We recommended that you familiarise yourself with WISEflow and the lockdown environment in plenty of time before your first live exam by using the demo flows with the lockdown browser. This will give you time to address any issues you may encounter. To learn how certain commands (i.e. shortcuts, zooming in and out) work in the lockdown environment, read the articles on available tools and features within the lockdown browser.
If there is a problem in the browser, e.g. content not loading correctly, you can perform a refresh using the browser functions in the upper left corner. This is like a normal refresh in a regular browser. You can also close and restart the browser or reboot the computer.
Below are some other known issues and possible solutions to resolve the problem.
When the Exam is Starting
Invalid Browser
If you start the flow without installing the lockdown browser (or access the link directly from a normal browser), you will get an error:
If you did not install the lockdown browser, please follow the guide WISEflow Lockdown Browser - Installation and Testing. If you have installed the lockdown browser, try uninstalling, downloading and reinstalling it. Sometimes, a program appears to be installed correctly when it is not. You may wish to reboot your computer between uninstalling the lockdown browser and downloading it again, to make sure it is a clean install.
If the error persists, try enabling cookies in your browser. Guides on how to manage cookies are provided on the following websites:
- Recommended browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox.
- Additional supported browsers: Safari, Microsoft Edge.
Outdated Lockdown Browser Version
In case the lockdown browser version you have previously installed is outdated, you will be met with the following message upon starting the lockdown browser:
You need to click on Close browser and install the latest version of the lockdown browser in order to proceed with your participation in the flow.
If you cannot close the browser, contact the invigilators (if starting a live exam) and get help closing it.
If you are using Windows as your Operating System, this could be caused by WebSockets being deactivated on your PC.
- Open the browser you are using to connect to WISEflow and FLOWlock
- Open the following link: https://www.piesocket.com/websocket-tester
- Scroll down on the page and press the blue "Connect" button.
- Click Start
- Write cmd in the search field. Right click cmd and choose Run as administrator. Approve and type any required passwords when prompted.
- Type netsh winsock reset and press enter.
- You will get the message Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog.
- Restart your computer.
This will reset all user defined settings, toolbars or other addons. This includes all safety, privacy and zone settings. It will also erase all browser history, temporary files, cookies and also all saved passwords.
Sometimes, when you try to enter the exam, the lockdown browser will show a white screen instead of opening the exam, or you might experience the lockdown browser slowing down during the exam. This is usually due to internet security programs, like McAfee and Symantec, trying to prevent the lockdown browser from locking down the computer. We recommend temporarily turning off the internet security program while the exam is running. Normally these internet security programs have the option to disable themselves for a period of time or until next reboot; when it has been disabled, the lockdown browser will function normally again.
On a Mac you may get the following warning and be forced out of the lockdown browser.
This happens if Sharing is enabled on the Mac and you need to quit the lockdown browser. Once that is done, you go to System Preferences -> Sharing and turn off the following:
- Screen Sharing
- Remote Login
- Remote Management
- Remote Apple Events
After these options have been turned off, you can start the lockdown browser again.
On a Mac you may get a warning about Siri being open and you need to close it manually. In our experience this only happens if the Siri app window is open while starting lockdown browser, like this:
If this happens, you will need to close the lockdown browser and you should be able to start it up immediately after. But you may also want to disable Siri, so it does not affect the lockdown browser.
We recommend disabling Siri to avoid any issue during the lockdown exam.
You can disable Siri by opening the settings and choose Siri:
In the Siri options, deactivate the Enable Siri option. This will disable Siri and after taking the lockdown exam, Siri can be enabled again.
If the above does not work, then go through the steps in this article: Siri detected as running on Mac
When the Exam is Running
When the lockdown browser appears to freeze, it is commonly due to a dialogue box from other applications running in the background and appearing underneath the secure lockdown browser layer, or there are corrupted web links which are blocked.
If you have a invigilator available during an on-site exam, you can ask them to enter the Invigilator Exit Password to close the lockdown browser.
Other than the above, the only other option is to power down your computer.
Because many systems put the computer into suspension when pressing the power button once, it will likely be necessary for you to force a power down by holding down the power button for 5 to 20 seconds or longer. Keep holding down the power button until the computer is completely powered down.
We recommend the following steps to restore any default settings after a power down. Please DO NOT attempt to remove the lockdown browser or perform any other restore methods before doing the following steps.
- Download and install the latest lockdown browser application for Windows.
- Open File Explorer and go the folder where you installed the lockdown browser. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Respondus\LockDown Browser OEM
- Right click on LockDownBrowserOEM.exe and select Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).
- Find the new LockDownBrowserOEM.exe - Shortcut on your desktop and right click on it. Then choose Properties.
- Under the Shortcut tab, locate the Target field. At the end of the target address, append the following: ' /restore' (note: there is a space in front of the slash)
Example:
Click OK and then double click your new shortcut. After clicking the new shortcut with the /restore option, you should see a confirmation pop-up window:
After your settings are restored, you can safely delete the shortcut.
- Start the system from a power down (not suspension).
- Start the lockdown browser and let it navigate to the institution's login page. A login is not necessary.
- Once you're at the login page, shut down the lockdown browser
- First of all, perform one more task or edit something in your assignment. The system performs a check of the internet connection whenever there is new data to be saved.
