Off-campus Troubleshooting
What do I need?
- How do I access your databases, e-reserves, etc. from off-campus?
- How do I login?
- When I follow the link to a database, etc., it does not take me to the login page.
- When I try to login, I get the message,“This is cookie.htm from the docs subdirectory.”
- I set my browser to accept cookies, but I still get the message "This is cookie.htm."
- I was able to login and use the database, but after a while it gave me a message that I had timed out.
- I was able to login, but when I try to access a database I get a 405 timeout message.
- While trying to access a database or e-journal, I get a 404 Page Not Found or File Not Found message.
- When I login, I get the message, “The Page Cannot be Displayed” or a blank page opens up.
- I am at a database screen and it is prompting me for a username and password. When I enter my campus account username/password, it fails.
- When I click the link (or icon) on the Find It screen nothing happens.
- How do I disable my pop-up blocker?
- How do I disable my firewall?
- How do I delete cookies?
- What does "concurrent maximum users reached" mean?
- What does "MaxVirtualHosts" mean?
- What does "To allow http://... to be used in a starting point URL ..." mean?
How do I access your databases, e-reserves (etc.) from off-campus?
The databases, electronic journals, and e-reserves to which the library subscribes are available off-campus to all students, faculty, and staff of UWGB. When you select any of the resources while off-campus, you will be prompted to login using the same username and password that you use to check e-mail.
Databases:
To access the databases, hover your mouse over the MetaLib button to access the pop-up menu. If you know the name of the database you want to use, select the Find Resources option. This will cause a new window to open and you will have the option to type the name of the database you are looking for or to browse an alphabetical title list. If you are interested in researching under a particular subject, select the Custom Search option. In the new window that opens, select your subject from the Subject drop-down menu listed on the left hand side. This will provide you with a list of relevant databases, which will appear under the search box.
E-journals:
To access the electronic journals list, hover your mouse over the MetaLib button to access the pop-up menu. Select the Find E-Journals option. This will cause a new window to open and you will have the option to type the name of the journal you are looking for or to browse an alphabetical title list.
E-reserves:
To access the e-reserves, hover your mouse over the Catalog Search button to access the pop-up menu. Select the Course Reserves option. This will cause a new window to open and you will have to select from the drop-down boxes to access your course reserves.
Return to Top
If you are off-campus and trying to link to a particular databases, e-journal, or e-reserve you will be prompted to login. You will be asked to login only once during your current session. To login, you need your campus username and password, which is the same one you use to access your e-mail from off-campus or to login to a campus computer.
If you are unable to connect once you have verified your username and password, verify that your internet service provider is allowing HTTPS (ssl) over port 2443 and HTTP (non ssl) over port 2048.
If you need further assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 465-2309.
Return to Top
When I follow the link to a database, etc., it does not take me to the login page.
If you are already signed in, you won’t be prompted again. You should see the database search screen. Look at the URL shown in the Location or Address bar at the top of your browser. Does it start with “https://login.ezproxy.uwgb” or include the words “ezproxy.uwgb.edu”? If so, then you are already signed in and you won’t be prompted again, unless you close your browser.
Return to Top
When I try to login, I get the message, “This is cookie.htm from the docs subdirectory.”
Our proxy server sends a “cookie” to your browser to indicate that you have been validated by the proxy server and are authorized to access the restricted databases or other resources. This cookie cannot be used for any other purpose, and will be deleted when you close your browser. If your browser has not been set to accept cookies, you will see this message and will not be able to access any of the resources. Here is a list of various browsers with instructions on how to accept cookies. If you are using a browser that does not have an option to enable cookies, you will need to update your browser.
Internet Explorer v. 6.0:
- Click on Tools, select Internet Options, then select the Privacy tab
- Change the privacy settings to a lower level (usually medium or lower will work)
- For other versions of Internet Explorer, consult the browser’s help files
Firefox:
- Click on Tools, select Options.
- Select Privacy and then check the Accept Cookies from sites box.
