Blackboard (Students) - LockDown Browser: Tips, Tricks, and Known Issues with LockDown Browser

This document provides an overview of tips, tricks, and known issues with LockDown Browser.

Pre-exam

  1. If your instructor has given you a practice test using LockDown Browser, take the practice test on the computer you plan to use, at least 24-48  hours before the actual test. This will give you time to correct any problems before taking the actual test. Contact ITS at 618-650-5500 if you do encounter problems.

  2. If at all possible, use a wired internet connection. WiFi signals can fluctuate and cause you to be kicked out of the test. Depending on the settings, you may not be able to go back into the test.

  3. If you must use WiFi, turn off all other devises that are using the WiFi signal, including tablets, gaming devises, and streaming video/audio. Other devices will use up bandwidth that is needed for a clean connection for your test.

  4. Turn off all other application and browsers on your computer. See the LockDown Browser article for explanation. 

During the Exam

  1. Do not try to access other software because LockDown Browser will lock you out of the exam. Depending upon the settings your instructor has utilized, you may not be allowed back into the exam.

  2. Save answers regularly. Just clicking the radio button does not  save your answers. If answers are not saved and you are kicked out of the exam, there will be no record of the answers saved on the server. Nothing can be done to retrieve your answers.

  3. Save your answers again prior to submitting the exam. A pop-up window will appear if there are questions with unsaved answers. Clicking OK on that window will submit the question as "unanswered" and you will not get credit for it.

Troubleshooting

Error Messages

  1. "Warning: The browser can't be used in virtual machine software such as Virtual PC, VMWare and Parallels." 
    See the Lockdown Browser article for an explanation.

  2. "Error Code a4: Update Check Failed:" (on Mac) 
    Another application is blocking access to LockDown Browser or there is an internet connection failure. See the LockDown Browser article for an explanation and solution.

  3. "You must close the following program(s) before starting the browser: Google Chrome Remote Desktop (remoting_host.exe)"
    A Google Chrome plugin/extension is actively running in the background. You will need to remove the Google Remote Desktop from your computer. Details on removing the add-on can be found at Google Support here: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1649523?hl=en (scroll to the section on "Remove Chrome Remote Desktop").

  4. "Update server connection is blocked or not available:" (On PC): 
    Security settings or another application is blocking access or there is an internet connection failure. See the LockDown Browser article for an explanation and solution.

  5. "There is a problem with the settings for this exam:" or "Unable to retrieve settings from the Respondus server"
    If you accessed this through an announcement or notifications link, go to the content area and/or folder within the course that contains the original link to the test. If you still get this error, contact your instructor. They will have to fix an error in the LockDown Browser dashboard.
     
  6. "LockDown Browser froze during a test and I cannot exit:"
    A dialog box from another application running in the background "froze" the LockDown Browser screen. See the Lockdown Browser article for an explanation and solution.

  7. "Error Codes: -21, -105, -106 , -111, -118"
    The above error codes indicate a problem with the network, not LockDown Browser. See the LockDown Browser article for an explanation and solution.

  8.  Siri detected as running on Mac:
    If Lockdown Browser won't run because it detects Siri, see the LockDown Browser article
    for an explanation and solution.

Contact Respondus Support

  1. Initiate a live chat: https://web.respondus.com/student-help-livechat/
     
  2. Submit a ticket: https://support.respondus.com/hc/en-us/requests/new


Keywordsblackboard, black board, bb, known issues, issues, tips, tricks, Lockdown Browser, Respondus, Lock down, lock down browser, password   Doc ID64093
OwnerCenter I.GroupSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
Created2016-06-14 10:52:06Updated2024-08-01 10:14:06
SitesSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
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