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Hardware/Software FAQs
	What Are the Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements?
	How do I tell what operating system I am running?
	Are there any programs I should uninstall before using WebCT?
	Will I have to purchase any software to take an online class?

FAQs Index l General FAQs l Using WebCT FAQs l Hardware/Software FAQs

Hardware/Software FAQs

What Are the Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements

The following is the recommended system requirements and the necessary browswer requirements to utilize WebCT.

The Software Downloads below include downloads for software that may be necessary for your online course(s).
(NOTE: Consultation with the course instructor about additional software requirements before registering for an online course is highly recommended.)

Internet Service Provider (ISP) Requirements
Minimum Required Speed	Dial-Up (28.8 Kbps)
Recommended Speed	Cable (27 Mbps) or DSL
Types Supported	Dial-Up, ISDN, Cable, DSL, T1, T3
Operating System Requirements
Client Operating Systems for the Macintosh.	• Mac® OS 9 operating system software • Mac OS X v10.1.x operating system software • Max OS X v10.2.x operating system software
Client Operating Systems for the PC.	• Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition operating system • Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system • Microsoft Windows XP operating system *NOTE:* Windows 95 is NOT* supported!*
Browser Requirements
Refer to Web Browser FAQ. For the most up-to-date information about supported browsers, go to the WebCT Browser Tune-up page at www.webct.com/tuneup

How Do I Tell What Operating System I have?

In order to tell what operating system you are running do the following:

For a Windows Operating System:
1. Click on the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Go to the Settings option and click on it.
3. Go to the Control Panel option and click on it.
4. Go to or click on the System option. A window will pop up that will display information about your Windows system including operating system Version.

For a MAC Operating System:
1. Click on the Apple menu located at the top-left of your computer screen.
2. Then, go to the About This Computer option and click it.
3. A window will pop up that will display information about your Macintosh system including operating system Version.

Are there any programs I should uninstall before using WebCT?

YES!
Look for these programs and uninstall them, these programs can prevent you from logging into WebCT.
(This list is not all of them!These programs can be found in your add/remove programs from your control panel)
• Yahoo Toolbar
• Yahoo Companion
• Google Toolbar
• Explorer Toolbar
• Smart Download
• Starware (spyware)
• NavExcel Toolbar (spyware)
• RX Bar (spyware)
• Norton Internet Security 2003
• AOL 8.0 and 9.0 (Disable pop up blockers )
• All Pop-up Blockers must be disabled, uninstalled or configured to allow pop-ups from cowley.edu domain. Click here for instructions.
• All Adware and Spyware must be removed. Click here for instructions.

To determine if you are running any of these programs, do the following:
1. Click the Start button
2. Click on Settings (For Windows XP, you will not see Settings - go to step 3)
3. Click on Control Panel
4. Click on Add/Remove programs
5. Scroll through the list of programs,

If you find a program that is on this list, select it and click Add/Remove. This will remove the program from your computer.

POP-UP Blockers
Any program that is designed to prevent "pop-up" ads from appearing while you browse the internet can cause problems in WebCT. The reason for this is that many of these "pop-up" ads use the web programming language Java. Unfortunately, several of the features in WebCT use Java as well. Therefore, if you have one of these programs installed you will have difficulty using the features in WebCT such as quizzes, discussion postings, chat, whiteboard and download links, etc.

Disable,uninstall or configure pop-up killers or ad-blockers:
1. Pop-up killing or ad-blocking functions are included in some anti-virus, internet security, personal firewall, and browser programs. Disable the relevant setting in the program or configure the relevant setting to allow pop-ups on the cowley.edu domain. Examples include:
• Norton Internet Security 2003
• AOL 8.0 and 9.0
• Netscape 7.1
• Internet Explorer 6.0
2. Click here to see a list of pop up blockers: Do you see any of these installed on your computer?
3. Click here to see WebCT Tune-up page to view information about this: Scroll towards the bottom of the screen.

SPYWARE or ADWARE can Prevent you from Logging In.
ADWARE:Adware's only purpose is to advertise. Adware (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ADa-Ware) causes ad banners to popup on your screen, changes banners on websites, change your Yahoo and Google search results with advertisements instead of your true results and place Windows advertisements on your desktop, start menu, and in your web browser Favorites and Bookmarks.

SPYWARE: Programs that hide on your computer and do a number of harmful and annoying things without your knowledge. These programs steal information from your computer such as credit card numbers, email addresses, addresses, surfing habits, and more. Have a website check for some parasites for you; go to Parasite Checker. Any of these installed on your computer? If so follow the instructions on the web site to remove them (or you can try disabling them).

Tools to Remove Spyware and Adware:
MS-Defender	Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

Spybot:	Another free tool that detects and removes Adware and Spyware programs on your computer.
AD-Aware:	Not to be confused with Adware! This free software detects and removes Adware and Spyware.
Toolbar Cop	A program that removes toolbars from your computer. Toolbars can often contain Adware and Spyware.
Bazooka:	A free tool to download, install and run to determine whether you have any and then helps (tells you how) you remove them.
SpyChecker:	List of anti-spy tools and personal internet firewall's (some are freeware and some are shareware).

Will I have to purchase any software to take an online class?

Many of our online classes are requiring that you purchase or have specific software. Please visit the Spring 2007 Online Courses and Instructor Information site from Cowley's Online page. Under the title of the course in bright red you will see all software requirements for each course, anything in red is required.