[Login Problems] [Strange Web Behavior]
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You aren't using the correct login and password. To verify your correct login and password for various MU accounts visit the My Accounts web page, at:
https://info.mansfield.edu/myaccount
You will be asked for your 7-digit student ID number, the last 4 digits of your social security number, and the year of your birth to login. A page will then display your personal logins and passwords for several MU resources, to include:
- Blackboard (Courses)
- Library (18-digit barcode for databases and e-reserves)
- Mounties email (Windows Live Hotmail)
- WebAdvisor (MU's student registration)
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Some resources require browser cookies to be enabled. This is a method for web sites that you visit frequently to remember you, and in the case of security protected sites, to help authenticate you during your online session. Databases in particular require cookies to be enabled. However, many people disable this feature, often without knowing the consequences, by setting Internet security to high.
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To access the security settings in Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options. You should set security to medium if you plan to search library databases, as shown below. For settings in other browsers see our page on Browser Security.
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A related problem is the use of third-party cookies. This occurs when you enter a site (e.g. library database) through another password-protected site (e.g. Blackboard). The database suspects that you are a hacker trying to mask your identity, and therefore refuses the cookie. Assuming you're using Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options, and then select the Security tab. In the Internet zone click Custom Level and make sure the level is set to no higher than medium.
Also check the setting for the Privacy tab (in Internet Options). That should be set to medium or lower. If that does not work, try returning to the Privacy tab and select Advanced. On that screen check the box for overriding cookie settings. After that you should close your browser and try again.
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Home security (firewall) products, such as Norton Internet Security (see below), McAfee Personal Firewall, Black Ice, and Zone Alarm, may block access to sites that receive their login and password information from an intermediary site. A good example is the case with many library databases that rely on a proxy server to confirm your student status and access the database as if you were on campus.
To login to third-party sites you need to explicitly "permit" these software programs to unblock access. Since every program (and even versions of the same program) is different, you'll have to read the software's manual or help page to find out how to permit specific sites.
For details on Norton Internet Security, check out our brief Guide. The screen shots below demonstrate settings for Norton Internet Security settings. -
Anti-virus software with password blocking options may also prevent access. Check its security settings or disable protection while you use the resource in question. With PC computers you usually right click an icon in the bottom task tray and select the option to temporarily disable protection (then later do the same to re-enable it).
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You may in fact be viewing stored (cached) pages on your own computer, not a live version of the actual site. See the next section regarding the common browser cache problem.
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A growing menace to web users is the presence of spyware or more generally, malware (mal is the Latin root word for bad). A related Internet pest is adware. Regardless of their subtle differences, all of these web maladies characterize a type of software that snoops into your computer and transmits information about you or your computer to a third-party without your permission.
Sadly, many legitimate web sites, businesses, and marketing companies install this software on your computer without your knowledge to place advertising banners on web pages, examine your purchasing or web site preferences, give you new search tools to find their products, or otherwise help change your shopping habits.
Unfortunately, they often interfere with your computer, and most commonly, your web browser. Usual symptoms include sluggish performance, problems logging in to password-restricted web sites, obnoxious pop-up ads appearing when least expected, and in less common instances, computer crashes.
To get rid of spyware, there are basically two types of anti-spyware: free and subscription (i.e. not free). The best free software is Spybot, Spycatcher (Express) and Ad-Aware Free. The reputable free stuff works great, but beware of unsolicited pop-up ads and spam that suggest you download their free software to get rid of spyware, as quite often these solicitations actually install spyware programs themselves.
For $20-40, fee-based software runs in the background and stops spyware from installing in the first place, which is the better solution. We recommend either (1) Spyware Doctor, (2) Ad-Aware Pro (or Plus), (3) Counterspy, or (4) Spy Sweeper.
Another free program that is very small and fast is Hijack This. Intended for advanced users, it creates a log file listing of all of the background applications running on your computer. Most of the identified applications are necessary and desirable, which is why it's dangerous to delete programs identified by Hijack This unless you know what they are. Still, you could greatly help Tech Support personnel help you by running a scan of your computer (it takes about 4-5 seconds) and sending the log file (just click Save Log). That file will help identify problem applications, which you can later delete.
To guard against unwanted computer attacks, you should develop a computer security plan, consisting of these steps:
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Install anti-virus software. MU students may download for free McAfee Anti-Virus 8.5 from MU's My.Mansfield site (login with your Blackboard login and password).
Note: never install more than one anti-virus program on a computer else very bad things may happen.
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Install dedicated anti-spyware software. You may install more than one anti-spyware program, though two is sufficient (no one programs catches 100% of all known threats, which is why frequent updating is important).
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Scan your computer with these tools at least twice a month, if not weekly.
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Update the software above by checking their web sites for updates and new definition files (weekly if possible). Note that most good software provides it own automated update and scan features you don't have to go to them.
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Update your operating system at least monthly, or upon hearing news about major Internet security problems. On a PC running Windows look in the Start menu for Windows Update or go to Microsoft's Windows Update site. Mac users can check for security updates in system preferences (location dependent on Mac OS version).
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- We strongly recommend that you routinely update your operating system and browser at least every 2-3 months, as well as anti-virus and anti-spyware software. This should NOT be considered optional. Note that when you install updates you should close other applications, including anti-virus software, to prevent complications.
Many students have problems logging in to either their course or library resources. Below are the most likely causes for login problems:
The settings for McAfee Personal Firewall are similar, except you must specify numeric IP addresses. For help with McAfee see their Technical Support site, at http://service.mcafee.com/
Often students and faculty report that their browser can't view certain pages or retrieve documents from their course. There could be countless reasons for this, and troubleshooting usually begins with the obvious questions: are you connected to the Internet, can you visit other sites, are you using an old or unsupported browser, do you have security software or a firewall, etc.
Besides login and Spyware problems (noted above) another possible reason is the so-called browser cache problem. This is especially apparent if you click a link and get the message, "file not found" or see nothing but a blank page (which could also be the result of a popup or ad-blocker tool preventing a secondary page or window from loading).
In the case of cache problems your web browser could be trying to access an old, temporary page stored on your computer. To improve performance of slow connections many browsers traditionally used caching to store previously visited web pages into memory to make them load faster.
You assume that the information on your screen is live and click to open a document or attachment, but quite possibly you're trying to open that document from your own hard drive (the cached version) and it's either gone or it refers to a specific session (momentary point in time or specific login from a previous day, since expired). Think of a plane ticket that is good only for the specified date (and only for one use).
If you try to open a document and get an error message that the file can't be found, immediately clear your cache and refresh the page (you might have to close and re-open the browser). Also, when accessing password-restricted pages be sure to use links from our Portal or to the site's home page, NOT a bookmarked page. Unless you go to the site's main login page a bookmark may link to an expired session. If the URL is very long and contains characters after the domain name (e.g. mansfield.edu or ebsco.com) chances are you can't use it any longer.
For instructions for clearing and bypassing your cache in many popular web browsers see an article in Wikipedia. Likewise, you may want to set your cache to check for newer versions of web pages upon every visit, as well as keep the disk space used for caching very low.
If your browser is set to more than 10Mb of space for caching, which is still plenty, a huge chunk of hard drive space is needed to store hundreds and possibly thousands of stored images and html files for every web page that you've visited since the last cache clean up. This can also explain why you might have far less disk space than you'd expect, since you normally don't see these files, buried deep in your computer. A typical path for cached files on a Windows PC is something like:
C:\Documents and Settings\Marian Beezley\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\
Clearing your cache weekly will help insure the health of your computer and more often than not, may fix unusual problems that seem not to affect others.
As always, if you have a problem or question, use our AskUs Form.