Port Washington Public Library
Troubleshooting - Text Only
This page is here
to provide you with assistance if you are having difficulty accessing the
databases on the Virtual Reference Room page.
NOTE: We are aware of problems users have experienced accessing the
ReferenceUSA and ElectricLibrary resources from home through
proprietary browsers such as AOL and Compuserve. For information regarding
these difficulties, please read the correspondence
we received from ReferenceUSA.
If you are having difficulty opening or using a database, you may wish to try the following:
Minimize the window through which you initially accessed your online service. Also, minimize (or close) any other web documents opened prior to this point. (To minimize, click the box containing a "_" in the top right hand corner of the screen.)
Launch a new "instance" of Internet Explorer or Netscape by double-clicking either icon on your desktop.
In the new Internet Explorer or Netscape browser window, enter the following in the "Address" (for I.E.) or the "Location" (Netscape) field near the top of the screen:
http://www.pwpl.org
When you reach the Port Washington Public Library website, click the "Database" link in the left-hand navigation bar (frames version), or click "Online Databases & Resources" on the main page.
Other Useful Tips
Make sure your browser is set to accept cookies (in the "preferences"
area).
Turn off any filtering program that filters out certain Web content.
Disable Call Waiting on your telephone service. Call Waiting will bounce you
from a database whenever a call comes in.
Most of databases work fine with either Netscape or Internet Explorer. If
you have problems searching in one, you might try the other.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view images or documents from some
databases. This is called a "helper" software. To download Adobe
Acrobat Reader, see below.
If you get "bumped out" of the database, you may have "timed
out." You may have paused in your searching, or spent a lot of time reading
a particular document. If this occurs, you will need to log in again.
If you can't get into a particular database, there may be too many people
accessing it at the moment. Wait a few minutes and try again, or search another
database.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Acrobat Reader is a "helper application" that helps you
to download and view files ending in .pdf. These are image files, often
scanned images of the original journal article or document. Acrobat Reader
is sometimes bundled with Web browsers, so it may already be on your machine.
If you can't open a .pdf file, try the following:
Find the .pdf file on your desk top or in your download folder. Double click
on the icon. If Acrobat Reader is on your computer, the file will
open.
Go to the Acrobat
Reader home page and download: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.
Electric Library
NOTE: Version 6 of Internet Explorer interferes with the loading of frames
- patrons can either try accessing this database by using Netscape, or by
doing the following in Explorer:
1. Click on Tools
2. Click on Internet Options
3. Click on Privacy
4. Move slider down to "Low" setting (2nd hashmark from the bottom)
5. Click on Apply
6. Click on OK
Please note: We provide these links as a convenience for our patrons. We do not have any control over the contents of these sites, nor can we guarantee their accuracy or completeness. Likewise, we cannot control the links included in any of these sites, and therefore cannot endorse the sites. We ask our patrons to kindly inform us of links that are no longer valid.
Return to Port Washington Public Library Online Databases & Resources - Text Only