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Recommended Browsers
For Blackboard
courses, we recommend that you use
- Internet Explorer (IE) version 5.0
or higher
- Netscape Navigator version 4.5 or
higher (version 6.0 not
recommended)
- Netscape Communicator version 4.5
or higher (version 6.0 not
recommended)
- In addition you may need to check
your browser.
If you use America Online (AOL) for
Web access, you will need the AOL version 4.0 or higher
client and the Internet Explorer 5.0 browser. Do not use
earlier versions of the AOL client with earlier versions of
Internet Explorer, as you will have difficulty accessing
many of Blackboard features. Do not use MSN or Juno
browsers. If MSN or Juno is your ISP, logon to your ISP and
open Internet Explorer or Netscape.
Preparing Your
Computer Settings for Blackboard
Students and faculty can access the
Blackboard platform through a web browser such as Netscape
or Internet Explorer. The Blackboard software you will use
resides on a TWU Blackboard server (a central host
computer). However, you will also use other applications
that reside on your own computer, such as word processing
programs or HTML editors. You will want to be sure that your
computer's settings are optimized for running a Blackboard
course. This means that you will need to enable Java and set
the cache to reload every time.
For best results with
AOL:
- Connect to the Internet using AOL
version 4.0 or higher
- Open a private chat within AOL
(this allows the AOL client to remain open, without asking
if you wish to disconnect while minimized)
- Minimize AOL
- Launch a recommended browser
Hardware Requirements:
|
Hardware \ Platform |
Apple Macintosh |
Microsoft Windows |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
Minimum |
Recommended |
|
Operating System |
MacOS 8.6 |
MacOS X 10.2 Jaguar |
98
SE or ME or NT4 w/SP6 |
2000 or XP |
|
Processor Speed/Type |
300 MHz PowerPC G3 processor |
800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor, or better |
400 MHz Intel Pentium II processor, or equivalent |
800 MHz Intel Pentium III processor, or
equivalent/better |
|
CPU Memory |
64
MB of RAM |
256 MB of RAM |
64
MB of RAM |
256 MB of RAM |
|
Monitor Resolution |
800 x 600 |
1024 x 768 |
800 x 600 |
1024 x 768 |
|
Internet Connection |
56
kbps Dialup Modem |
Any high-speed connection (e.g. Cable Broadband or
DSL) |
56
kbps Dialup Modem |
Any high-speed connection (e.g. Cable Broadband or
DSL) |
|
Free Hard Disk Space |
100 MB |
500 MB or greater |
100 MB |
500 MB or greater |
|
Audio (Sound) Card |
16-bit sound card |
24-bit sound card |
16-bit sound card |
24-bit sound card |
|
Video Card |
Virtual memory turned on and allocated to at least 64
MB |
Virtual memory turned on and allocated to at least 128
MB |
16
MB VRAM with 65,000 colors or 16-bit |
64
MB VRAM with True Color (24-bit or 32-bit) |
Enable Java
|
Netscape
Communicator (Navigator 4.05 and higher) |
- Select Edit >Preferences
- Select Advanced
- Make sure the Enable Java
and Enable JavaScript boxes are checked
- Click OK
|
|
Internet
Explorer 4.0 and higher |
- Select
Tools >
Internet Options
- Select the Advanced tab
- Locate Microsoft VM
- Make sure the Java console
enabled and Java logging enabled boxes are
checked
- Click OK
- Restart your computer if you
checked the Java console enabled box
|
Set Cache to Always Reload a Page
|
Netscape
Communicator (Navigator 4.5 and higher) |
- Select
Edit >
Preferences
- Click the + sign next to
Advanced to see more options
- Select Cache
- Select the Every Time
radio button at the bottom
- Click OK
|
|
Internet
Explorer 4.0 and higher |
- Select Tools >
Internet Options
- Select the General tab
- Select Settings from
Temporary Internet Files
- Select the Every Visit to
the Page radio button
- Click OK
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