- By pressing the cogwheel in the left side of the screen, next to the red Exit button, you can open the Invigilator Options. As the invigilator, you have the option to perform a range of administrative actions including Manual reconnect, which can solve this issue.
- Connect an Ethernet cable to establish a direct cabled connection to the internet.
- Restart the browser using the question mark About in the browser functions in the upper left corner of the screen. Choose Invigilation options, close the browser and restart lockdown browser.
- As a last resort, it is possible to continue with the assignment without an internet connection but remember to save an offline backup to the hard-drive regularly as your work will no longer be saved automatically.
On FLOWmultis, offline backups can only be uploaded before the end of the participation deadline. Contact an invigilator or manager in case you need to upload an offline copy after the end of the participation period.
On FLOWlocks, it is possible to upload and submit an offline backup up to four hours after the end of the participation period. Please contact your institution to understand the consequences of uploading an offline backup after the end of the official participation period.
- If this happens in relation to a missing internet connection, first try to re-establish the internet connection with an Ethernet cable.
- If an internet connection is established, try to close down the browser through the red “Exit”-button and restart the browser.
- If the browser cannot be closed down using the “Exit”-button, close it down by using the Question mark “About” and choosing “Invigilation options”. Close down the browser and restart the lockdown browser.
- If it is not possible to close down the browser, you have to force reboot the device. At this point, data can be lost, if this is happening in connection with a missing internet connection.
- Re-open the FLOWlock/FLOWmulti exam through the flow and exit or submit to quit the browser correctly.
- Open the lockdown browser directly on your computer (Application name: LockDown Browser OEM). This will open a small window, where you can choose to exit the browser manually and then the computer will return to its normal state.
This issue can sometimes be caused by an accidental change of the keyboard language. This might cause the inability to write certain Danish symbols like æ, ø or å.
On Windows, the keyboard shortcut ALT+SHIFT (left keys) are used to change the language of the keyboard layout. On most computers, two languages are set up per default. This means that a keyboard press on the shortcut ALT+SHIFT (for instance to write a special character) changes the keyboard layout language from the existing to another language making it hard to know which key is assigned to what character.
On Mac OSx, the keyboard shortcut is CMD+SPACE or CMD+ALT+SPACE to change the language of the keyboard layout.
The solution is to keep pressing the keyboard shortcut until you are back to the keyboard layout you normally use (the number of presses depends on the number of languages for keyboard layouts you have activated). Another solution is to fully deactivate the keyboard shortcut or languages which cause problems for you, before entering the lockdown browser. Please see this Guide (Windows) or this Guide (Mac).
During an exam where you are using the lockdown browser, you may still experience notifications coming from Windows or MacOS and they can cause a distraction during the exam. Unfortunately it is not possible for the lockdown browser to completely disable these notifications and if you want to avoid them, you need to turn off the notifications manually.
For Windows computers , you can either turn off distracting notifications during a lockdown exam using the Focus Assist (Windows 11 and on some Windows 10 computers) or disable notifications for individual apps.
On MacOS, you can either turn off notifications for individual apps or use the Do not Disturb functionality to suppress all notifications in a given time period. You can find more information on how to go about it here.
Mac Operating System Users
For Mac Operating System users with a non-UK/US English keyboard layout, having just the one keyboard layout as a setting is likely to cause issues when in the lockdown environment. The Mac OS settings will automatically change the keyboard layout to match the nationality of the input source, regardless of your own chosen keyboard layout. When you are in the lockdown environment, the input source is American and your keyboard will be changed to a corresponding US English keyboard layout.
To avoid this occurring, use the following steps to add a second keyboard layout and ensure the setting to Automatically switch to a document's inputs source is unchecked.
1. Open the System Preferences and select the Keyboard icon:
2. Select the Input Source tab, click on the + icon and add any additional keyboard:
3. An additional checkbox, Automatically switch to a document's input source, is then visible. Ensure the checkbox is unticked:
Windows Operating System Users
It is unlikely that Windows users will have an issue with the operating system automatically switching their keyboard layout to that of the input source. However, if you have set up more than one keyboard layout to be available to you, you can toggle between these whilst in the lockdown browser using the windows logo key and the following keys:
Touchpads often support advanced gestures such as 3-fingered and 4-fingered swipes. In Windows, these can be used to switch between apps and show the desktop. However, in the locked down environment, these actions are not allowed. When the action is first detected, a pop-up warning is displayed.
If the action is detected again, a different pop-up warning message is displayed and the invigilator's password must be entered to continue.
To prevent this from occurring during the exam, touchpad gestures can be switched off. In Windows, locate the setting: Settings > Devices > Touchpad.
Filter Keys is an accessibility feature designed to assist users with motor skills challenges or those who may experience difficulties with typing accuracy.
If the filter keys function is activated while in the Lockdown Browser, it can seem that your keyboard is blocked and it is difficult to continue writing. The nature of this feature is that you would need to hold down a key for approx. 2-20 seconds before anything is typed.
If this happens, contact your invigilator and exit the flow. Disable the filter keys and restart your participation in the flow. Alternatively, it is possible for an invigilator to disable the Lockdown Browser for individuals. Contact your invigilator to see if this is possible if Filter Keys is beneficial for you completing your assessment.
You can find out more about Filter Keys here.