bar.gif (1462 bytes)Blackboard Browser Issuesbar.gif (1462 bytes)

If you are unable to use Blackboard at all, and you have tried following the instructions for "enrolling" in your Blackboard class on the documention noted on the Blackboard Information for Students page, you should make sure that your web browser is compatible. First, check this browser compatibility table below supplied by Blackboard themselves as part of their release notes for our current version of Blackboard. It is a matrix of operating systems and the web browsers that are compatible with Blackboard.

If this does not help, check other common issues, below. Also, note that there are some Internet Explorer Version 7 solutions, especially with the text box editor, and some steps to take for Windows users on the new Vista operating system.

 
Windows® Operating Systems
Mac® Operating Systems****
2000**
XP
10.2
10.3
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® Web Browsers
5.2
N/A
N/A
C
checkmark
5.5
C
C
N/A
N/A
6.0
checkmark
checkmark
N/A
N/A
Netscape® and Mozilla® Web Browsers
NS 4.78
C
C
C
C
NS 7.1***
C
C
C
C
Firefox 1.0.x***
checkmark
checkmark
C
C
Apple® Safari® Web Browsers
1.0
N/A
N/A
C
N/A
1.1
N/A
N/A
N/A
C
1.2
N/A
N/A
N/A
checkmark

KEY
checkmark Certified - fully tested and supported
C Compatible - key application areas tested
N/A Not tested - specified Browser is not supported for the Operating System

All configurations marked as Compatible have undergone a limited engineering analysis to test areas of Blackboard that may have browser issues. The Visual Text Box Editor (a toolbar usually seen in the Discussion Board that allows one to bold and italicize type as well as change text in other ways) is only available to users with Microsoft Internet Explorer running on Windows Operating Systems.

**  Microsoft Windows 2000 supported configurations are considered compatible when run on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME.

***  Gecko is the shared rendering engine at the heart of the Firefox 1.0.x, Netscape 7.1 and Mozilla 1.5 browsers, which are all considered compatible browsers. Only Firefox has undergone testing that qualifies it as Certified.

****  The Safari Web browser and the Gecko browsers for Mac do not currently fully support the Live Connect technology used by some features in Blackboard. The Equation Editor, Collaboration tool and SCORM Content type may experience issues when these browsers are used.

The number one rule of thumb is: do NOT use AOL's proprietary browser, or in fact any proprietary browser that may have come with your Internet setup or from your Internet Service Provider. Generally, the latest versions of Internet Explorer or Firefox work best. Note that several versions of browsers are "compatible" but not fully "certified" at this point.

Other common things to check are:

  1. Browser security settings. A "medium" security level (in Internet Explorer) should be fine, but a higher setting may cause difficulty. If necessary, add the blackboard.dom.edu site to your "trusted sites." In fact, adding the entire dom.edu domain may be best. (In Internet Explorer, this is accessible by clicking the Tools drop-down menu, then clicking Internet Options. From the resulting dialog box, click the Security tab, and then move the slider to the Medium setting. To add a site to your trusted sites, in the same dialog box click the Trusted Sites icon and then the Sites... button and add http://blackboard.dom.edu to your trusted sitest list.)
  1. Firewalls/routers. If you are having difficulty getting into Blackboard, try enabling the following port numbers: 8080, 8081, and 8011. If you are trying to access Blackboard from your workplace, it is possible that your corporate firewall is blocking access to Blackboard. Consult your corporate firewall manager.
  1. Pop-up blockers. Many documents in Blackboard will attempt to open in a new browser window or a document window. Many popup blockers will prevent this. In the case of the latest version of Internet Explorer's built-in pop-up blocker, you will want to enable popups from the blackboard.dom.edu site. (Go to the Tools drop-down menu, then click Internet Options. From the resulting dialog box, click the Privacy tab, and then click the Settings button next to Pop-up Blocker and add the site blackboard.dom.edu to the list of allowed sites.)
  1. Ad blockers. This is specificially an issue with Norton Internet Security and other software firewalls that have ad blockers. Even after enabling popups, there are some areas of Blackboard that may not work. Try checking any ad blockers you have, and add blackboard.dom.edu to the "allowed" list.

Text Box Editor in Internet Explorer Version 7

You can tell the version of Internet Explorer you are on by clicking the Help drop-down menu, and then About Internet Explorer. The first time you try using Blackboard in version 7 of Internet Explorer, you may not be able to access text boxes in areas such as the Discussion Board. The following is information from Blackboard's support site:

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End users must add the Blackboard Academic Suite server to their list of trusted sites in Internet Explorer 7. If the Blackboard Academic Suite is not in the list of trusted sites, the Visual Text Box Editor will not function correctly. The formatting and content controls will appear, but the text box itself will appear broken.

Resolution:

Follow these steps to add the Blackboard Academic Suite server to the list of trusted sites.

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Windows Vista Issues

If you have Windows Vista at home or at work, be aware that portions of our Blackboard course management system will not work with Windows Vista if Internet Explorer is used as the web browser.  While it will not affect the ability to retrieve documents posted by an instructor in Blackboard, it does affect the Discussion Board and any other part of Blackboard where there is a text box editor to type within.  Basically, a user will not be able to see the text box editor at all while using Vista and Internet Explorer courtesy of changes in programming within the new operating system.

There is one way to solve this issue while using Internet Explorer:

As soon as you login to Dominican's Blackboard site, click on the Personal Information link (in the Tools area on the far left, under the My Institution tab).  On the following screen, click Set Visual Text Box Editor Options.  On the following screen, select Unavailable and then Submit. This will disable some of the text box functionality (such as the ability to bold, italicize, etc.), but you will still be able to type within it.