Common Problems and Errors Logging in to WebCT

Technical Support Back to Distance Education Courses and Orientations HCCS

Answers to Problems Logging in to Your Online Class

Remember, you cannot log in to WebCT or Blackboard or access your class until your class has started.
Just because you have completed the Online Orientation does not mean you can log in to WebCT/Blackboard or access your class in WebCT/Blackboard if your class has not yet started.

Common Problems	Common Errors
Forgot Password Don't know what your WebCT/Blackboard ID should be Class is missing A Dropped Class Still Shows	You entered and incorrect username or password Nothing seems to happen when you click "Log in" Page Cannot Be Displayed,Server not Found,etc. HTTP 403 Forbidden or Access Denied Errors. Your browser is re-directing you to a different website.

You FORGOT your password (or WebCT ID)

You have already logged in for the first time and you can't remember the password you created. You need us to reset your password. Email us at desupport@hccs.edu with your name and your student ID number or SSN, or fill out our Online Help Form to ask for a password reset. This is the best way to request this support because it leaves a clear record. Early in the semester, it is especially important that you contact us in those wasy, so that we may more easily access your request, due to the very high volume of calls. After your password gets reset, you will want to create your own password again.

What's my WebCT/ Blackboard ID?

Whether your course uses WebCT or Blackboard Vista, your ID is the same as your HCC User ID that you use to log in to Online Registration. [For example: W00234567] You must capitalize the "W".
Go here to retrieve your HCC User ID, or here for help if you can't retrieve your HCC User ID. The passwords for to enter either course delivery platform are independent both of each other and of the password that you use for Online Registration.

You will be asked for your Social Security Number and date of birth to retrieve your HCC User ID. If you do not have a SSN or did not give it to to HCC, then you were assigned a number that starts with a P or D to stand in as your National ID Number or SSN for HCC purposes. This is the number you should use to when trying to retrive your HCC Student ID. If you do not know this number, go here for help, or call 713-718-8800.

[If you cannot log in to your HCCS Student Account, look at the help links that are available there, and call 713-718-8800 if you have already gone through them and still cannot log in. Distance Education does not provide support for this website].

If you suspect that your actual WebCT ID is different from what you're typing and you have already looked at these example, please contact us. It is highly recommended that you email us if it's early in the term.

If a Class Is Missing

There are 5 main reasons for a class that you expect to see in your my WebCT course list not being there:

1. You will only see courses that have already started. Courses that you are enrolled in but have a start date later in the semester usually will not appear until their actual start date. If you have a course missing, please check its start date. Even if you have completed the Online or "face to face" Orientation for the course, you will not be able to access your courses until their official start dates.

2. You're class is on a different server. If it's a Distance Education class, use our DE Course Listings page to locate the right entry page for your course. HCC is in the middle of a transition from WebCT Campus Edition to Blackboard Vista. Until we complete the transition, some courses will be delivered via the former, and others via the latter. Some computer science courses do not use either. Our page will take you to the correct entry page for each course. It is vital that you read your instructor's Online Orientation, however, to be sure you have the latest information. It is also possible that yours is not a Distance Education class at all, but a "Hybrid Class" which is hosted on a different server than your DE classes. If your class is in fact a Hybrid Class, which is a web-enhanced class that meets weekly in a traditional classroom, then you will need to access it on that campus's server and follow your instructor's directions. You can go to http://webct.hccs.edu/ to find the correct class server for your Hybrid Class based on campus.

Be sure to read your instructor's Welcome statement in your Online Orientation to find out if he or she is using a different delivery method or WebCT server. If this is the case please notify us by email so that we can correct the improper linkage for the Class in our Course Lisitings page.

3. You added the class late. Please be patient. WebCT and Blackboard will be updated every day. Your class will automatically appear within 24 hours after you have enrolled in it. If this time has passed, you should email us at desupport@hccs.edu.

(Please note: If you added the class on or after the first day of class and it is your only class on the WebCT/Blackboard server, you also may not be able to log in until the update because your WebCT/Blackboard ID has not yet been created.)

