There is a problem with Internet Explorer 8 and External Links in Blackboard. If you create a link in Blackboard to a non-SSL site (one that begins with http:// rather than https://), IE8 will try to protect you from potentially harmful 3rd party websites by asking, “Do you only want to display content that is displayed securely” If you answer Yes (the default) to this question, then IE8 will NOT display non-secure content. That is, clicking Yes tells IE to NOT display the pages you have linked to.
Worst……Security Message…….Ever!
This is not a Blackboard problem but an IE8 security problem. Blackboard is run under SSL, so it’s secure. IE8 is being clever about links within Blackboard that go to non-SSL places. It’s really a terribly worded question by Microsoft and they should be ashamed of that.
The best suggestion for Instructors is to modify the External URL so that they open in a new window rather than in the Blackboard frame.
This short movie shows how to modify an existing URL to open in an external window.
http://screencast.com/t/K6fSV2K7Uw
If you have more than 10 External URL’s to modify to open in a new window, and would like assistance doing the conversion, please email us at help@usf.edu and we can batch change all URL’s for a given course. Please reference this article and include your specific Course_id and section to speed up the request.
The other option is to use either IE7 or Firefox 3.
If I find better workarounds I’ll update this post.
(For the Blackboard Admins out there, the behind.blackboard ticket number is 614383 )
August 26th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
This work around is peachy for general links, but I ran into a problem with Elluminate today. If you set a session up inside Blackboard and then students (or instructors!) click the “Join” button to access the session, it attempts to spawn a new window but generates the irritating error mentioned above.
Right clicking on “Join” and choosing the option for “Open in New Window” will get you around this, but there isn’t an option in Elluminate that I noticed that lets you launch the join part in an external window.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks for the workaround. I had encountered this a couple of times as well and was just avoiding it in general - big help!
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
This is truly a lifesaver. I had a really hard time with this and was *literally* banging my head against my keyboard. Nice to know a little Google search can always yield ya what ya need!
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
This gave me quite the headache. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to write this up! You sir, are very much a saint!
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I was running into this exact issue with IE8. Thanks for the blog post you really do humanity a great service! The fact that you even took the time to add a screenshot just shows how wonderful you are!
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:17 am
This was really a big help. thank your for this one.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:29 am
Great how-to here.
I had another workaround but it was a real pain and everytime I restarted IE I had to go through all of the steps again.
Thanks for posting this up it really alleviated a lot of IE 8 induced stress!
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:05 am
I knew I could find a fix out there somewhere for my blackboard issue. Thanks a bunch this seems so obvious now but man was I ever having a hard time with this one!
September 24th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Great post. Was having some issues with this so I simply avoided it. Good to know I can use black board to its full potential now, thanks!
September 24th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Black board is a really great application, I use it regularly. I recently encountered this issue for the first time and was lucky enough to find your post right away, thanks for clearing it all up for me
September 25th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
blackboard frustrated me with some quirks like this. Really we should all report them more often so instead of everyone having to find a workaround we can simply get an update. Thanks for taking the time to post this though.
September 29th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
[…] http://bbnews.blog.usf.edu/2009/08/24/blackboard-external-urls-and-internet-explorer-8 […]
September 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
I knew there was a reason I was using Firefox. Oddly enough I was just thinking I might switch back to IE with version 8, now I’m not so sure.
September 30th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Microsoft just can´t keep ip up..
September 30th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
This is why I don’t use any new Internet Explorer until all the “bugs” have been worked out. I wish they would bring back IE 5.5!
September 30th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Do you believe i spend two hours last night searching this ?
thanks for the tip
September 30th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I am really very late in Internet updates, it’s my first time to hear Internet Explorer 8.. I hope to hear many updates in this forum..
October 1st, 2009 at 3:19 am
What is the function of blackboard in I.E?
October 1st, 2009 at 9:24 am
Ive never heard of it :S
October 1st, 2009 at 9:35 am
Havent tried IE8 yet. Think Ill stick to Firefox for time being!
October 1st, 2009 at 9:39 am
I hardly ever use Explorer anymore. Firefox is my browser of choice although the updates drive me crazy!
October 1st, 2009 at 9:47 am
blackboard is very frustrating. Thanks for the informative post.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
I agree with James, Firefox is a much better browser. I was tired of the crashes with IE.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
I find myself using Chrome most of the time then switching to Firefox when I have compatibility issues.
Even FF has security issues now. Sad.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:48 am
I knew I could find a fix out there somewhere for my blackboard issue. Thanks a bunch this seems so obvious now but man was I ever having a hard time with this one!
October 1st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Hey, you have a great blog here! I’m definitely going to bookmark you! Thank you for your info.i love to read all info.
October 1st, 2009 at 11:45 am
There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.
October 1st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Man I wish I had this information last week… Better late than never I guess, thanks for the quality info
October 1st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
very good
October 1st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:51 am
Thank you very much for your screen cast, I had the very same issue with IE8 when I wanted to add a secure section for flight status updates to my tehran flights portal. I will try your workaround.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 am
I use Firefox but this feature of IE8 is really commendable in terms of safety. Thanks for the info!
