What should I do if LockDown Browser won't open or the screen freezes?

Respondus Lockdown Browser must be launched from your normal browser. If you open the Lockdown Browser application directly, you will not be able to access Brightspace or your quizzes/exams.

If you are having trouble with opening LockDown Browser, the page freezes while attempting ot load ("White Screen") or the browser freezes when saving or submitting your test, you will have to reboot your computer. To reboot a PC, typically you would click on Start, click on the arrow next to Shutdown, and select Restart from the menu. To reboot a Mac, click on the Apple and then click on Restart.

After waiting a few minutes, turn the computer back on, then review the following conditions:

Do you have a firewall enabled?
Firewalls can also interfere with LockDown Browser. You will need to make sure the LockDown.exe application is allowed full access to the Internet, which means you may need to enter this into your firewall as an "Exception".
Do you have pop-up blocking software enabled?
Popup blockers can also interfere with Lockdown Browser opening correctly. When you click the "Launch Lockdown Browser" button, if nothing seems to happen look for an icon in the browser's address bar that indicates a popup window was blocked. If you see one, click on it and click on the option that says something like "Always allow popups from this site".
Do you have any other programs or services running in the computer's background?
LockDown Browser requires that any open or running programs, such as Google Desktop or Skype, must be closed. When Lockdown Browser begins to launch it should prompt you to close any applications that are known to interfere with LDB functionality. If you see this message, it is important that you click the "close applications" button. If you do not click the "close applications" button, Lockdown Browser will quit.

To determine if you have any programs open and running on your PC, press your keyboard's CTRL, ALT, and DEL keys all at once. From the pop-up menu that appears, select Task Manager/View Tasks. The Task Manager will open and display any programs that are currently open and running on your computer. Select each remaining program that is open and click the End Task button in the Task Manager to close them. When the task manager is empty, no programs are open and running.

Are you running updated anti-virus software? Have you scanned for viruses recently?
Some virus infections have been found to prevent LockDown Browser from starting. If you are running updated anti-virus software, try running a virus scan and removing or placing in quarantine any viruses that are found. If you are not running any anti-virus software, it is recommended that you install one, check for updates, and run a full virus scan. Below are some great free options available for anti-virus software.

Please note: This information is intended for students of Great Falls College Montana State University. If you are a student of another college, university, or school that uses Respondus LockDown Browser, please either contact your school’s Information Technology Department or Responduswith any questions, concerns, or support issues related to Respondus LockDown Browser.