CE 6 Browser Requirements

CE 6 has very specific browser requirements:

You must use a web browser validated for CE 6.
You must have an approved version of Java Runtime Environment installed and enabled.
You must disable any pop-up blockers or add the CE 6 web address as an allowed site.
You must have JavaScript enabled.

For Windows OS:
Browser Versions	Validated	Unsupported
Microsoft IE	6 SP1 & SP2; 7
Netscape	7.2	8
AOL	9
Mozilla	1.7.x	1.5, 1.6
Firefox	1.0.x, 1.5.x

For Mac OS:
Browser Versions	Validated	Unsupported
Mozilla	1.7.x (OS X only)	Browsers running under Mac OS 9 and earlier; Firefox 1.5, Mozilla 1.5 and 1.6.
Firefox	1.0.x (OS X only)
Safari	1.2, 1.3, 2.x; and 2.x for Intel x86 platform

If you think you may have a problem with your web browser, try logging into CE 6 from a different computer. If all computers in your house have a problem connecting, it is probably a home network configuration issue. If only one computer in your house has a problem connecting, it's probably a problem with the web browser on that computer. Use the Browser Check feature of CE 6 to troubleshoot the problem.

If the Browser Check window doesn't open, you will see this warning about pop-up blockers.

People often add additional “plug-ins” to their browsers such as the Yahoo! Toolbar, the Google Toolbar, etc. These can interfere with the use of your browser for CE 6. You may be able to correct a browser problem by disabling or removing a plug-in.
If your computer has firewalls or port blockers installed for security reasons, these should be configured so that http://online2.fiu.edu is a trusted site. Note: you may have several firewalls installed on your computer: Windows firewall, Norton Antivirus firewall, etc. You will have to allow access in all your firewalls. Don't leave them disabled. Instead, get help to identify the problem and properly configure that program.

CE 6 automatically checks to see if your computer is properly set up when you log in. (You can also click the Check Browser link on the log-in page.) This is the easiest way to see if your browser is set up correctly for CE 6. You will see the Browser Check Results window as shown below.

You can run the Browser Check now if you prefer by clicking here. Scroll down the window to ensure that your browser has "passed" all aspects of the browser check. Green check marks are good; red crosses indicate a problem. If any requirements are marked with red crosses, click on the Step-by-Step Instructions to Properly Configure Your Browser link and follow the instructions.

CE 6 uses the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for many features, so Java-related problems can affect your ability to use CE 6 tools. There are three steps to setting up Java correctly:

Install the correct version of Java for CE 6: Java 2 Runtime Environment version 1.5.0_07 (Sun Microsystems Inc.)
Remove all other versions of Java from your computer.
Turn off Java automatic update.

TO REMOVE JAVA 2 VERSION 1.6 (JRE6) FROM YOUR COMPUTER:

Click Start
Select Settings
Select Control Panel
Double click the Add/Remove Programs control panel icon
The Add/Remove control panel displays a list of software on your system, including any Java software products that are on your computer.
Select Java Runtime Environment 6 by clicking on it.
Click the Remove button.
If there are other versions of Java listed, it is recommended that you delete them all and reinstall to be sure.
Go to the java.com for JRE 5.0 web page to get the correct version of Java or follow the instructions below.

TO REINSTALL JAVA 2 VERSION 1.5 (JRE5) ON YOUR COMPUTER:

Go to http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/5.0_07/index.html
Click Download JRE (make sure you don't click JDK!)
Click the button next to Accept License Agreement
Click Windows Online Installation (typical download size is ~7.1MB), Multi-language.
A dialog box will open: File Download
Click Save.
A dialog box will open: Save As
Choose the folder location.
(Save the file to a known location on your computer, for example, to your desktop).
Click Save.
A dialog box will open: Save As
You may be asked: "File jre-1_5_0_(version)-windows-i586-p-iftw.exe already exists. Do you want to replace it?"
Click Yes.
Verify that the:
Name of the file is jre-1_5_0_(version)-windows-i586-p-iftw.exe
Size is approximately 237 KB.
Close all applications including the browser.

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Turn Off Automatic Java Updates

Log into Blackboard. This will cause the Java icon, , to appear in the windows system tray at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
Right click on the icon and select Open Control Panel from the list of options.
Click the "Update" tab and uncheck the box labeled "Check for Updates Automatically."
A box will appear asking if you want to "check monthly" for updates or "never check." Select Never Check.
Click OK.

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