• Home
• About GALILEO
• Contact Us
• Help

Georgia's Virtual Library...bringing quality content to you!

GALILEO Help

• FAQs
• Passwords
• Technical & Access Problems
  • Configuration Instructions
• Searching & Citing
• Support for Librarians
• Resources for Educators

Computer Configuration Instructions for GALILEO Users

Operating Systems | Browsers | Plug-ins

To achieve optimum performance within the GALILEO environment, the following computer and software configurations are recommended.

Operating Systems

The following computer operating systems are supported by GALILEO:

Windows

• Vista
• XP
• 95,98,2000

Macintosh

• Mac OSX
• Mac Classic OS

Top

Browsers

In general, GALILEO users should configure their browsers to accept first-and third-party cookies, avoid restrictively high browser security settings during GALILEO sessions, disable pop-up blockers, and configure their browsers to check for new versions of cached pages regularly. The configuration instructions below provide more details on configuring GALILEO-compatible browsers for optimal performance.

GALILEO-Compatible Browsers

To achieve optimal performance within the GALILEO environment, please use one of the following supported browsers:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or above	download	configuration instructions
Firefox 2.0 or above	download	configuration instructions
Apple Safari 2.0 or above (Mac OS X)	download	configuration instructions

Top

Browser Configuration Instructions

Internet Explorer 8.0

To enable first- and third-party cookies:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. From the Privacy tab, drag the slider for the Privacy Settings to “Low.”
4. Click “OK”
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To delete cookies:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. In the “Browsing History” section, click “Delete.”
4. Check the box beside “Cookies.”
5. Click “Delete.”
6. Select “OK.”
7. Restart Internet Explorer.
8. If you do not want Internet Explorer to delete cookies each time you close the browser, follow these steps again and uncheck the box beside“Cookies.”

To configure security settings:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Security” tab.
3. Click “Default Level“ and then drag the slider to “Medium.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To configure cache settings:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. Within the “Browsing History” area of the window, Click on “Settings.”
4. Click “Automatically.”
5. Click “OK.”
6. Click “OK.”
7. Restart Internet Explorer.

To delete browser cache:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. In the “Browsing History” section, click “Delete.”
4. Check the box beside “Temporary Internet files.”
5. Click “Delete.”
6. Select “OK.”
7. Restart Internet Explorer.
8. If you do not want Internet Explorer to delete the browser cache each time you close the browser, follow these steps again and uncheck the box beside“Temporary Internet files.”

To disable pop-up blocker:

1. Select “Tools” > “Pop-up Blocker” > “Turn off Pop-up Blocker.”
2. To re-enable the pop-up blocker after completing a GALILEO session, select Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

These instructions are applicable only to the pop-up blocker in IE 8. IE users with other types of pop-up blockers, such as those provided by Internet service providers or in the Google and Yahoo toolbars, should consult the instructions provided with their specific pop-up blockers.

Internet Explorer 7.0

To enable first- and third-party cookies:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. From the Privacy tab, drag the slider for the Privacy Settings to “Low.”
4. Click “OK”
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To delete cookies:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. In the “Browsing History” section, click “Delete.”
4. In the “Cookies” section, click “Delete cookies.”
5. Select “Yes.”
6. Select “Close.”
7. Select “OK.”
8. Restart Internet Explorer.

To configure security settings:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Security” tab.
3. Click “Default Level“ and then drag the slider to “Medium.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To configure cache settings:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. Within the “Browsing History” area of the window, Click on “Settings.”
4. Click “Automatically.”
5. Click “OK.”
6. Click “OK.”
7. Restart Internet Explorer.

To delete browser cache:

1. From the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options.”
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. In the “Browsing History” section, click “Delete.”
4. In the “Temporary Internet Files“ section, click “Delete files.”
5. Select “Yes.”
6. Select “Close.”
7. Select “OK.”
8. Restart Internet Explorer.

To disable pop-up blocker:

1. Select “Tools” > “Pop-up Blocker” > “Turn off Pop-up Blocker.”
2. To re-enable the pop-up blocker after completing a GALILEO session, select Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

These pop-up blocker instructions are applicable only to IE 6 and 7 users who have downloaded Windows XP Service Pack 2. IE users with other types of pop-up blockers, such as those provided by Internet service providers or in the Google and Yahoo toolbars, should consult the instructions provided with their specific pop-up blockers.

Internet Explorer 6.0

To enable first- and third-party cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. From the Privacy tab, drag the slider for the Privacy Settings to “Low.”
4. Click “OK“
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To delete cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. In the “Temporary Internet Files” section, click “Delete Cookies.”
4. Click “OK,” and then Click “OK” again.
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To configure security settings:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Security” tab.
3. Click “Default Level” and then drag the slider to “Medium.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To configure cache settings:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General“ tab.
3. Within the “Temporary Internet Files” area of the window, Click on “Settings.”
4. Click “Automatically.”
5. Click “OK.”
6. Click “OK.”
7. Restart Internet Explorer.

