Configuring Internet Explorer for Vista

Along with using a supported web browser, proper web browser configuration can help you to avoid the majority of problems that many students encounter when using Vista.

If you use Vista for an online course, you should do the following:

• enable Java
• enable Javascript
• allow for "session cookies"
• disable pop-up blocking for sites that you will be using

1. Go to the Tools menu and select Internet Options. You'll see an Internet Options dialog. Select the General tab.
2. Under Temporary Internet files, select Settings.
   
3. Under Check for new versions of stored pages, select Automatically and then click OK.
   
4. Next, select the Security tab at the top of the panel and click the Custom Level botton at the bottom:
   
5. In the Security Settings panel, scroll down to Downloads and enable Automatic prompting for file downloads and File download.
   
6. Scroll down further to Microsoft VM Java Permissions, and select either High, Low, or Medium safety.
   
7. Click the OK button to return to the Internet Options panel.
8. At the top of the Internet Options panel, select the Privacy tab:
   
   Under Settings, be sure to set the slider to Medium High, Medium, Low, or Accept All Cookies. If you are using Advanced settings, the important detail is to Always allow session cookies.
9. Finally, select the Apply button and then OK to exit the Internet Options panel.

Allowing Pop-ups

Instead of just turning off the Popup Blocker, which comes with Windows Service Pack 2, you can establish a list of trusted sites that are allowed to post popups. Follow these steps:

1. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools: Popup Blocker
   
2. Select Pop-up Blocker Settings...
3. In the Pop-up Blocker Settings dialog, under Address of Web site to allow, type in "vista.fairmontstate.edu"
   
4. Click the Add button.
5. Click the Close button when you're done.
6. Exit and resart Internet Explorer