Self-help Skillsoft Customer Support

 

 Important!:  Many Skillsoft applications are delivered via web-based Java applet.  As such, having a functional Java Runtime Environment (JRE) present and activated within your browser is a critical requirement for the successful use of many of our product offerings.  When issues are encountered while attempting to access Skillsoft products, an important first step is to verify that that the Java browser plugin is installed and enabled on your system.  If Java is not presently installed on your system, Skillsoft recommends that users install the latest version of the Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) which can be found here.

This walkthough was created using Google Chrome v 30.0.1599.101 as a guide, however alternate versions of the browser will be very similar in procedure as well.

  1. Within Chrome, locate the Options icon to the far right of the address bar and click it. From the resulting drop-down menu select Settings.


  2. In the Settings tab, scroll down to the bottom of the window and click Show advanced settings.


  3. Scroll down the window and locate the Privacy heading and click the Content settings button.


  4. Scroll down to the Plug-ins section.  Ensure that either Run Automatically (recommended) or Click to Play are selected


  5. Click the Disable individual plug-ins option


  6. Scroll down to the Java(TM) plugin.  If it is disabled, select the Enable option.  Choosing Always allowed is recommended.


    Once completed, the default browser "recommended" option is fine, however if you're using one of the alternate options, you will need to add an exception to your plug-in rules. Click the Manage exceptions button to add a new exception.

  7. In the new Add a new hostname pattern field, type [*.]skillport.com and then push "Enter" on your keyboard. Please repeat the same steps to also add [*.]skillwsa.com.

    After both sites have been successfully added, you may exit the window by clicking on the OK button.

  8. While still within the Content settings window, locate the Cookies heading.

    The default browser "recommended" option is fine, however if you're using one of the alternate options, you will need to add an exception to your cookie rules. Click the Manage exceptions button to add a new exception.

    In the new Add a new hostname pattern field, type [*.]skillport.com and then push "Enter" on your keyboard. Please repeat the same steps to also add [*.]skillwsa.com.

    After both sites have been successfully added, you may exit the window by clicking on the OK button.

  9. While still in the Content settings window, locate the Pop-ups heading.

    The default browser "recommended" option is to block all pop-up windows. However within some Skillsoft content there are additional resources - JobAids, Skillbriefs, etc - built into the content that would open in a pop-up fashion. As a result, it is advised that you add an exception to your pop-up rules to prevent this from occurring. Click the Manage exceptions button to add a new exception.

    In the new Add a new hostname pattern field, type [*.]skillport.com and then push "Enter" on your keyboard. Please repeat the same steps to also add [*.]skillwsa.com.

    After both sites have been successfully added, you may exit the window by clicking on the OK button.

    Please click on the OK button again, to return to the main web browser window. You may now close the Settings tab.

You should now be able to login to your Skillport account, and launch your courseware. Should problems persist, please proceed with the instructions outlined below.


Clearing the browser cache

1. Within Chrome, locate the Options icon to the far right of the address bar and click it. From the resulting drop-down menu select Settings.



2. In the Settings tab, scroll down to the bottom of the window and click Show advanced settings.


3. Scroll down the window and locate the Privacy heading and click the Clear browsing data button.


4. Ensure that Empty the cache option is checked, and remove all checkmarks from the remaining options. Click the Clear browsing data button to start the process.

This process may take a few minutes to complete.



Clearing the Java cache.

Next we will clear the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) temporary cache.

1. Access the Windows Control Panel on your computer. Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel.

2. Once in the Control Panel, locate the Java icon and open it.

3. On the General tab click the Settings button under the Temporary Internet Files heading.

4. In the new window click the Delete Files... button.

In the new window ensure that both options are selected, and then click OK.
This process may take a few minutes to complete.

Click the OK button two more times to close out of the Java Control Panel window.

This concludes the optimization of the Chrome web browser and the Java Runtime Environment.

 

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