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Technical Requirements & Settings FAQ
Basic Setup
- What hardware do I need?
- What type of browser should I use?
- What are Java and the Java runtime environment? Do I need Java enabled?
- What is JavaScript? Do I need JavaScript enabled?
- What is ActiveX? Do I need ActiveX enabled (IE users)?
- What are cookies? Do I need cookies enabled?
- How fast does my Internet connection need to be?
- Will the SMARTHINKING site work with AOL?
- What's different about the new whiteboard?
- Why do I need a Flash® Player?
- What version of Flash® Player do I need?
- What is the capture tool? What do I need to use it?
Troubleshooting
- How do I reach technical support?
- No one was there to help me with my question.
- I keep getting an "Error!" page saying my session has expired.
- I am unable to create a new account.
- I can't see some of the text and features of the SMARTHINKING
site or they look distorted. What should I do?
- I'm behind a firewall. Will I be able to use all of the site's features?
- My modem drops its connection when I try to use the whiteboard. What's wrong?
- What effect will my pop-up blocking software have when I'm using the SMARTHINKING site?
- Will SMARTHINKING operate correctly for users behind web caching equipment?
- Will my personal computer security software (Norton Internet Security, etc.) cause problems for the SMARTHINKING application?
- What effect will applying Windows XP SP2 have when I'm using the SMARTHINKING site?
- Why won't my Flash® whiteboard load?
- I am having hard time typing within the whiteboard in Windows Vista. What should I do?
Tips (steps detailed here may vary slightly from version to version)
- How do I enable cookies?
- How do I enable Java, JavaScript (& ActiveX for IE) on Windows?
- How do I find out what version of the Flash® Player I am running?
- How do I find out what version of the Sun Java Plugin I have?
- I think the Sun Java plugin is installed but it isn't working. How do I enable the Sun Java Plugin for my browser?
Voice
- What is the minimum required technology for using the SMARTHINKING Voice-Enabled whiteboard?
- How do I adjust the volume on my headset in the whiteboard?
- How do I adjust the volume on my headset outside the whiteboard?
- How do I make sure I've selected my headset to use in the whiteboard?
- My headset is working, why can't I hear the tutor?
- My headset is working, why can't the tutor hear me?
Basic Setup
1. What hardware do I need?
- Available Memory for application
- Windows PC = 16MB
- Apple Mac OS = 32MB
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2. What type of browser should I use?
- Windows PC users need:
- Firefox 1.0.4 or higher
- Internet Explorer 5.1 or higher
- Netscape 6 or higher
- Apple Mac OS users need:
- Firefox 1.0.4 or higher
- Internet Explorer 5.1 or higher
- Safari 1.3 or higher
- Attention Mac OS Users:
- Netscape browsers on the Apple Mac OS platform are not supported with the SMARTHINKING application.
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3. What are Java and the Java runtime environment?
Do I need Java enabled?
The Java runtime environment is a program on your computer that your browser uses to run programs like our whiteboard capture tool. Most of our
whiteboard requires the Flash® Player. You will only need Java if you use the whiteboard capture tool.
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4. What is JavaScript? Do I need JavaScript enabled?
Yes, you will need JavaScript enabled. JavaScript is a language
that web sites use to assist in processing and displaying information. The SMARTHINKING
application uses JavaScript in many areas.
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5. What is ActiveX? Do I need ActiveX enabled (IE users)?
Yes, if you are running Internet Explorer, you will need
ActiveX enabled to take advantage of some screen capture functionality in use
with our whiteboard application. ActiveX refers to a type of program that can
be run by the browser to perform tasks on your machine.
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6. What are cookies? Do I need cookies enabled?
Yes, you will need session cookies enabled. Cookies are small pieces of information
that a web site writes to your machine to track information. In order for your
logged in session on our site to work properly, our application will need to
write several cookies to your machine. However, SMARTHINKING does not write
any cookies that last longer than the life of a particular logged in session
you have with our site. The information contained in these cookies is only viewable
by SMARTHINKING servers.
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7. How fast does my Internet connection need to be?
- While we recommend at least a 56K modem, a 28.8K modem will also work without major problems.
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8. Will the SMARTHINKING site work with AOL?
The SMARTHINKING site will function with AOL versions of 5.0 and greater provided the browser
it calls (Internet Explorer or Netscape) is compatible with our application.
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9. What's different about the new whiteboard?
The new SMARTHINKING whiteboard is Flash-based and offers improved capabilities such as:
- Single-line queuing for more efficient service
- Streamlined student workspace
- An expanded scientific tool palette
- Adjustable size and color attributes for every shape
- No known problems with particular network card brands
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10. Why do I need a Flash® Player?
