Minimum Hardware Requirements / Troubleshooting Tips

The information below is the suggested minimum requirements from Florida Virtual School and Broward Virtual School that you should follow to insure that you have a successful distance learning experience.

Browser Plug-ins: Click on the plug-in to download it.
Sun Java  1.4.2 JRE or higher
Sun Java 3D  1.3 or higher
Flash 7.0 or higher
Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher
Click here to download OpenOffice created by SUN Microsystems, a free version of Microsoft Office

Please refer to the following link to confirm that your PC computer does indeed meet the minimum requirements or if it is missing any plug-ins or applications.  http://www.flvs.net/students_parents/hardware_software_req.php

PC (IBM compatible):
*            Pentium II (233 MHz minimum, higher recommended)
*            Internet connection of at least 56k  (broadband recommended)
*            Windows 2000, 98, NT, XP, ME (Windows ME does not support software used in the following courses: Web Design 1 and 2)
*            256 MB Ram
*            12x CD-ROM (CD/DVD Recommended)
*            Display setting 800x600 resolution, (1024x768 required as of April 1, 2005) 
*            Printer required
*            Internet Explorer (web browsing software) - version 5.5 or
*            Flash 7 player
*            Students need a method to save work to a removable disk (Floppy, Zip, CD-ROM)
*            Audio:  Sound card with speakers, microphone or headset (needed in some courses)
*            America Online and KOL are not recommended

Macintosh:

*            Power Mac G3
*            OSX
*            Students need a method to save work to a removable disk (Floppy, Zip, CD-ROM)
*            128 MB Ram
*            12x CD ROM (CD/DVD Recommended)
*            Internet connection of at least 56k (broadband recommended)
*            Display setting 800x600 resolution, (1024x768 required as of April 1, 2005) 
*            Printer required
*            Safari browser
*            Flash 7 player
*            Audio:  Speakers and microphone or headset (needed in some courses)
*            America Online and KOL are not recommended

What browser should I use for Broward Virtual Education??
Try Opera browser v.6 or higher for any Macintosh. Download for FREE here.
If you have OS X, use the latest version of Firefox. Download it for FREE here.
If you have OS 9, use the latest version of Netscape. Download it for FREE here.

For internet Explorer issues click here to download Explorer Troubleshooting Guide

During Registration or after you are active in your online course, here are some TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS,

On the PC, open your browser, go to Tools in the menu bar, down to Internet Options and then deleting your cookies. Quit out of your browser after making these changes and then open your browser again

On the MAC, open your browser, go to Edit in the menu bar…  Preferences…  Receiving Files…  Cookies…  select “Delete”  …  click OK

Check the Date, Time, and Time Zone...

On the PC, from the Desktop…  open “My Computer”…  open “Control Panel”…  select “Date & Time”  and verify correct date, time, and time zone

On the MAC, under the Apple Menu…  select “Control Panel”…  select “Date & Time” and verify correct date, time, and time zone

Disable any spyware or firewall protection and see if that is causing your problem

Proxy servers and firewalls may require adjustments

Disable any parental control filtering or pop-up stopper software you may have –both are likely to cause error messages

If you work on a router and have problems, try connecting directly to the Internet instead

If you receive any error messages, try the STOP and then REFRESH browser buttons

If using AOL, refer to below...    NOTE- AOL does not work well with FLVS/BVEd online courses.    AOL is not recommended

You may need to restart you computer after any or all of the above is done

AOL Users (AOL is NOT recommended)

For AOL users, some suggestions that may help,

All parental controls must be set to 18 and over for all users and functions on your machine

After you connect to the Internet, minimize the AOL window before launching Internet Explorer 5.0 - 6.0 to access our site. The AOL browser will not work

AOL is not recommended for FLVS or BVEd HS. Other Internet Service Providers may also have similar settings to adjust

Unfortunately filtering software must be disabled for FLVS / BVEd HS courses (not limited to AOL)

Parental controls cause all activity on your computer to go through proxy servers, which filter indiscriminately and will keep you from accessing on-line materials and references in our courses.