Technical support

• eCourses Home
• About eCourses
• How to buy
• Help and support
• Register
• Log in

All the advice in this section is for learners using Internet Explorer. Not all of our courses run smoothly on other internet browsers like Firefox. If you’re using Firefox to run any of our courses and are having technical problems, call our helpline on 0800 101 901

Please contact us, if your question is not shown here.

How can I check my computer is set up to run eCourses?
How do I check the technical specification of a course?
What plug-in will I need and how can I get it?
How do I clear Internet Explorer cache?
How do I enable JavaScript?
Pop up blocker. What can I do?
General technical questions

How can I check my computer is set up to run eCourses?

You can do this by using Update My PC

• If there's anything that needs updating, it'll do it for you with just a few clicks!
• It takes a few minutes to run Update My PC and then up to 15 minutes to update your computer.

How do I check the technical specification of a course?

To check that your PC is right for one of our eCourses, just select the course you’re interested in from the catalogue and choose to view "technical requirements" or "try before you buy"

"Technical requirements" lets you know about the hardware and software you need to run the eCourse. This includes any plug-ins you might need - like Flash or Quicktime.

A few of our courses are available on a CD ROM or DVD, if so you’ll see this clearly labelled on the course description and mentioned in the "Technical Requirements".

You’ll also find some of our courses have a "Try before you buy" option. If the eCourse you’re interested in has this option, then using it is a good way to find out if your PC’s compatible with the course.

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about the technical requirements, feel free to contact us where we’ll be happy to help.

What plug-in will I need and how can I get it?

You may find that to run your eCourse you’ll need to download a plug-in. This will be mentioned in the "technical requirements" of your course.

If your course requires a specific plug-in be installed on your PC then you can download it by clicking on the link that applies to your course below. Then just follow the onscreen instructions*

Adobe Flash Player
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer

Adobe Shockwave
http://get.adobe.com/shockwave

Adobe Reader
http://get.adobe.com/reader

QuickTime Player
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download

*When downloading the plug-in you may be automatically asked to install the Google toolbar. If you don’t want the Google toolbar, just un-tick this option.

How do I clear Internet Explorer cache?

• To do this select 'tools' from the Internet Explorer toolbar menu. Then, from the dropdown menu, click on 'Delete Browsing History'. This will open up a new window.
• For IE7, click on the 'Delete files', 'Delete cookies' and 'Delete history' buttons in turn, selecting 'Yes' when you get a message asking 'Are you sure...'.
• For IE8, make sure there is a tick in the boxes for 'Temporary Internet files' and 'Cookies' and then click on 'Delete'
• To close select 'ok'

How do I enable JavaScript?

• Select 'Tools' from the toolbar menu.
• Click on 'Internet Options'.
• From the 'Security' tab click 'Custom Level'.
• Scroll down to the section called 'Scripting' and enable 'Active scripting'.
• Click 'OK' and select 'Yes' to confirm that you want to change these settings.
• Click 'OK' in order to close the remaining window.
• Close Internet Explorer and open it up again.

Pop up blocker. What can I do?

Pop-up blockers need to be disabled for the courses to run correctly.

Before you launch your course, please check here to see if you have a pop-up blocker installed. Click on 'Start Tests' & then work through the screens.

If your pop-up blocker is configured to block the site you will see the screen as below:

To configure your pop up blocker you’ll need to click on the bar that notifies you a pop up has been blocked and select 'always allow pop-ups from the site' (see picture above) Alternatively, if you are not using Internet Explorer, please select one of the other suggestions for unblocking pop-ups.

Or you can check to see if you have a pop-up blocker installed by using the 'try before you buy' option from a few courses in the catalogue.

General Technical Questions

Will my course remember where I left off when I return to it?

All of the courses have a progress indicator, which will tell you which modules you have started, not yet started and completed. It is good practise to regularly 'clear your internet explorer cache' to support this function

Why can't I launch download files within my course?

Firewalls protect your computer against malicious attacks over the internet such as viruses and also help to prevent unauthorised access to your computer or network. However, a firewall might prevent you from accessing some of our courses. If you’re having problems with accessing a course you might want to disable your firewall for a short while, or check with an IT support department if you’re at work.

Will my firewall affect course access?

Firewalls protect your computer against malicious attacks over the internet such as 'Virus' and help prevent unauthorised access to your computer and network. It may be that you have a software firewall installed on your computer, or in a larger organisation all traffic may pass through a centralised firewall. Either way, a firewall may prevent some courses, or content from being accessible and if you have problems with accessing content then ensure that your firewall is not rejecting content. Your system administrator or IT support department may be able to help you.

Why doesn't the audio work on my course?

If you’re having problems with your audio, double check that your speakers and headphones are definitely connected to the right sockets in your PC.