You need a Flash® Player to use the SMARTHINKING whiteboard. Most computers today come pre-installed with a Flash® Player but depending on the version of the Flash® Player on your machine, you may need to update it to use the SMARTHINKING whiteboard.
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11. What version of Flash® Player do I need?
- Windows 98/NT/2000/XP = 8 or higher
- Apple Mac OS X = 8 or higher
- Apple Mac OS 9 = Flash 7.0.19 or higher
You can check your system configuration by visiting our checkpage.
Click here to download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.
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12. What is the capture tool? What do I need to use it?
The capture tool is a helper program you can use on our whiteboard that lets you capture images from your local machine and paste them into the
whiteboard. To use the capture tool, you will need:
- Windows 2000+ or Mac OSX 10.3.9+
- Sun Java Plugin 1.5.0+
You can check your plugin version by visiting our checkpage.
You can install/upgrade your Java by visiting the Sun Java web site.
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Troubleshooting
13. How do I reach technical support?
Contact Customer Support if you get any other error message. Email the
exact text of the error message to
SMARTHINKING offers comprehensive technical support via e-mail or phone. For more information, click here.
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14. No one was there to help me with my question.
If tutors are not scheduled to be on-duty, you can always submit your
question and writing. Just choose your subject, and click "Submit
your Writing" or "Submit a Question."
You will typically receive a response within 24 hours..
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15. I keep getting an "Error!" page saying my session has expired.
This message is typically due to one of the following:
- Your browser is not set to accept cookies.
Solution: Review the steps on enabling cookies.
- The time/date settings on your computer are off.
Solution: Check and adjust the time, date, and timezone on your computer.
- You may have security software on your PC that is interfering.
Solution: Please make sure any security software you have permits our website (www.SMARTHINKING.com) to set session cookies.
Contact Customer Support
here
if you continue to experience the same problem.
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16. I am unable to create a new account.
If you received login information from your school or a textbook and
you are getting a "bad" username or password message, make sure the login
information is correct by either contacting your school or Customer Support.
Contact Customer Support if you get any other error message. Email the
exact text of the error message to
support@smarthinking.com or contact us here .
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17. I can't see some of the text and features of the SMARTHINKING site or they look distorted. What should I do?
When the text size in your browser is set to a smaller value than the default, our application may not capture all login characters you type in. It could also affect the display of some features of the SMARTHINKING web site. You can avoid this inconvenience by resetting the text size in your browser to a higher or default value.
- Internet Explorer users
- Open Internet Explorer
- Click on "view" at the top on the menu bar
- Select "Text Size"
- There are 5 choices, ranging from smallest to largest
- Click on "Medium" or any a bigger size (Medium is the default value)
- Netscape 4 series
- From the menu bar at the top, pull down the "Edit" menu.
- Select Preferences.
- Double-click on Fonts, which is listed under "Appearances". (If Fonts does not appear, double-click on "Appearances", which should bring up Fonts).
- Use the pull-down "Variable Fixed Font" menu to change font style.
- Use the Size menu next to it to change font size.
- Once you've arrived at a comfortable solution, select the first radio button: "Use My Default Fonts, Overriding Document-Specified Fonts."
- Netscape 6
- From the menu bar at the top, pull down the "Edit" menu.
- Select "Preferences".
- Click on "Fonts", which is listed under "Appearances".
- Choose a font size from the options listed.
- Click on the desired font size from the pull-down menu.
- Click "OK".
- You have many options when it comes to font size. Try increasing the font size steadily until you find the size that is best for your screen.
- AOL 6.0
- Click on "Setting", select "Preferences"
- Click on "WWW Internet Properties"
- Click on "Font", "Text & Graphic Preferences"
- Click on the drop down menu "Text Size" and select a higher number
- You will see a sample in the box below
- Adjust the size for more comfortable reading.
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18. I'm behind a firewall. Will I be able to use all of the site's features?
If you are behind a firewall, you should still be able to use all of the site's features including the whiteboard. However, some firewall configurations can prevent access to some features. For example, firewalls will need to permit the passing through of java applets in order to use the whiteboard application. In addition, to take advantage of the "cut and paste functionality" of the whiteboard application, firewalls will need to permit the passing of either an Active-X object or a plug-in depending on the browser type.
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19. My modem drops its connection when I try to use the whiteboard. What's wrong?
We've received complaints from some dial-up users whose computers were freezing or dropping the connection when they try to use the SMARTHINKING whiteboard application. It appears that earlier versions of certain modems such as LT Win Modem and Conexant chipsets perform better with up-to-date drivers. We recommend that you contact your computer or modem manufacturer for assistance on how to update the modem drivers. Most manufacturers provide links to perform the upgrades or will direct you to a location to do so.