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 am
I’m using IE8 very recently. Though this feature is good in terms of safety but it can also be quiet annoying sometimes.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Firefox is my choice, had way too many crashes with IE.
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Since my Firefox introduction, I never stopped using it. My husband is an IE user. Every time he uses my computer, he switches browsers. It’s annoying sometimes.
October 4th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Mozilla is a browser company and MS is a software/OS company. Mozilla focuses it’s resources on creating a superior browser, hence the tremendous difference between the performance of the two.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Yes! u r correct, i noticed this thing earlier..thnx for hitting again
October 7th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Thanks for the help.
October 8th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Hello,
Nice post I Like your site very well and continue to do so.
October 8th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Got to be said - LOVE how the error looks in this post; very authentic.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:11 am
the quantity of education has increased but there is lot to improve on the quality,but thats my opinion. this is a nice blog and i look forward to reading more of this from you in the near future. Thank you for this blog, i will surely bookmark it.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:11 am
The quantity of education has increased, but there is lot to improve on the quality,but thats my opinion. this is a nice blog and i look forward to reading more of this from you in the near future. Thank you for this blog, i will surely bookmark it.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I’ve come across this error message two or three times of late. A real nuisance!
October 15th, 2009 at 2:28 am
Hi, This is very nice post even whole site is informative.I am Hary Private Student Loans provider.If anyone need Private Student Loans then visit http://www.studentloansdebtconsolidation.net
October 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am
The quantity of education has increased, but still there is lot to improvement to be done on quality.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Generally I use explorer 8 instead of mozilla or any other browser.Sometimes I faced problem but rarely.Otherwise everything is fine.
October 15th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
normally i prefer using firfox than IE so the was a first for me when i stated getting all these pop ps.
October 16th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
thank you evden eve nakliyat
October 16th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
nakliye forever
October 18th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Chad Timothy is the CEO of the Software Billions Club in Portland, OR. Having started off in Internet Marketing in 1998 Chad Timothy is considered a respected pioneer. He is committed to helping others by writing about what he has learned about strategic Internet Marketing.
October 18th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Thanks for the post ..It was really irritating that I came across this error message every time I used IE8. Keep up the good work..
October 18th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
The frantic pace and surreal micro-game design forces you to adjust your strategies - and your grip on the R4 Games controller, constantly in preparation for the next challenge. WarioWare- Smooth Moves splits itself into hundreds and hundreds of micro- R4 Games that give the player a simple, one-word instruction and five seconds to perform it using the R4 Games remote. This game falls in the puzzle genre. These games are so entertaining that it’s not hard to get stuck playing this game for hours. The video games, car racing games, or the computers games have been source of great entertainment as well.
October 19th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
That’s why I’m always trying to test more than one danza vientre browser.
Thanks for the info
October 20th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Till now I not use Internet Explorer 8. But I think for the safety it will be better. Thanks for your discussion.
October 21st, 2009 at 5:02 am
I think Chrome is better… I ve not got any problems in chrome …thanks
October 21st, 2009 at 5:25 am
I only use Firefox, the best browser ever, don’t waste time with IE and other browsers.
October 21st, 2009 at 5:31 am
Also Chrome is a good browser, try it!
October 21st, 2009 at 6:20 am
blackboard is very frustrating i will it to my friends
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:23 am
Yeah Firefox is the best, stick on to it. Don’t go for others. Good post.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to write this up!
October 28th, 2009 at 3:02 am
I had encountered this a couple of times as well and was just avoiding it in general - big help!
October 28th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Concierge collects variety of services in it. It’s what allow conciant to achieve balance, rhythm, and equilibrium for its members. Life, work, prosperity, freedom, privilege-perfect rhythm and so on, just maintain the balance life. conciant also recognizes busy life schedule of people, who use to struggle to enhance their business opportunities and wanna lead better life with decent income.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:52 am
IE8 is really frustrating , I am using Google chrome - it is awesome !
October 31st, 2009 at 7:58 am
Thanks for such a important information.I was also facing the same problem.
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:10 am
I was also experiencing the same kind of error messages everytime I accessed internet thru IE8..finally I switched over to Mozilla Firefox..Its working superbly fine now.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:49 am
Right clicking on “Join” and choosing the option for “Open in New Window” will get you around this, but there isn’t an option in Elluminate that I noticed that lets you launch the join part in an external window.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
I was searching to fix the issue. Thanks a lot for the help.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Thx a lot I was looking for that.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I too ran into the same problem as Jennifer. I’ll be looking for your update on how you counter this!
November 5th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Nice one, thank for share.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Great tips, i am looking for this.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
oh ya, i have a problem with this, can you give me a little help?
November 5th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
great post mate!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Great post! I prefer chrome over I.E though!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:43 am
Thanks for the share ! Been looking for this!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:44 am
I believe that this error can be removed if you were to continue using firefox.
