System & browser requirements

Minimum system requirements	Recommended mid-range requirements
IBM compatible computer or Macintosh equivalent.	(same)
P3 500 MHz processor	P4 2.4 MHz processor
128 MB of RAM	512 RD RAM
32 MB video card	64 MB video card
Microsoft® Windows® 98	Microsoft® Windows® XP
800 x 600 display	1024 x 768 display
500 MB of hard disk free	2 GB of hard disk free
Sound card and speakers or earphones	(same)
56 Kbps modem	Broadband 256/64 Kbps
A valid e-mail address	(same)

You may need to work with word processed documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations etc. If you do not have these applications on your computer, the following viewers will help you view various types of documents from the Microsoft® Office® suite. You can only read the documents, you will not be able to change or save them.

Viewers

If you do not have the required Microsoft® Office software applications installed, you can download viewers for Microsoft® Word, Excel etc.

Browsers and settings

Browser	Recommended version	Download for free
Internet Explorer	6 is okay, version 7 is recommended	Internet Explorer
FireFox/Mozilla	Version 2.0.0.12	Mozilla

Check your internet settings

Ensure your internet browser is configured to refresh the page you are viewing on every visit. This will make sure you see any new content, and new messages posted to the Discussion Board in Blackboard

Click on 'Tools', then 'Internet settings' then click on 'General'
Select 'Temporary internet files', then click on 'Settings'
Select 'Every visit to the page'

Popup blocker settings

Most online courses use popups (a box that appears with a message or action). If you experience problems opening popups in your browser, check your Internet Explorer popup blocker settings are set to allow popups.

Click on 'Tools', then 'Pop-up blocker settings'
Set Filter level to 'Low.... or Medium....'

Javascript

Javascript adds interactivity to web pages and has to be enabled in your browser. To enable Javascript, do the following:

For Internet Explorer 5.5 and above	For Netscape
Click on 'Tools'. Click on 'Internet Options'. On the 'Advanced' tab, scroll down to the 'Security' section of the list. Select the 'Allow active content to run in files on My Computer' check box. Click 'OK'.	Click on 'Edit'. Click on 'Preferences'. Click on 'Advanced'. Click on 'Scripts & Plugins'. Under the header 'Enable JavaScript for' tick the Navigator check box. Click 'OK'.