page at http://myfsu.ferris.edu/cp/home/loginf.
2. Enter your MyFSU username and password in the appropriate boxes. Click Login.
3. Click the FerrisConnect icon at the upper, right-hand corner of the page.
4. Click the Check Browser link located in the upper, right-hand corner of the page
5. After the browser check has finished running, you should see the following page.
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Check Windows Version
If you are unsure about which operating system you are using, then please follow these steps to find out what operating system is installed.
1. Hold down the Windows Logo key and press the Pause/Break key on the Keyboard.
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2. In the new windows that opens look for a section that is labeled “System” or “Windows edition”. These sections will inform you which Windows Operating System is installed.
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Check Firefox Version
1. Open Firefox.
2. Select Help and then About Mozilla Firefox.
3. The window that opens will display the version of Firefox that is currently installed.
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Uninstalling Firefox
Currently Mozilla Firefox 4 is not a supported browser for FerrisConnect. Please do not install it and if you have already installed it, please follow the instructions below to remove it from your computer and then install the approved version for FerrisConnect usage.
If you are unsure of which version Windows you are currently using click here.
Instructions for Windows XP
To uninstall Mozilla Firefox 4 or higher:
1. Click the Start button
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Double-click on the Add or Remove Programs icon.
4. Wait while the list of programs installed is populated. Once it is populated, scroll down and left- click on Mozilla Firefox to select it. The version installed may not be the same as shown.
5. Click on the Remove button on the right side.
6. The Mozilla Firefox Uninstall wizard window appears. Click Next.
7. Most likely you will be installing Firefox 3.6.17, so you will want to leave the “Remove my Firefox personal data and customizations” checkbox unchecked. Click the Uninstall button.
8. To complete Click the Finish button
Click here for the Mozilla Firefox 3.6.17 installation instructions.
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Instructions for Windows Vista/7
The following instructions are specifically for Windows 7, but should be very closely related to Windows Vista as well.
1. Click the Start Orb.
2. Type “Programs and Features” in the Search Programs and Files box.
3. Click on Programs and Features under the Control Panel heading
4. Wait for the list of programs installed to populate. Once the list is populated, scroll down the list and find Mozilla Firefox. Right-click on it and select Uninstall.
5. This will launch the Mozilla Firefox Uninstall wizard. Click Next to continue.
6. Most likely you will be installing Firefox 3.6.17, so you will want to leave the “Remove my Firefox personal data and customizations” checkbox unchecked. Click the Uninstall button.
7. Click the Finish button.
Click here for the Mozilla Firefox 3.6.17 installation instructions.
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Installing Firefox
The following instructions are for any version of Microsoft Windows.
1. Click here to download the installer for Mozilla Firefox 3.6.17
2. Save the file to the desktop, or any other location just remember where it was saved to.
3. Once the file has been downloaded double-click on it.
4. If you are running Windows 7 or Windows Vista and you have User Account Control enabled, please click Yes when the User Account Control window appears.
5. Click Next in the Mozilla Firefox Setup window.
6. Leave the default setup type “Standard” selected, unless you are comfortable working with the
“Custom” options. Click Next.
7. If you want to use Mozilla Firefox as you default web browser, click Install. If not , uncheck the
“Use Firefox as my default web browser” checkbox and then click Install.
8. Click the Finish button to complete the installation.
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Firefox Auto Update
In order to avoid future issues it is best to disable the automatic update of Mozilla Firefox.
1. Open Firefox
2. Click the Tools menu and then select Options.
3. Click on the Advanced button
4. Click the Update Tab
5. Verify that the Firefox checkbox under Automatically check for updates to: is Not Checked
6. Click OK to save settings.
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Check Internet Explorer Version
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click the Help Menu then Select About Internet Explorer
3. The window that appears will show the current version of Internet Explorer installed.
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Uninstalling Internet Explorer
Currently Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) is not a supported browser for FerrisConnect. Please do not install it and if you have already, you may want to uninstall it.
Note: After IE9 has been uninstalled, the previously installed version of IE will be available on your computer and it is not necessary to reinstall.
