The following is a list of common problems you may encounter while logging in to BBLearn and what you can do to solve them.

• Cannot Connect to the Login Page
• Username or Password Problems
• Browser Configuration Problems
• System and Network Configuration Problems
• System Speed Problems
• Other Tips

Cannot Connect to the Login Page

Try these steps if you cannot connect to the BBLearn login page at http://bblearn.usask.ca

1. Try connecting to other websites off campus like http://www.cbc.ca/ or http://www.google.com/. If you cannot connect to any websites, then the problem may be with your computer or internet service provider.
2. Try connecting to http://www.usask.ca/ (the University of Saskatchewan website). If you can connect to sites off campus but not to the University site it may mean there is a problem with the network connection to the University. Usually this is temporary so try back later.
3. Try connecting to https://paws.usask.ca (the PAWS Portal). If you can access other sites but cannot access the PAWS login page, then you may have a problem connecting to secure websites. This may be related to the web browser you are using or with the firewall settings for your computer.
4. If you click the "Log In" button but nothing happens, wait about ten seconds and then try again. BBLearn runs a browser check when you visit the website. This can take up to a minute to load and run. During that time, you may not be able to click the "Log In" button to continue and it may look like your browser has "frozen". Wait for the browser check to finish, and everything should work properly.

Username or Password Problems

This section assumes you can successfully access the BBLearn login page, but that your username or password does not work.

1. Your username is your Network Services ID. The same identifier used to log into PAWS. Test that your username works by visiting http://paws.usask.ca/ and logging in. If you cannot get into both PAWS and Blackboard then there is probably a problem with your username or password.
2. You should always log into your courses either from PAWS, or from http://blackboard.usask.ca/. Do not bookmark the page that asks for your username and password as it will not work properly. Instead, bookmark http://blackboard.usask.ca/.
3. Remember your username is in lowercase letters. Make sure your "caps lock" key is turned off.
4. Remember that your password is case sensitive. If you mixed upper and lower case letters when creating your password, you will have to use those same upper and lower case letters when logging in.
5. If you cannot remember your username or password contact the ICT Help Desk.
6. If you want to change your password, visit http://paws.usask.ca/ to log into the PAWS portal. Then click the Password icon to change your password. That will change the password for PAWS, BBLearn and all other services that use your NSID and password for logging in.
7. If you are certain you are typing the correct username and password and if you are starting at the proper page (http://blackboard.usask.ca/) and you are still unable to log in, shut down ALL your browser windows. If you are still unable to log in after restarting your browser, then shut down and re-start your computer. These steps can clear up some browser issues that may affect your ability to log in.

Browser Configuration Problems

1. If you suspect a problem with your web browser or computer system, try logging into the BBLearn site on a different computer (like a friend's computer, or your computer at work). If all the computers in your house have a problem connecting, but other computers do not, then it is probably a problem with the network configuration in your house. If one computer in the house does not connect, but the others in your house do, it is probably a problem specific to the web browser on that computer.
2. BBLearn has very specific browser requirements:
   • You must be using a supported web browser.
   • You must have an approved version of the Java runtime environment installed
   • You must disable any pop-up blockers or add BBLearn as an allowed site for pop-ups. These can be in your web browser, or in add-on programs like the Yahoo! Toolbar, Google Toolbar, etc.
   • You must have JavaScript enabled.
3. When you log in to BBLearn, an automatic browser check is run to verify your system is set up correctly. If the system is not set up correctly, you will see a warning with instructions on what is wrong and how to correct the problem. Make sure you follow those instructions. If you do not follow those instructions, then the ICT help desk will be unable to provide further assistance.
4. People often add additional "plug in" programs to their browsers like the Yahoo! toolbar, Google search bar, etc. These can interfere with the correct operation of your web browser with BBLearn. You may be able to solve browser problems by disabling or removing the plug-ins.
5. Other factors could affect the browser you are using. For example, you may have a computer virus that broke your web browser. These are extremely difficult to diagnose and fix. In these extreme cases, it may be easier to install a different web browser, such as Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org) and use that web browser to access your courses. This will not solve the problem in your original browser, but it should let you access your courses.

System and Network Configuration Problems

The following are problems related to your computer system or network which may interfere with BBLearn.

1. Some computers have firewalls or port blockers installed for security reasons. These should be configured so that bblearn.usask.ca is a trusted site. Specifically, you must open the following TCP ports in your firewall: 80 (web server), 443 (SSL server), and 4446 (Chat Application).
2. You may have several firewalls installed on your computer. Windows firewall, Norton Antivirus firewall, etc. You will have to allow access in all your firewalls.
3. If you still cannot get connected, try temporarily disabling all your firewalls completely. If you are able to connect after turning off your firewalls or virus checkers, then you will know that the problem lies in the firewall or virus software configuration. Do not leave these disabled. Instead, identify which program is causing the problem and then properly configure that program to allow your connections to your courses to work.

System Speed Problems

If you can connect, but the system is very slow it may be caused by many different things:

• Your connection speed. People using dial-up accounts will have very slow access compared to people using high speed connections.
• Your computer speed. If you have an older computer, access may be slower than with a newer, faster computer.
• Your computer may be busy running other programs. For example, it may be downloading and installing new system updates, or new virus updates. A good indicator of this is the hard drive light on your computer. If it is constantly flashing, (on more than it is off) then your computer is busy doing something. If you wait for it to finish so the hard drive light only flashes occasionally, then accessing BBLearn should be much quicker.
• Computer or network settings. If your computer system or computer network is not configured properly, it can slow down your web browsing.
• How busy is your local network? For example, you may have many computers in your home sharing the same network connection. If someone on one of the other computers is downloading large files, then that will slow down your access to your BBLearn courses.

Other Tips

Here are some other tips to help with problems on your computer.

• Install a virus checking program and keep it up to date. Many connection problems are caused by viruses on people's computers.
• If you have Windows XP or Vista, use Microsoft's Windows Defender to detect spyware/adware and remove it. Adware often adds extra plug-ins to browsers that can interfere with accessing your courses. A number of commercial products are available; two common free products are Adaware by Lavasoft and Spybot.  If you have Windows 7, use Microsoft Security Essentials to detect spyware, adware and viruses
• If you have problems, try shutting down all other programs running on your computer, ending with your firewall and virus software. This may help identify what program is causing your connection problems.