4. You're enrollment for that class did not go through/You have been dropped. Log in to your HCC Student Account to confirm that the missing class is still on your schedule. If you need assistance accessing your HCC Student Account, please contact the Help Desk at 713-718-8800. Make sure you don't have a pop-up blocker that is blocking pop-ups here or on any HCCS site as it will interfere. Contact any Cashier's Office if you are having difficulties making payments online. If you suspect a Financial Aid or scholarship issue, please visit the appropriate Financial Aid Office. If a Pell Grant is in question, you need visit the campus office whose code you used in your FAFSA.) You will need to re-enroll in the class. If it's past the registration deadline, only your instructor may be able to take steps on your behalf to re-instate you into the class, but there is no guarantee. If the class is full, then you can't enroll anymore in that same section. Only the instructor's Department Chair can override this and only in some cases. Call 713-718-2000 or go to the instructor's academic department home page (click on your instructor's College at the top of hccs.edu ) to contact the Department Chair's office. DE Technical Support cannot re-instate you into your class. We can only add the class to your WebCT account. This will happen automatically after our daily updates to WebCT. However, if it's late in the semester, it might be a good idea to email us after you have been reinstated.

A Dropped Class Still Shows

If it has been more than a week, you can contact us so that we can remove the class. For a situation such as this, it's preferable that you do it by email or in our form.

Nothing seems to happen when you click "Log in"

You may see this behavior when logging in if your Privacy and Security Settings are set too high. Your web browser must have cookies enabled or you must give it permission to accept a cookie. More than likely, if this is happening to you, you are using Windows and Internet Explorer. Check your Privacy and Security Settings in IE by going to "Internet Options" which are found in the Tools menu in IE. Set both of these to Medium.

In Netscape 7.2, go to Edit>Preferences and select Privacy and Security.

In Netscape 8, go to Tools>Options>Site Controls to enable cookies there for various types of websites.

In Firefox, go to Tools>Options>Privacy

In Firefox for the Mac, go to Firefox>Preferences>Privacy.

In Safari, go to Safari>Preferences. Select "Security" and from there to enable cookies.

If your browser is not covered, simply look for this information in the Help menu of your browser.

Regardless of what browser you are using, you need to run the WebCT Browser Tune up to avoid problems.

Read the following section if enabling cookies did not do the trick.

Page Cannot Be Displayed,Server not Found,etc.

Make sure you are still connected to the web by checking to see if you can access other websites. Next, if you have one, turn your attention to your firewall, such as Zone Alarm Pro, Norton Internet Security, or McAfee Internet Security. It may be configured in such a way that it interferes with your ability to log in to WebCT. If you when you turn it off , you are able to log in, at least know which program is interfering. The Firewall built into Windows does not interfere with WebCT. You can keep that one on. At times, WebCT cannot be properly accessed from a workplace setting because of your workplace firewall. Our server will not deny you access but your network settings and firewall may. In Windows, the firewall can almost always be disabled or turned off from the system tray. Each icon will be identified with text when you hold the pointer over it. When you locate the icon for the firewall, you should be able to right-click to disable it. If you discover that your firewall is the culprit and you want to keep it running while you access your class, read it's documentation to properly configure it.

HTTP 403 Forbidden or Access Denied Errors

The best solution is to switch to Firefox or Netscape. This error seems to be generated only in Internet Explorer and may go away on its own after a while. If you can't log in in this situation, a quick fix may also be to access the Log In page directly, instead of going through the WebCT Entry Page. It's a good idea to bookmark that page and use it if you are having this problem, but remember that announcements from our department are posted on the Entry Page.

This is comes WebCT's Help:

When trying to log into WebCT, some users have reported getting "403 Forbidden" or "Access Denied" error messages.

One possible cause is an Internet Explorer 6 update installed by Windows Update. Some users found that this problem could be resolved by changing an Internet Explorer setting:

In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
Click the Advanced tab.
Under Browsing, clear the check box for Show friendly HTTP error messages.
Click OK.
Restart the Internet Explorer browser.

If this problem persists after changing this setting and restarting your browser, it may be caused by spyware or deceptive software on your computer. Read more about spyware and WebCT.

Your browser is re-directing you to a different website

If you are being redirected to a different website altogether, your computer is infected with adware or spyware. Consider installing and running anti-spyware software like Ad-aware or SpyBot. These are donation-based programs and are effective many times, but do use them at your own risk (like anything else). Download links to these programs can be found by searching for them at http://www.versiontracker.com. While OS X on the Mac is largely immune to this, Windows can be easily infected. Microsoft also has a free (as of this writing) Anti-Spyware tool. Go to http://microsoft.com and look in their Popular Downloads section. Currently their program is called Windows Defender. If you can't log in in this situation, and your course is on WebCT, a quick fix may be to access the Log In page directly, instead of going through the WebCT Entry Page. It's a good idea to bookmark that page and use it if you are having this problem, but remember that announcements from our department are posted on the Entry Page. Likewise, the direct Log in Page for a course on Blackboard is here.

Technical Support Back to Distance Education Courses and Orientations HCCS