IE9 is only available for Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
1. Click the Start Orb
2. Type “Programs and Features” in the Search Programs and Files box.
3. Click on Programs and Features under the Control Panel Heading.
4. Click View installed updates in the left pane.
5. Under Uninstall an update, scroll down to the Microsoft Windows section.
6. Right-click Windows Internet Explorer 9 and click Uninstall.
7. When prompted, click Yes.
8. Click one of the following:
o Restart Now (to finish the process of uninstalling IE9, and restore the previous version of Internet Explorer) (Recommended).
o Restart Later (to wait until you shut down or restart your computer manually).
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Internet Explorer Auto Update
In order to avoid future issues it is best to disable the automatic update of Mozilla Firefox.
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options
3. Click on the Advanced tab and verify that “Automatically check for Internet Explorer updates”
within the Browsing section is unchecked.
4. Click Ok to save changes if needed.
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Java Version Check
If you are unsure of which version Windows you are currently using click here.
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista
1. Open up the Control Panel Via the Start Menu.
a. If Control Panel is in “Category Mode”, on the left side of the window click “Switch to Classic View”
2. Double click the Java Icon
3. Go to the Java tab and under Java Application Runtime Settings, click “View…”
4. This window tells the user which version(s) of Java are installed.
5. It is recommended that “1.6.0_17” is the only version installed.
a. NOTE: if there are multiple versions of Java installed AND 1.6.0_17 is listed. Then a quick and temporary remedy would be to uncheck all of the boxes on the right except for the
one belonging to 1.6.0_17. If the user is a user of Kronos at Ferris State University make sure to leave 1.6.0_5 enabled.
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Instructions for Windows 7
1. Open up the Control Panel via the Start Orb
a. If Control Panel is in Category mode, click Category in the “View by:” heading in the upper right corner. Switch to either Small or Large Icons view.
2. Click the Java Icon
3. Click the Java tab in the window that appeared and click the “View…” button under Java Runtime Environment Settings.
4. This window tells the user which version(s) of java are installed.
5. It is recommended that “1.6.0_17” is the only version installed.
a. NOTE: if there are multiple versions of Java installed AND 1.6.0_17 is listed. Then a quick and temporary remedy would be to uncheck all of the boxes on the right except for the one belonging to 1.6.0_17. If the user is a user of Kronos at Ferris State University make sure to leave 1.6.0_5 enabled.
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Removing Java Version
1. Open up Control Panel via the Start Menu.
2. Open up "Add/Remove Programs" on Windows XP or "Programs and Features" on Windows Vista/7
3. Scroll down the list and click Remove for any entries that start with Java that are not desired.
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Installing Correct Java Version
• By downloading Java you acknowledge that you have read and accepted the terms of the end user license agreement
• Follow this link to download Java 1.6 update 17 To Top
x86 Java Auto Update option
In order to avoid future issues it is best to disable the automatic update of Java.
1. Open up Control Panel via the Start Menu.
2. Select the Java Icon
3. Click on the Update tab and uncheck the Check for Updates Automatically.
4. Click Ok
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x64 Java Auto Update option
In order to avoid future issues it is best to disable the automatic update of Java.
1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Browse to the drive where you install software. In most cases this is the C:\
3. Double Click on Program Files(x86) 4. Double Click on Java
5. Double Click on jre6 6. Double Click on bin
7. Right-click on javacpl.exe and select Run as Administrator.
8. Click Yes that you want to allow the following program to make changes to your computer.
9. Click the Update tab and uncheck Check for Updates Automatically.
10. A warning screen may appear. Click Never Check.
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Clearing Firefox Cache
1. Open Firefox if it is not already.
2. Click the Tools menu and then select Options.
3. Click on the Privacy button and then click on “clear your recent history”
4. In the Clear Recent History window change the Time Range to Clear: to “Everything”.
5. Expand the Details section and verify that Cache is checked.
6. Click OK and click Ok to exit back to the browser.
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Clearing Internet Explorer Cache
1. Open Internet Explorer if it is not already.
2. Click the Tools menu then Internet Options.
3. In the General Tab under Browsing history Click Delete
4. Verify that Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, and History are all checked and click Delete.
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Clearing Java Cache
1. Open up Control Panel via the Start Menu/Start Orb.
2. Select the Java Icon
3. Under the General tab in the Temporary Internet Files click the Settings… button.
4. In the Temporary Files Settings window click the Delete Files… button
5. Click Ok in the Delete Temporary Files window after verifying that all options are checked.
6. Click OK until you are back at the Control Panel.
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