Electronic Resources: Known Problems

Basic Advice

If the site that you're trying to reach seems to be down, try again later. If the problem persists or you have questions about a resource, please consult a reference librarian.

If you get a message such as "Application Error" when you're trying to use a licensed resource, close your browser, then open it and try again. Most vendors make use of several servers, and sometimes one gets hung up. Other things to try:

Clear the browser cache.
Refresh the browser display: hold down the Shift key when you click the browser's Refresh button.

If you're a UCB proxy service user, please complete the Proxy Problem Report Form at the time you're experiencing the problem. This will help the proxy service technical staff with the troubleshooting process.

If you're having trouble retrieving PDF documents from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) or Sage Publications, please see this Troubleshooting Guide.

If you're using a web accelerator, such as the Google Web Accelerator or the Firefox "DownThemAll" plugin, please see this message from the CDL.
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Current Access Problems

>> read the blog
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Scheduled Maintenance

>> read the blog
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Domain-related Problems (Ongoing)

Access problems on some or all UCB domains that are currently under investigation:

No problems to report.
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User Advisories

CSA and Sage electronic journals: UCB users have reported problems retrieving PDF files from some of these journals using Firefox, Netscape, Internet Explorer 6.x, and the newly released Internet Explorer 7. For more information and help, see this Troubleshooting Guide.
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Mac users using Preview have reported problems with opening e-book PDF files in ENGnetBASE and other CRCnetBASE products. To resolve this issue, we recommend downloading Adobe Reader and installing it as a browser plug-in. ENGnetBASE titles need Adobe Reader to open within the browser to work properly on both Macs and PCs. To make sure Adobe Reader opens within your browser, check the "Display PDF in browser" option within your Adobe Reader preferences.
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Patrons using Expanded Academic ASAP on our public machines may encounter a problem when attempting to open a PDF within a SUMMARY list of articles. An error message appears saying that a plug-in is needed. As a workaround, use the next level individual full-text screen and click on the PDF icon. The PDF should open without any problem.
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Some recent software products, including the Windows Vista operating system and Internet Explorer 7, do not work with telnet systems such as GLADIS, the command-line version of the UC Berkeley library catalog. If you're having problems renewing library materials or with checking course reserve lists in GLADIS. However, you can enable support for telnet by following these illustrated instructions.
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As of August 31, 2007, the telnet version of Melvyl will no longer be available due to the technical difficulty of maintaining a telnet-based user interface on the Sun Solaris platform. Users who desire the flexibility of command line searching can use the Command Search feature in the web-based version of Melvyl. Command searching is the most effective way to perform complex searches, as it affords a great deal of control over the search results.
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Zotero, the free Firefox extension that enables users to collect, manage, and cite their research sources, is now available through the Mozilla Firefox browser that is now installed on most Library public PCs. If you have questions or have problems using Zotero, check with a reference librarian or try these Zotero tips and help.
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Problems with UC-eLinks

When using Google Scholar, be aware that, in some cases, publisher or vendor links may override UC-eLinks. The UC-eLinks are still available, but they may take a little more work to locate.
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UC-eLinks menus generated from PubMed are missing item metadata. The PubMed team at the National Library of Medicine has been notified.
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