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20. What effect will my pop-up blocking software have when I'm using the SMARTHINKING site?
The SMARTHINKING site uses popup windows in several places like delivering alerts on recently returned essays, opening the whiteboard application, and informing users at login when services on their account have expired. If you are using pop-up blocking software, we recommend that you disable the blocking feature for www.smarthinking.com.
Sometimes, holding down the 'ctrl' key while selecting a SMARTHINKING feature will bypass most popup blocking software. Please check with your local systems administrator before attempting to make changes to a public computer.
- Internet Explorer
Click Tools, then Pop-up Blocker, then Turn Off Pop-up Blocker.
- Mozilla Firefox
On the Firefox browser, look for the Tools menu and click on Options. Click on the Web Features icon in the list on the left. Remove the checkmark beside the Block Pop-up windows option. Click Ok to close the window.
- Google Toolbar
You must close the Google toolbar for pop-ups to be allowed. Right-click on the toolbar and a drop-down menu will appear with a listing of all of the toolbars. Remove the check in the box next to Google.
- Yahoo Toolbar
Look for Yahoo’s pop-up blocking icon and click on the down arrow in the icon. In the menu you see, remove the check mark in the box next to Enable Pop-Up Blocker option.
- MSN Toolbar
Click on the Down arrow to the right of the text to bring up the Menu. Click on the Allow Pop-ups option.
- AOL Toolbar
Click on the pop-up blocker icon to allow pop-ups.
- Netscape Toolbar
In the Netscape browser, look for the Edit menu. Select the Preferences option. In the next window that appears, click on the arrow beside the Privacy & Security option on the left-hand side. Click on the Pop-up Windows option, remove the check mark next to Block Unrequested Pop-up Windows, and click Ok.
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21. Will SMARTHINKING operate correctly for users behind web caching equipment?
Yes. The SMARTHINKING application has marked all dynamic and static content with the appropriate HTTP headers to prevent or allow caching by web caching equipment such as Microsoft's ISA server and others. However, if HTTP caching headers are not honored by web caching equipment, unpredictable behavior on the site may result. If this is happening, you may see such things as your student homepage greeting referring to another user instead of the name you've configured for your account. For more assistance with this issue, please contact SMARTHINKING customer support.
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22. Will my personal computer security software (Norton Internet Security, etc.) cause problems for the SMARTHINKING application?
We recommend that you disable the masking of the HTTP_REFERER value, cookie blocking, and pop-up blocking for our site addresss (www.smarthinking.com). Please consult your software's reference materials for further instructions on how to do this as steps will vary from product to product.
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23. What effect will applying Windows XP SP2 have when I'm using the SMARTHINKING site?
With the introduction of SP2, Microsoft has added popup blocking protection to IE. The popup blocking feature comes enabled and set to medium. To ensure proper site functionality, we recommend adding our site hostnames to your permitted sites list. This list is accessible via the settings button on the Privacy tab under Internet Options in Internet Explorer. The hostnames you should add are listed in this FAQ
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24. Why won't my Flash® whiteboard load?
There are several possibilities for why a whiteboard won't load properly. Please check the following:
- Your popup blocking software should permit popups from www.SMARTHINKING.com.
- You should have a working Flash® Player with the correct version installed.
- If you use Internet Explorer, make sure you accept the use of ActiveX controls on www.SMARTHINKING.com.
- If using Windows XP SP2, check your Internet Explorer information bar to make sure you've permitted the ActiveX control to run.
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25. I am having hard time typing within the whiteboard in Windows Vista. What should I do?
This is a known issue with Flash on the Windows Vista platform for Internet Explorer users.
We recommend that you disable the "Protected Mode" security feature in Internet Explorer.
- Open Internet Explorer.
- Click on Tools > Internet Options > Security tab.
- Remove the check next to "Enable Protected Mode...".
- Click Ok on the warning popup window
You may also use Mozilla Firefox browser as a workaround. If you do not have Firefox, you can download it from www.getfirefox.com. Our development team is actively working on a fix for this problem.
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Tips
(steps detailed here may vary slightly from version to version)
26. How do I enable cookies?
- Check your antivirus, firewall or popup-blocker applications to make sure they are not set to block cookies.
- Please make sure your computer's system Date and Time are set correctly.
- All browsers should be set to accept cookies
For Internet Explorer 7.x
- Under the "Tools" menu, click "Internet Options"
- Click the "Privacy" tab
- Click the "Advanced" button
- Put a check mark in the box for “Override Automatic Cookie Handling”, put another check mark in the “Always accept session cookies” box.
