| Internet based resources can be accessed from home, work, or on-campus. Following are the minimum requirements to access the the Internet and Blackboard 7.3 at GCC. Contact your instructor for course specific software requirements. See Downloads for free software downloads of many of these requirements.
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| Hardware Requirements
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- Windows 98, 2000, XP, NT, ME or VISTA; MacOS 10.3 or MacOS 10.4
- 350 MHz processor with 64MB RAM and 1GB free disk space
- Modem (56 kbps or higher)
- Monitor (800 x 600 resolution)
- CD-ROM (required for some courses)
- Sound Card (required for some courses)
- Reliable Internet service provider (AOL users - see Browser Settings below)
- Printer (recommended)
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| Software Requirements |
- Java applet - required for Virtual Classroom
- VCCS student email account - provided to all registered students
- Word processing program (Microsoft Word or other program capable of saving rich text format files)
- Any additional software required by the instructor
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| Recommended Software |
- Microsoft Office - may be required for some courses
- Multimedia Player (Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or Real Player)
- Adobe Reader
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| Browser Requirements |
- Mozilla Firefox 2.0, Internet Explorer 7.0, Netscape 7.1 Windows Vista
- Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 7.1 or 8.0, Firefox 1.0 Windows XP
- Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 7.1 or 8.0, Firefox 1.0 Windows 2000, 95, 98 and ME
- Netscape 7.1, Mozilla Firefox 1.0, Apple Safari 1.0 MacOS 10.2
- Netscape 7.1, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or 1.5, Apple Safari 1.1 or 1.2 MacOS 10.3
- Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or 1.5, Apple Safari 2.0 MacOS 10.4
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| Browser Settings |
| Optimizing the browser settings means getting higher performance from Blackboard and all GCC applications. Be sure to take these additional steps in your browser set-up.
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- Disable pop-up blocker. This can be done in Tools > Options in IE and Firefox, and Tools > Security Center in Netscape.
- Enable Java and cookies (Tools > Options section of most browsers).
- Add Blackboard as a Trusted Site (Tools > Options section of most browsers).
- Clear cookies and cache (browsing history, temporary Internet files) upon browser shut-down will increase browser performance (Tools > Options section of most browsers).
- Some Internet service providers, such as America Online (AOL) provide their users with a "customized" browser. Owing to how JavaScript is handled in these browsers, they are not compatible with some online courses; however there is a workaround solution. When accessing Blackboard, AOL users will need to open AOL and then minimize it. Open another browser, such as one recommended here, then navigate to Blackboard, leaving the AOL browser running in the background.
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Downloads
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Back to Blackboard Tutorials
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