To delete browser cache:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “General” tab.
3. In the “Temporary Internet Files” section, click “Delete Files.”
4. Click “OK,” and then Click “OK” again.
5. Restart Internet Explorer.

To disable pop-up blocker:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn Off Pop-up Blocker.
2. To re-enable the pop-up blocker after completing a GALILEO session, select Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

These pop-up blocker instructions are applicable only to IE 6 users who have downloaded Windows XP Service Pack 2. IE users with other types of pop-up blockers, such as those provided by Internet service providers or in the Google and Yahoo toolbars, should consult the instructions provided with their specific pop-up blockers.

Top

Firefox 3.0 and above

To enable first- and third-party cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. Select the box corresponding to “Accept cookies from sites.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Firefox.

To delete cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. Click the “Show Cookies” button.
4. Click the “Remove All Cookies” button.
5. Click the “Close” button.
6. Click “OK.”
7. Restart Firefox.

To configure security settings:

• There is no need to adjust any security settings, in Firefox 3.

To configure cache settings:

• There is no need to adjust any cache settings within Firefox 3.

To delete browser cache:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. Check the box beside “Clear history when Firefox closes.”
4. Click the “Settings” button.
5. Check the box beside “Cache.”
6. Click “OK.”
7. Click “OK” again.
8. Restart Firefox.

To disable pop-up blocker:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Content” tab.
3. Uncheck the box next to “Block pop-up windows.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Firefox.

Firefox 2.0 and above

To enable first- and third-party cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. Select the box corresponding to “Accept cookies from sites.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Firefox.

To delete cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. In the bottom right, click the “Clear Now” button.
4. Select “Cookies” from this list.
5. Click the “Clear Private Data Now” button.
6. Click “OK.”
7. Restart Firefox.

To configure security settings:

• There is no need to adjust any security settings, other than cookies, in Firefox 2.0 or above.

To configure cache settings:

• There is no need to adjust any cache settings within Firefox 2.0 or above.

To delete browser cache:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Privacy” tab.
3. In the bottom right, click the “Clear Now” button.
4. Select “Cache” from this list.
5. Click the “Clear Private Data Now” button.
6. Click “OK.”
7. Restart Firefox.

To disable pop-up blocker:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, choose the “Content” tab.
3. Uncheck the box next to “Block Popup Windows.”
4. Click “OK.”
5. Restart Firefox.

Top

Apple Safari 2.0 or above (Mac OS X):

To enable first- and third-party cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Safari > Preferences
2. Select the Security Tab.
3. Click on “Always” to accept and remember all cookies.
4. Restart Apple Safari.

To delete cookies:

1. From the toolbar, select Safari > Preferences
2. Select the Security Tab.
3. Click “Show Cookies” button.
   1. To delete individual cookies, select individual cookie entries within the listing of cookies then click on the “Remove” button.
   2. To delete all cookies, select the “Remove All” button.
4. Select “Done.”
5. Restart Apple Safari.

To configure security settings:

• There is no need to adjust any security settings, other than cookies, in Safari 1.0 or above.

To configure cache settings:

• There is no need to adjust any cache settings within Safari 1.0 or above.

To delete cache:

1. From the toolbar, select Safari > Empty Cache
   1. You will be asked if you, “Are sure you want to empty the cache?”
2. Click “Empty.”
3. Restart Apple Safari.

To disable pop-up blocker:

1. From the toolbar, select Safari > Block Pop-up windows
   1. A check mark by the Block Pop-up windows label indicates that pop-up blocking is enabled.  Click on the label to turn off pop-up blocking.
   2. Restart Apple Safari.

Top

Recommended Software Plug-ins

GALILEO includes many databases that feature different types of multimedia and document file types. In order to view full text PDF articles and see and hear a variety of audio, video, and image files, a number of software plug-ins are recommended. If these plug-ins are not already installed on your computer, use the links provided to download them.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Microsoft Media Player
• Apple QuickTime
• Real Player
• Macromedia Flash Player
• Macromedia Shockwave Player
• DjVu Browser Plug-in *
• ExpressView Browser Plug-in (MrSID) *

* Internet Explorer users may encounter problems with the DjVu and MrSID plug-ins if ActiveX is disabled in their browser settings. If you encounter problems with DjVu and MrSID images, follow these steps to enable ActiveX in Internet Explorer:

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the “Security“ tab.
3. Click the “Custom Level” button.
4. Under the “ActiveX controls and plug-ins” heading in the Security Settings panel, enable the “Download signed ActiveX controls,” “Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins,” and “Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting” options.
5. Click “OK” in the Security Settings panel, then click “OK” in the Internet Options panel.

Top