MAC OS X

Apple provides its own version of Java.  You can download or update Java using the Software Update feature.

Step 1.  From the Apple menu chose Software Update.

Step 2.  In the Software Update window chose the updates you want to load.

Step 3.  Enter an administrator account name and password.

Step 4.  After the installation is complete restart the computer if necessary. 

Windows

These instructions include images for both Windows 7, Vista and Windows 2000/XP operating systems.

IMPORTANT: It is CRITICALLY important that users do not install Java on top of other/previous versions of Java or several key functions will not work. So, you must uninstall any previous Java prior to installing a newer version of Java.  IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF YOU ALREADY HAVE JAVA PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE.

Step 1. Get Java.

Click here to download Java and install it.

Step 2. Follow the on-screen instructions for the installation.

As confirmation that the Java plug-in is installed, you will see a steaming coffee cup image in the lower-right of your computer's task bar whenever you open an application that uses Java.

For example:

Step 3. Login to your course to test that Java is working.

When you visit a web page that uses Java, you may see a yellow message box similar to the following:

Do the following steps:

1. Click on the yellow box.
   
2. Select Run ActiveX Control.
   
   
3. Click the Run button.
   
   
4. If you are prompted by a Security Warning for the java applet, click the Always button.
   

Step 4. Go to a tool that requires Java.

For example, the HTML Creator is a visual text editor that is available in tools like Mail and Discussions. In the Mail tool, for example, click Create Message and then Enable HTML Creator.

After installing Java, the first time you open a Java-enabled tool, a coffee cup animation flashes as Java loads. This will only happen once, but the process may take a few seconds. Be patient.

In the Create Message box for example:

Again, be patient. Once the tool, in this case the HTML Creator, loads for the first time, this and other Java-enabled tools will run fairly quickly (over a high-speed connection).

NOTES:

• If the Java-enabled tool will still not open, close the browser and log back into your course. Or simply restart your computer as Java sometimes requires a restart.
  

• After installing Java, we recommend turning off the automatic checking for Java updates:
  

• Click the Start button on the bottom left of your screen.
  
• On the Start menu, select Control Panel (if it is visible) or select the Settingsoption, and then click Control Panel from the secondary menu. A new window will appear.
  
• Find and double-click the Java image (If you cannot find the Java image right away, try selecting the Classic View version of the Control Panel).
  
• Click the Update tab.
  
• Clear the checkbox next to Check for Updates Automatically.
  
• If you get a Java Update - Warning message, click the Never Check button.
  
• Click Apply.
  
• Click the "x" to close the Java Control Panel window.
  

• In Internet Explorer, you can confirm that the Java plugin installed successfully. ClickTools > Internet Options > Advanced tab. Scroll down until you see Java (Sun) and make sure there is a green check mark next to Use JRE . . .
  

• The installation of Java only affects the current computer you are working on. If you use a different computer (desktop or notebook), you may not have any problems at all with Java or you may have to go through this process all over again.