Technical Help
Quick Help Links
Having technical problems?
This site has been tested on a number of Operating Systems such as Windows, macOS and Linux (such as Ubuntu, Mint, etc.), and web browsers such as IE (Internet Explorer), FireFox, Opera, Safari, Chrome and Edge. The site also uses a wide range of methods of interactivity. Your browser will need to be enabled for Javascript and must accept cookies. Clicking the Check Computer button below will display some information that should help you confirm if any of these are not enabled or installed:
Your computer
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| Operating System | |
| Screen Resolution | |
| JavaScript | |
| Cookies | |
| IP Address | |
The following links may be helpful in resolving any Java, JavaScript and Cookie problems indicated above:
Java Problems
Because Java is not supported on iOS (Apple iPhones and iPads), Android (e.g. Galaxy/Nexus phones and tablets) and is being phased out on desktop browsers, we are slowly converting older Java-based interactivity on this site and replacing it with a JavaScript equivalent. Until this is complete there will be certain pages that will not run on these devices/browsers.For other Java problems please see the Java Technical Help page.
Internet Explorer Users Please Note:
IE11: Whilst this browser renders the site nearly as well as the other main makes of browser there are still occasional problems (particularly in the display of some of the mathematical symbols). If you do experience problems then click the settings icon (it looks like a gear wheel) near the top right, select Compatibility View settings and then click the Add button on the pop-up screen. Please bring to our attention any pages that don't display properly in either mode.IE6 to IE10: This site no longer supports any version of Internet Explorer prior to IE11. If you or your school are still using these then please upgrade or talk to your IT Department about upgrading. All currently supported Windows operating systems can be upgraded to Internet Explorer 11 (Vista is limited to IE9, XP was limited to IE8).
Apple Mac Issues
We have had reports of pages not rendering properly from a user who was using T-Mobile's broadband via a plug-in dongle on their Apple Mac computer. The problem was resolved when they stopped using the dongle. If you experience this problem then please try to use your computer on another type of broadband access to see if it resolves the issue.Mobile Usage
We are updating the site to work with mobile devices and tablet computers such as the iPad and those running Android. Mobile devices do not support Java so cannot use questions on the site that use this - we are slowly replacing Java usage on the site with JavaScript.For those who require handwriting input then the following options have been tested as working with the site. As yet we haven't tested Windows-based tablets but understand that Windows 10 has it built in as standard.
- iOS: try downloading and installing myscript stack from the Apple Store.
- Android: Google's own Google Handwriting Input can be obtained from the Play Store.
Log In Issues
If you are on a school/college/university network and are having problems logging in (or remaining logged in) then the first thing to try is logging in from outside of that network. If that is successful then this indicates a problem on the network itself and, obviously, this is beyond our capability to resolve.We have encountered problems in the past with networks being locked down in ways that prevent aspects of the site from working properly. If you experience this yourself you will need to speak to your IT/network technicians in order to try to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, even though we hear that these problems are resolved on the rare occasions they do arise no one has actually told us what the fix actually is. So if you do experience this, and it is resolved, please contact us via the feedback form and tell us so that we can note the solution on these pages!
Syllabus Switching Issues
A problem has been reported to us a few times where switching to a different syllabus returns to previous syllabus as soon as another link is clicked. First of all, you should make sure that your subscription is valid for the other syllabus. If not then the site tries to return you to a valid syllabus for your subscription. To view the free pages of a different syllabus you should log out first as the system will not then try to force you back to a valid syllabus.If you are being redirected away from a valid syllabus then the first thing to check is whether or not the computer you are using is allowing cookies to be stored. This site uses a cookie to set and retain the selected syllabus so, if your computer isn't allowing this to happen, then this would explain this problem. To find out use the Check Computer Settings option at the top of this page. If cookies are not enabled then use the Cookies link above to see how to change your settings.
If you still encounter syllabus switching problems then please try using the www.mathsnet.com domain name instead. This one doesn't attempt to redirect when the syllabus is changed.
School Network Problems
A common theme for all of those reporting the above syllabus switching problem was that they were all on a school IT network. We suspect that some setting on the network is stripping certain cookies out of the network before they reach the computer. One way to test this is to access the site from a computer outside the school (i.e. your home computer) to see if that works without problem. If you find that to be the case you need to speak to your School IT/network department to see if they can alter the settings. The cookie that records the syllabus has the name mathsneta_ck.We have also had other reports where certain question pages refuse to load or questions not appearing when trying to create exam prints. If you are using a filter (such as Smoothwall) then please ask your IT department to make sure it is not blocking specific files on the site. We have had an instance reported where the /js/mathsfuncs.js file was being blocked, which was causing such problems.
Cookies
This web site uses Google Analytics. The main use of this is to keep track of:- what operating systems are being used to access the site;
- what screen size if being used;
- what browsers are being used.
For more on our use of cookies please see the specific cookie/privacy page.