Accessing the S: Drive with Internet Explorer

Symptom:

The Internet Explorer (IE) web browser will not let students download files. We have confirmed that those problems are related to the way IE manages passive FTP access and FTP messages.

Solution:

Apply the latest patches and service patch for Internet Explorer from the Microsoft web site using " Windows Update" from the Tools menu (IE v5.0 or later) or the " Product Updates" from the Help menu option (IE v4.0 or earlier). You could also go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ . We successfully performed tests with IE v5.0 by applying the following patches (some patches may have different names according to your version of IE and Windows):

• Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1
• Critical Update, March 3, 2000 (High Encryption)
• Security Update, August 25, 2000
• Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (apply the latest version available)
• Additional Web fonts
• Internet Explorer Browsing Enhancements
• Windows 98 Customer Service Pack
• Web Publishing Wizard 1.6

Alternatively, you could download the latest version of the browser. Also, verify that the patches installed properly by checking the " Installation History" in the Windows Update web page. Sometimes, a unsuccessful installation of a patch or service pack may render the browser unable to access certain web sites.

Using the Businesslab web site:

1. Log on to the Internet as usual.
2. Run IE from the icon on the desktop or the Start | Programs menu group.
3. Click on the address bar (the white text bar where the web page address is shown), type in the address for the Business Computer Lab (businesslab.mtsu.edu), and press Enter.
4. Once the Lab’s homepage has loaded, press Control-D to bookmark it. Once book marked, you can go directly to the web page by clicking on "Bookmarks" (Netscape) or Favorites (IE), and then clicking on the link to the Business Lab homepage.
5. From the Business Lab home page, click on " S: Drive ".
6. Click on the directory with your teacher's name. You will see more directories, one for each class taught by your teacher.
7. Once you find the file you want, you MUST download the file to your hard disk. To download a file you must right-click on the filename and then select " Save Target As..." or " Copy to Folder...", and specify a location on your hard disk where you would like to save the file.
8. Later, you must use the proper application to open the file you just downloaded, for example: user PowerPoint for ".ppt" files, Microsoft Word for ".doc" files, etc.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 06:09 PM