- Click OK at the bottom to accept the changes.
Netscape v. 6.2:
- Click on Edit and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, choose Cookies and enable them to the level with which you are comfortable.
- For other versions of Netscape, consult the browser’s Help files.
I set my browser to accept cookies, but I still get the message "This is cookie.htm."
This may be happening because your cookie may have expired and is not updating correctly. Try deleting the temporary files, history and cookies (see screenshot below). This is found in Tools > Internet Options in Internet Explorer.
Close out of the browser and retry.
Return to Top
I was able to login and use the database, but after a while it gave me a message that I had timed out.
Many databases have a timeout feature that automatically logs you out of the database if you haven’t interacted with it for a certain amount of time. You will need to return to the page where you originally clicked on the link for that database, and log in again. Note: Time spent reading an article or composing a message to accompany citations you are mailing to someone does not count as time spent interacting with the database, and may trigger the timeout even though you are still “using” the database.
Return to Top
I was able to login, but when I try to access a database I get a 405 Time out message.
This happens when our server cannot connect to the vendor’s server within a minute or so. It usually means that there is a problem at the vendor’s end. Wait a while and try it again later. If after several tries you still cannot get in, please contact the library staff by using the Ask a Librarian page.
Return to Top
While trying to access a database or e-journal, I get a 404 Page Not Found or File Not Found message.
If you receive a “404 Not Found” web page error, any of the following situations may have occurred:
- a problem with the database vendor
- a problem with your ISP (Internet Service Provider)
- a problem with your connection to the vendor
- a problem with an on-campus server
Please use the Refresh button on your browser toolbar or try to connect again later. If you are still unable to connect, please contact the library staff by using the Ask a Librarian page.
Return to Top
When I login, I get the message, “The Page Cannot be Displayed” or a blank page opens up.
There are three potential reasons for why you are receiving the error message or a blank page. The first reason is you may need to clean up your cookie and/or cache files. The second reason is you may have a pop-up blocker and it is preventing the window from being opened. The third reason is you may have a firewall setup on your machine and this is causing the page to be blocked. The following list of instructions will help you clean up your cookies and cache, disable your pop-up blocker, and disable any firewalls.
Instructions for disabling pop-up blockers:
(Note: You may need to change the settings in more than one place - e.g. Internet Explorer and Google Toolbar)
Internet Explorer v. 6.0:
- Click on Tools, select Pop up Blocker, select Turn off Pop Up Blocker.
- Or you can select Pop Up Blocker Settings and add the library’s website or any other website you are working from under the list of allowed websites.
- Click on Internet Options and select the Security tab.
- Click on the Custom Level button.
- Under the heading Reset custom settings, select Medium-Low from the drop down menu.
- Click Reset and answer Yes to warning message that pops up.
- Click on OK
- Click on Apply and then OK.
- For other versions of IE, consult the browser’s Help files.
Firefox:
- Click on Tools, select Options.
- Select Content, then uncheck the Block Pop up Windows box.
- Or you can select Exceptions and add the library’s website or any other website you are working from under the list of allowed websites.
- Click OK at the bottom to accept changes.
Netscape v. 6.2:
- Click on Settings >Tools, select Pop Up Manager.
- Select “Allow Popups from this site” and type “www.uwgb.edu/library” or any other website you are working from in the box.
- For other versions of Netscape, consult the browser’s Help files.
Google Toolbar’s Pop-up Blocker:
- Click on Options
- Once the Toolbar Options window is open, select the More tab.
- Uncheck the Enable Pop up Blocker box.
- Click OK at the bottom to accept changes.
Yahoo Toolbar’s Pop-up Blocker:
- Click on the small picture of a window with a shield.
- Click on Enable Pop up Blocker to uncheck this option.
Instructions to clean up cookies and cache :
Internet Explorer v. 6.0:
- Click on Tools, and select Internet Options.
- Under the heading Temporary Internet Files, you will see the buttons Delete Cookies and Delete Files.
