Optimising your browser for DSO

Quick guide for PC users

Recommended browsers and plugins
Optimising Mozilla Firefox
Optimising Microsoft Internet Explorer

Recommended browsers and plugins

Recommended browsers

  • Mozilla Firefox 2.0 (Mozilla Firefox is Deakin's preferred browser)

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0

Netscape is NOT recommended for use with DSO.

Useful plugins and utilities

  • Java Sun JRE 1.5 or higher

  • Quicktime

  • Shockwave, Flash

  • Acrobat reader

  • WinZip

The appropriate software (Deakin supported versions) can be downloaded from the Deakin University Software site or installed from the 'Software Essentials 09' DVD. Staff who have a Phoenix desktop please check your Phoenix Software Catalogue.

Optimising Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click on Tools and select Options.

  2. Click on the Privacy tab:

  • under Cookies, ensure that Accept cookies from site is ticked.

  1. Click on the Content tab:

  • ensure that Enable Java is ticked

  • ensure that Enable JavaScript is ticked

  • ensure that Block pop-up windows is NOT ticked.

  1. Click OK.

  2. Quit/exit Mozilla Firefox after you change settings and then re-start the application.

Note: If you continue to experience problems after configuring your browser software settings, it may help to clear cache and cookies.

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Optimising Microsoft Internet Explorer

  1. Click on Tools and choose Internet Options.
  2. Click on the General tab and under Browsing history click on the Settings button. Under Check for newer versions of stored pages, ensure that Automatically is selected.
  3. Click on the Security tab. Click the Custom Level button and make the following changes:
  • under Reset custom settings, select Medium-low from the dropdown list, then click Reset
  • under Settings, scroll down to Scripting and enable Active scripting and Scripting of Java applets
  • scroll down to User Authentication and under Logon select Automatic logon only in Intranet zone
  • Windows XP SP2 users only: scroll down to Java permissions and choose either High,Medium or Low safety (please do not have either Custom or Disable Java selected).
  • click OK.
  1. Click on the Privacy tab, ensure that it is set at Medium.
  • Under Pop-up blocker, ensure that Turn on Pop-up Blocker is NOT ticked.
  1. Click on the Advanced tab:
  • scroll down to Browsing , ensure that Enable third-party browser extensions IS ticked and ensure that Show friendly HTTP error messages is NOT ticked
  • scroll down to Java (Sun), ensure that Use JRE is ticked.
  1. Click OK.

Note: If you are using Windows XP SP2, the following additional steps are required to allow files to be viewed successfully:

  • click on the Security tab and click the Custom Level button
  • scroll down to Downloads and enable Automatic prompting for file downloads then click OK.

If you receive the following yellow warning message when accessing content:

acessing content warning

  • click on the yellow warning message
  • click on Allow Blocked Content... then click Yes to view the active content.

    allow blocked content image
  1. Quit/exit Internet Explorer after you change settings and then re-start the application.

Note: If you continue to experience problems after configuring your browser software settings, it may help to clear cache and cookies.

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29th November 2010