Blackboard Known Issues

- Error Messages -

Assignment Feature Submission Error, 8/21/09 - Resolved 9/21/09

Google Chrome also has submission error, 8/24/09

In Firefox 3.5 for Windows Vista/XP users will receive an error "Please enter a valid file" when trying to submit a file for the Assignment Feature. For now, we do not recommend upgrading. Firefox 2 or 3.0 and IE6 or 7 will work with the assignment feature file submission.

SafeAssign Errors/Upgrade, 10/23/08, Resolved

SafeAssign Upgrade, 10/11/09, Complete

SafeAssign now accepts Word 2007 files (.docx). SafeAssign accepts other files in Microsoft Word (doc)/ TXT / RTF / HTML / PDF formats. Please DO NOT upload files in any other formats, including JPEG / ZIP.  The valid file type errors noted below will also happen if you are submitting your file using Firefox 3 or IE8 browsers.

 

- Compatibility Issues -

 

Blackboard Testing & myGate Time-out Issue

Students taking tests or quizzes in Blackboard should close all open browsers except the one containing the Blackboard Test/Quiz. This includes the browser used to access the link from within myGate. Users have reported being locked out of their tests because of the myGate session time-out box popping up during the test. To avoid this, simply close the browser containing myGate after logging into Blackboard.

 

Blackboard and Windows Vista

At this time, the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system has not yet been certified or deemed to be compatible with Blackboard.  The Visual Text Box Editor controls do not function correctly in Internet Explorer 7 because they require a component not available in Windows Vista. Users on Release 7.0 and Release 6, Application Pack 3 should turn off the Visual Text Box Editor in their personal preferences or use Firefox 2.0.

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8 (IE8)

At this time, IE8 has not been certified compatible with Blackboard. We do not recommend upgrading until compatibility has been established. Both IE7 and Firefox 2 are the recommended browsers.

Java 6 -Not recommended for use with Blackboard

Java version 1.6 also has some compatibility issues with blackboard and is not the recommended version at this time. If you need to downgrade to Java 1.5, first remove Java 1.6.  Do this by Opening Add or Remove Programs under Control Panel. These programs are listed in alphabetical order. Remove any programs that begin with "Java(TM) 6" or "Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 6". You may need to restart your computer after completing this step.  Then install Java 5 with the installer found here. 

Problems using Chat from a Macintosh - buttons disappear, windows are cut off, my Macintosh hangs.

Chat is actually a separate application written in Java, and runs on the Macintosh only if you have an Internet Explorer browser. Go to the Internet Explorer download site to get the latest version.   Windows-based machines (PCs) work in either Netscape or Explorer as long as Java is installed on the machine.

Additional Notes and System Requirements

 

- Other Issues -

 

Cannot Open/Convert Office 2007 Documents, 9/9/2008

If an instructor or fellow student in a course has posted a document in a Microsoft Office 2007 file format (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx ) you will need to download the Microsoft Compatibility Pack for Office 2007 or install an Office 2007 Viewer for that file.  To install the Microsoft Compatibility Pack for Office 2007 click on this link. Then click on the Download button. Choose to Run the program and follow the on-screen instructions for installing the Compatibility Pack. You may need to restart your computer once this install has finished.


If you’ve downloaded the Compatibility Pack and you still cannot open Office 2007 files, you should try to download the 2007 viewer for that document type.
   To download the PowerPoint viewer for .pptx files click here and click on the download button.
   To download the Word viewer for .docx files click here and then click on the download button.
Follow all on-screen instructions to install the viewer. You may need to restart your computer once this install has finished.

To set your Office 2007 programs to default to a compatible format, please review the instructions at Office 2007 - Saving documents for earlier versions of Office.

Opening PowerPoint Files Directly from Blackboard Results in Blank Page, 01/21/2008

Users of PowerPoint 2007 have been experiencing some difficulty when opening older versions of PowerPoint files (particularly files with the .ppt extension). When the users opens the file directly from a website the program opens up the document and is only able to view a blank page. This is not an issue with the document or the Blackboard, it is a known issue with PowerPoint 2007 and has been corrected in the "2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 1 (SP1)" update, which can be downloaded from Microsoft's website*. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Browse.aspx?displaylang=en&categoryid=9   For users who are unable to download this update there is a work around. You can choose to download the document instead of directly opening the file. To download, right click on the document and chose "save as" to download the document to your computer. You are then able to open the .ppt file without a problem.

Discussion Board Message box in IE7

If you try to start a new thread or reply to one in the discussion board, and the Message box is grayed out or won't let you type in it:

  1. Look near the top of your screen, near the Murray State E-Study Center logo. Likely, there is a yellow bar that says "This website wants to run the following add-on: Microsoft ® Dynamic HTML Editing Control from Microsoft Corporation. If you trust the website and the add-on and want to allow it to run, click here.
  2. Click on the bar (line of text), and select "Run ActiveX Control."

Printing a Blackboard screen, but only the navigation buttons print

Blackboard uses frames. Only one frame can be active at a time, and Blackboard prints the active frame. Click in the main document area (the right side) to activate that frame before using the PRINT command. You can choose FILE and then PRINT PREVIEW before printing to see what it will look like. If you just want to print a linked document, another option is to right-click on the document link (click and hold on Macs) and choose OPEN IN NEW WINDOW. This opens a new browser window, which makes it easier to view and print the document. When you're done with the file, remember to close the new window to return to Blackboard.

Missing Tools Drop-Down Menu in Content Areas

Blackboard reports a bug in version 7.2 that randomly creates classes with the Tools drop-down menu turned off.  Follow the instructions below to restore the menu.

 

  1. Enter the Control Panel of your course.
  2. Click on the Manage Tools button in the Course Options area.
  3. Click on the Content Type Availability link.
  4. Check the boxes next to the desired tools.
  5. Click the Submit button and the menu should be restored.

- Blackboard Testing Tips -

Blackboard users should see these tips for students and instructors.