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Latest Microsoft web browser denies access to MetroConnect
Metro IT cites incompatibility issues with software, PC users urged not to update Windows
By Jenny Albers
jalbers@mscd.edu

The new, simplified version of the popular web browser Internet Explorer may complicate the lives of some Metro students who access MetroConnect from home.

After being released in October, Metro’s Information Technology department tested Internet Explorer 7 and found that the new browser is not compatible with MetroConnect.

George Middlemist, interim vice president of Information Technology at Metro, said students who download the browser on their personal computers will not have access to MetroConnect because frames within the website do not display properly.

This means home users will not have access to their student e-mail accounts or personal information such as grades and payment information.

The problem could also affect the spring registration process, which began on Oct. 30, since most students register for classes online.

Kaleigh Bellio, a junior at Metro, said she thinks the situation is ridiculous.

“Metro needs to stay current with the browser. MetroConnect is no good without a browser that works,” she said. “I will be using Mozilla Firefox.”

Rick Cisneros, director of Server Services at Metro, said the problem doesn’t lie within MetroConnect.

“It’s more of an issue with Internet Explorer,” he said.

The browser does not support the in-line frames MetroConnect uses, meaning new windows cannot be opened in the main page of the website.

Cisneros said trying to access MetroConnect while using Internet Explorer 7 will cause the browser to crash, but students who have already downloaded the updated browser can uninstall it to access the website again.

Middlemist said there are always problems to be worked out when a new program is released.

“We had the same issues with Microsoft’s (Internet Explorer) 6.0,” he said.

He said the IT department is working with SunGard SCT, a technical board that provides support to institutions of higher education, to resolve the problem.

“Microsoft is the ruler of the world for technology,” Middlemist said. “MetroConnect is such a small priority for Microsoft’s business that it is hard to get them to notice the problem. SunGard SCT is aware of the problem, so they will work with Microsoft (to resolve it).”

SunGard owns the software that runs MetroConnect, Middlemist said, but since the problem lies within the web browser, there is not much they can do. “I don’t think they’ll build a new system for one problem,” he said.

SunGard could not be reached for comment.

Middlemist said many websites are having problems with Internet Explorer 7.

He said web giants such as Amazon and eBay are having compatibility issues with the new browser as well.

Metro’s IT department does not know exactly when the browser will be compatible with MetroConnect, but Cisneros hopes it will be within about a month and a half, after Microsoft releases a patch to fix the problem.

Other schools at Auraria do not seem to be experiencing any major challenges with the browser. An IT professional at UCD said the school’s software is compatible with Internet Explorer 7, and CCD has not yet tested it.

To prevent problems with MetroConnect, Middlemist said students should turn off the automatic-updates option on their computer. This will prevent the new browser from being automatically installed.

If students do receive a prompt to install the new browser, they should postpone the installation until the issue with MetroConnect is resolved, he said.

In the meantime, students can continue to use Internet Explorer 6 or another web browser to access MetroConnect. IT will inform students when it is safe to install Internet Explorer 7.