November 7th, 2009 at 4:21 am
Thanks for sharing this informative post and allow me to comment for back link.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
blackboard is stupid, and so is webCT, hope they will get better, perhaps apple should release something, i am sure it would be stable.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Internet Explorer, need we say more. hould not really say that but there are so many errors that continually highlighted and not just with Blackboard…
November 9th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
All I can say is thank goodness for the competing options available, Firefox, Chrome etc. Competition is good and can lead to the prevention of such niggling issues that should actually be sorted out from the outset!
November 10th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Don’t you think firefix is more better because being as a webmaster I have to take care of lots of things and firefox provide lots of plugins , after all its faster than I.E , what you guys think ?
November 10th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I was actually looking around for a blog post on this issue, but stumbled across your site on Google!! I’m actually quite interested so will keep an eye out for updates
November 10th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
IE freezes all the time I use firefox and chrome
November 11th, 2009 at 4:11 am
I have been looking for this information. I’m glad I found it here!!!
November 11th, 2009 at 8:36 am
wow i love how the way you teach it with illustrations! thanks!
November 12th, 2009 at 7:05 am
You’re right. In Firefox 3+ it works fine. I have the latest version - 3.5.5 and it works perfectly.
And this post of 2004 came up on the top results when I looked for this topic!!
Cheers
November 12th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Thanks for the post. Makes it very fun here to read.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:44 am
It’s look like that IE always have some problems.Try FireFox
November 12th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Maybe try crome?
November 12th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Thanks for nice info
November 12th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I have been trying to give MS the benefit of the doubt but with some of the issues I’ve had with IE8. I am still favoring firefox.
Your findings is keeping me with the Fox.
November 12th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I don’t like Firefox at all but IE8 isn’t much better.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:28 am
The solution I had is to IE 7 or Firefox. Rightly said.
Nice post buddy.
Keep updating if there are any other options or any other versions.
Thanks.
Keep posting…..
November 16th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Yeah IE 8 is alot better i think, i mean maybe not alot but it certainly had increased in quality, the best bed would be firefox though.
November 17th, 2009 at 4:58 am
Firefox is the best option available..
That is the only option left too !!! And yes, I would be waiting for more updates too.
Does Google chrome support this . Please let me know…
November 17th, 2009 at 7:32 am
I ve encountered this problem a couple of times as well but thanks for the post very helpful . I wish i had this information a few days back … thanks for the quality information. My Internet explorer freezes end number of times i have also started using chrome an firefox its much faster ,makes work simpler .
November 17th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Yeah, firefox is truly a great browser. I really didn’t like Chrome, but I have tried a Norwegian browser called Opera. Just go to opera.com and download it. It is great. I promise:-) Good night everybody.
November 18th, 2009 at 1:37 am
I am eagerly waiting to try both these applications. I think both these will be feature loaded!
November 18th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Many IE8 users have hailed it but still some problems persist with it, so I think MS should try to figure out the errors and come up with error free browser.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Thanks for the technical info. I really appriciate your work.
November 18th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Of course, what a great site and informative posts, I will add backlink - bookmark this site? Regards, Reader.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
thanks !! very helpful post!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
You are a very smart person!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I am always searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you
November 18th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
dsidjaidis dhiasudai
November 19th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Thank you for the information . I prefer using chrome an firefox its much faster .
November 19th, 2009 at 10:13 am
This is something that I will find very useful, thanks!
November 20th, 2009 at 6:08 am
You are really giving the better information for the blackboard problems. It is very nice to read. An utterly unique Louis Vuitton monogram
perfo LV style the Musette expresses the vibrant, playful Vuitton that marks the collections of late. The unconventional perforation design of Replica monogram perfo has proved an absolute sensation. Combined with the feminine grace of the Musette’s shape and the Classic Monogram, the result is stunning.
Featuring monogram perfo canvas with natural cowhide trim and golden metal hardware, natural cowhide shoulder strap; inside patch pocket and cell-phone holder, red polka dot Alcantara lining, unique perfo Louis Vuitton Replica top closure, and a golden locket.
November 20th, 2009 at 7:54 am
I was browsing all the bookstores in our region to find music sheets of the old classics and one good book owner told me that they are all freely available on the internet. Imagine my surprise when I found everything including collections of Mendel, Beethoven, and Bach!! Thanks to you and people like you who make the internet such a wonderful place to share music!
November 20th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
thanks for the tip, been looking for this!
November 21st, 2009 at 1:54 am
Generally I use chrome instead of mozilla or any other browser.Sometimes I faced problem but rarely.Otherwise everything is fine
November 21st, 2009 at 3:03 am
Hi,
I got some helpful informative here, I will go try to searching and also share with my friends thanks for the great info..
Buy Steroids
November 21st, 2009 at 7:29 am
Thanks for the really informative article. I appreciate it.
November 21st, 2009 at 9:14 am
Ya. You are correct. I also have encountered the same problem so many times and it is nice to see that you have shared this information. Nice job.
Buy Steroids
November 21st, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I absolutely hate those warnings in IE8! We get them all the time on our own website, and it drives me nuts.