HelpMost of the time, problems viewing a video or other file can be solved by updating the software on your computer that is responsible for
viewing the file. For example, when you click on a video, the file streams into a particular software application on your computer to play it. If you're using an older version of that software, the video might not play at all or you'll have other problems.

So if you can't see something in a course, the best place to start is to take a few minutes to install the latest updates to the software on your computer that you'll use in your courses. It also can't hurt to make sure that your system software is up to date. Before contacting us with file viewing problems, please install any necessary updates to the applications in the links below.

Updates change often and vary depending on the type of computer you run, so we've provided links here to the main pages for updates. Usually, the site will prompt you to download the right update for your system, but you may have to hunt around or click around a bit on the page to get to the right file.

Keep in mind that if you're a student accessing the course on a school computer, you probably won't be able to install these updates on your school's computer, so you'll want to get your school's computer lab support person to help you.

Flash
Flash
Quite a few of our courses use Flash for video playback and other activities.

QuickTime
QuickTime
A lot of computers will play our movies in QuickTime, so updating this will often fix video problems.

Reader
Acrobat Reader
Acrobat Reader opens PDF files. If you can't see a PDF file from a course, this is the update you need.

Java  
Java
Java runs in the background of many web pages. It can cause all sorts of things to not run if it's out of date. This is a great thing to keep up to date on your computer. Click on the link to download a Windows update.

For Macs, you can update Java via your "Software Update..." command. See the section on keeping your Mac up to date below.
Windows  
Windows System Updates
The easiest way to keep an Windows computer up to date is to set it to look for updates automatically. Here's how:
  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Depending on which Control Panel view you use, Classic or Category, do one of the following:
    • Click System, and then click the Automatic Updates tab.
    • Click Performance and Maintenance, click System, and then click the Automatic Updates tab.
  3. Click the option that you want. Make sure Automatic Updates is not turned off.
Mac OS  
Mac System Updates
The easiest way to keep a Mac up to date is to use the "Software Update..." command. Click on the Apple icon in the very top left of your monitor screen, and then select "Software Update..."
If you run through these updates and are still having problems, please get in touch with your school's IT Dept. If you are a student having issues with accessing Moodle content on this site, please contact Jon Fila. Provide your username, course and resource in which you are having difficulties; also include browser version and Operating System for your computer and he will try to assist you.
Last modified: Wednesday, 18 January 2012, 10:28 AM