- You will want to select each of these to delete all cookies and all temporary files, including all offline content. A few files may remain when completed, but they should not have an effect on your work.
Firefox:
- Click on Tools, select Options
- Select Privacy, then select Clear Now.
- You will want to check the Cookies and Cache boxes, and then select Clear Private Data Now.
Netscape v. 6.2:
- To delete cookies, click on Tasks, choose Privacy & Security, then Cookies Manager. Choose View Stored Cookies and click Remove All Cookies.
- To delete temporary files (cache), click on Edit, choose Preferences, then Advanced from the left hand side of the screen. Under Advanced, click on Cache, then on both Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache.
Instructions for disabling Firewall:
Norton Internet Security:
- Open Norton Internet Security
- On the left side of the window, click Internet Status and then click Current Status.
- In the Current Status window, click Disable.
Norton Personal Firewall:
- Open Norton Personal Firewall.
- On the left side of the window, click Internet Status and then click Current Status.
- In the Current Status window, click Disable.
- You can also disable Norton Personal Firewall by right-clicking on the Norton Personal Firewall icon in the notification area of the taskbar and selecting disable.
McAfee Internet Security:
- Right-click on the McAfee icon.
- Point your mouse cursor to Personal Firewall and then click Options.
- Click the Security tab.
- Set the Security Level by moving the slider to the desired level.
- Set Access to Low.
- Click on OK to save changes.
McAfee Firewall:
- Click Stop McAfee Firewall to disable the software.
- From the Welcome to McAfee Firewall screen, go to the Network Control Settings and select Allow All Traffic.
Windows XP:
- Click Start, then select Control Panel.
- Open the Network Connections folder.
- Click the Advanced tab, and uncheck the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet box.
- Click Yes to confirm your decision to disable firewalls.
Remember to reset your security configurations when you are finished accessing the resources!
Return to Top
I am at a database screen and it is prompting me for a username and password. When I enter my campus account username/password, it fails.
If you did not link to the database using the library web page, then you probably did not login to the proxy server and the database is not recognizing you as a campus member. Go to the library’s web page and select the database you want to use from the MetaLib Find Resources page. Locate your resource and click on the name. A login screen should appear where you can enter your campus username/password. Once you correctly enter this information, you will be directed to the database. If you continue to have problems, please contact the library staff using the Ask a Librarian page
Return to Top
When I click the link (or 
) on the Find It screen nothing happens.
There may be one of two things happening here:
- If you click the link (or the Go button) on the Find It screen, a new window opens to display the service (full text, ILLiad, etc.) you selected. If you don’t close this new window and you go back to the Find It screen and choose another service, nothing seems to happen. But if you go back to the service window, you will see that the content has been replaced. The pop-up window does not move to the front unless it is opening for the first time, so you need to click on it in the Task Bar in order to bring it forward.
- If you click the link (or the Go button) on the Find It screen, a new window opens to display the service (full text, ILLiad, etc.) you selected. If you don’t close this new service window and you go back to the Find It screen and choose another service, nothing seems to happen. If you see “Error on page” at the bottom of the Find It screen then the problem is a result of your browser setting. This mostly occurs when using IE, but some other browsers as well. To fix this in IE, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Settings > reset to Medium
Return to Top
What does "concurrent maximum users reached" mean?
Some databases only permit a limited number of users at any given time. Please try again later.
Return to Top
What does "MaxVirtualHosts" mean?
This is an error with the EZproxy system. Please contact the library staff using the Ask a Librarian service.
Return to Top
What does "To allow http://... to be used in a starting point URL... " mean?
If you receive the error message,
"To allow http://... to be used in a starting point URL, your EZproxy administrator must first authorize the hostname of this URL in the ezproxy.cfg file. Within this database's section of ezproxy.cfg, the following line must be added: Host ... The EZproxy server must then be restarted to make the change take effect."
Please contact the library staff using the Ask a Librarian service.