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Vista Students - FAQ

This FAQ is only a small fraction of what you can find at the Online Support Center that offers 24x7 support in the way of an online knowledgebase. The following topics and questions are those most commonly encountered by Center for Online Learning support, so if you do not see your issue, visit the Online Support Center.

Sections: Accessing Vista | Using Vista | Uploading and Downloading | Errors (Weirdness)

Accessing VISTA

1)  What is needed in order to Access Vista?

Answer:  You will need the following information in order to successfully log into my.georgiasouthern.edu:
1) Your username and password (*If you don’t know your or have forgotten, click here) which is received when you gain admission to the university.
2) All of your fees (i.e. Tuition) have been paid.

2)  How do I log in?

Answer: Navigate to my.georgiasouthern.edu homepage and enter in the required information in the respective fields (i.e Username: jdoe12, Password: abC123#). Once logged into My.GSU, you can then click on the Vista icon to launch it.

3)  I forgot my password, what do I do?

Answer:  On the my.georgiasouthern.edu homepage, follow the link pertaining to lost password located in the yellow box entitle “Have you forgotten your password?" This will prompt you to answer your security question.

4)  My account is locked, what do I do?

Answer:   Contact Center for Online Learning support by phone (912-486-5429) or email (helpdesk@georgiasouthern.edu) and state that you need your account reset. Be ready provide your name, date of birth, eagle ID, and username.

 5)  I forgot my username, what do I do?

Answer:   On the my.georgiasouthern.edu homepage, you should navigate to the yellow box entitled “ Are you a First Time user?“. Located inside the box there is a link that will be able to help provide you with your username.

6)  I forgot my security question. What can I do?

Answer:   You must request that your password be reset.  Contact Center for Online Learning support by phone (912-486-5429) or email (helpdesk@georgiasouthern.edu) and state that you’ve forgotten your password security question and need it reset. Be ready provide your name, date of birth, eagle ID, and username.

Using WebCT VISTA

1) I can log in to WebCT Vista fine but, I do not see my course or its saying “No Content Available”
Answer:  If you are seeing this message, please make the instructor aware of this and follow up with them to ensure that content is going to be put in there and also that you've been enrolled into the correct Vista section.  If you have any further questions, please let us know

2)  I can login to Vista fine, but I cannot find the Vista course I'm looking for on my Course Listing page. What's wrong?
Answer:  There are several reasons why you might not see the class you are expecting to see in your Course Listing page:
1.Try clearing your browser cache and/or cookies.  Sometimes old cache information can be displayed instead of current web content.  Click HERE for instructions to clear your cache/cookies.
2.This can also be due to delays processing your tuition payment for the semester.  If you have recently registered, contact your Institutional Registrar.  It may take at least 24 hours to process your registration into Vista.
3.There could also be an institutional settings problem.  If you suspect this may be the case, contact your institution's GeorgiaVIEW Vista Institutional Administrator.
4.Sometimes, instructors forget to give new students access to their courses.  If you suspect this could be the problem, contact your instructor.
If you have any further questions, please contact us for support.

Uploading and Downloading

1)  I'm trying to download a file in my course. All I hear is a "bleep" sound on my computer. Nothing is happening. My pop-up blockers are turned off. What is wrong?
Answer:  You must enable downloads if using internet explorer when you are trying to download a PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or other file in your course.  However, your browser has a security setting preventing the download of files from web pages. Look towards the top of your browser for a pale yellow bar. Click Download File, then proceed to Open or Save the file.

2)  I cannot upload my assignment/files/documents. Why?
Answer:  If you are having difficulty uploading documents then it is most likely due the fact that your Java needs updating. A number of the functions of Vista's interaction are Java related.  Simply follow the Check Browser link in the upper right corner of Vista when you first login.
*Once you have successfully updated your java, you will then need to close all of your Internet windows and reopen them. If this does not solve your problem then contact the Helpdesk at 912-486-5429.

ERROR MESSAGES/Something Weird Happened??

1)  When I try to open a Word or PowerPoint document within Vista (while using Internet Explorer), why do I get kicked back to the institutional login page?
- When I first log into WebCt a pop up window comes up saying I need to disable pop-up blocker? What do I do?
Answer: For WebCt Vista to work properly, you should ALLOW pop-ups while browsing the site.
Internet Explorer 7.0: Click on Tools->Pop-Up Blocker->Turn Off Pop-up Blocker
Internet Explorer 6.0: Click on Tools->Internet Options->General Tab-> Delete Browsing History

2)  When I login to Vista, I get kicked out and my window closes. A log file is saved to my desktop that has an error message. What can I do?
Answer: f you open the log file that was saved to your desktop, you will see the following error:
Error: An unexpected error has been detected by HotSpot Virtual Machine
What you need to do is uninstall any/all versions of the Java plug-in you may have and reinstall Java 1.5 (aka Java 5), even if you currently have Java 1.5 on your computer.  If you need assistance please contact WebCt support at 912-486-5429 or helpdesk@goergiasouthern.edu.

3)  When I right-click on a Word or PowerPoint link in Vista and select "Save Target As," I get the error: "Internet Explorer cannot download from... Internet Explorer was not able to open this Internet site. The requested site is either unavailable or cannot be found. Please try again later."
Answer:  If using Internet Explorer, left-click on the link to a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file in Vista and choose Open to view the file in the browser or Save to download it to your computer.

4)  When I click on my course, I receive the error, “No Content Associated with this course.”
Answer:  If you are receiving this error then this means that the teacher of the course has not created a WebCt page for that course, so you have nothing to worry about.

5)  When I click a button, nothing happens. I get "Error on page". What am I doing wrong?
Answer: If you are having problems uploading and attaching files in Vista, or clicking any button for that matter, and nothing happens, Java may be your problem. To solve this problem, simply follow the Check Browser link in the upper right corner when you first login to Vista.