- Click "OK"
For Internet Explorer 6.x
- Click on Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab
- Click the Advanced button
- Check the "Override automatic cookie handling"
- Make sure that "accept" is checked on "first-party cookies"
- Also, make sure that "Always allow session cookies" is checked at the bottom
- Then hit Ok to accept your settings for IE6
For Internet Explorer 5.x
- Click on Tools > Internet Options > Security tab
- Make sure the Internet icon is highlighted
- Click on Custom Level
- Scroll down and locate the Cookies section
- Make sure enable session cookies is checked or set to enable
- Then hit Ok to accept your settings for IE5
For Firefox 2.x
- Click on "Tools" > "Options..."
- Click on the "Privacy" icon.
- Under "Cookies" check the box labeled "Accept cookies from sites"
- Then click "OK" to accept the change for Firefox 2.x
For Netscape 6.x
- Click on Edit > Preferences
- Under Category click on the arrow next to "Privacy and Security" to collapse it
- Click on Cookies
- Check Enable all cookies on the right side
- Then hit Ok to accept the change for Netscape 6
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27. How do I enable Java, JavaScript (& ActiveX for IE) on Windows?
For Internet Explorer
Note: The SMARTHINKING system check may not detect ActiveX Controls if you recently installed some Windows security patches from Microsoft. We are working on fixing it.
In the mean time we recommend that you follow the directions below to make sure ActiveX Controls is enabled, then try the whiteboard and let us know if you experience any difficulties.
- Click on Tools > Internet Options > Security tab
- Make sure the Internet icon is highlighted
- Click on Custom Level
- Scroll down to the ActiveX section
- Make sure Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins is enabled
- Scroll down and locate the Microsoft VM section
- Make sure Java permissions is set to anything BUT disabled
- Scroll down and locate the Scripting section
- Make sure Active Scripting is enabled
- Make sure Scripting of Java Applets is enabled
For Netscape
- Click on Edit > Preferences
- Under Category click on Advanced
- Put a check next to Enable Java and Enable JavaScript
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28. How do I find out what version of the Flash® Player I am running?
The SMARTHINKING site will check your system at the appropriate time to make sure you are running the minimum required version of the Flash® Player. You can also check your system configuration by visiting our checkpage.
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29. How do I find out what version of the Sun Java Plugin I have?
The SMARTHINKING site will check your system at the appropriate time to make sure you are running the minimum required version of the Sun Java Plugin. You can also check your system configuration by visiting our checkpage.
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30. I think the Sun Java Plugin is installed but it isn't working. How do I enable the Sun Java Plugin for my browser?
To enable Sun Java on your machine for a particular browser, check the following:
- From your Windows desktop, go to your control panel.
- In your control panel, look for an applet with "Java" in the name and double-click it.
- When it opens, click on the "browser" tab if visible and put a check in the box next to the browser you are using.
- If no "browser" tab is visible, click on the "advanced" tab, click the plus sign next to "<APPLET> tag support" and put a check in the box next to the browser you are using.
- Click the "apply" button if available, click "ok", and close the applet.
- You'll need to close and re-open your browser windows for the change to take effect.
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Voice
31. What is the minimum required technology for using the SMARTHINKING Voice-Enabled whiteboard?
- CPU: 550MHz
- RAM: 256 RAM
- Headset: USB-based
- Connection: Broadband connection or better
- Operating System: Windows 2000+ or MacOSX 10.3.9+
- Flash: version 8 or higher
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32. How do I adjust the volume on my headset in the whiteboard?
In the whiteboard, right-click and select "Settings". Click on the Microphone icon and adjust the volume under where it says "Record Volume".
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33. How do I adjust the volume on my headset outside the whiteboard?
Windows
- Go to Start
- Select Control Panel
- Click on Sounds and or Audio Devices Properties
- Click on Advanced tab
- Adjust the microphone volume sections between 50 – 75% for optimal quality
Mac
- Click on System Preferences
- Select Sound
- Adjust Volume
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34. How do I make sure I've selected my headset to use in the whiteboard?
In the whiteboard, right-click and select "Settings". Click the Microphone icon and make sure the USB Audio Device you are using is shown as the selected device in the drop-down list.
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35. My headset is working, why can't I hear the tutor?
The tutor may not have started their broadcast yet. If you are unable to hear the tutor, type your message to the tutor in the whiteboard so they know you are there and are unable to hear them.
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36. My headset is working, why can't the tutor hear me?
When your session starts, you will be broadcasting immediately. If the tutor can’t hear you, expand the "Audio Module" by clicking the triangle and make sure that there are no red lines (slashes) appearing through any of the visible microphone or speaker icons. If there are red lines visible, click the affected icon once to remove the slash and enable the device.
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