This article is focused toward troubleshooting TestOut Lab Simulations. See this article for troubleshooting TestOut Videos.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. QUICK TROUBLESHOOTING IDEAS
2. ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING IDEAS
3. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LAB BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE/FROZEN

1. Quick Troubleshooting Ideas

If you are facing slowness, unresponsiveness, or freezing while working within TestOut’s Lab simulations, try these things first:

• Restart your computer (and reset your router if you can)

• Close any other programs and browser tabs that don’t need to be running

• Clear your browser cache and cookies - https://testout.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/227481788

• Try the labs in a different browser, because the browsers can perform very differently

• If a certain task always freezes, try doing it in the exact way taught in the Hint, Show Me, or Explanation found in the lab report shown after clicking Done

IMMPORTANT: TestOut’s labs can be complex and resource intensive. If you still face issues after trying those basic troubleshooting ideas, your computer specifications might not be adequate to smoothly run the TestOut software. Please ensure that you at least meet these recommended technical specifications.

Please see this article for a better understanding of the importance of your computer's CPU and how it will affect your LabSim experience.

2. Advanced Troubleshooting Ideas

1. Close any programs that don’t need to be running. Some programs and browser extensions, add-ons, toolbars, or plugins can slow you down and eat up your computer’s resources. Others automatically start in the background when you start your computer. Before you restart your computer, try turning off some of the programs that don’t need to start with your computer or browser. This will free up the computer’s resources to focus on TestOut. Consider doing the following things (Google how to do them if you don’t know):

Disable unneeded start up programs

Helpful article: https://www.howtogeek.com/173347/beginner-geek-everything-you-need-to-know-about-disabling-startup-programs-on-windows/

Disable unneeded browser extensions, add-ons, toolbars, or plugins (keep Microsoft Silverlight)

Helpful Article: https://community.box.com/t5/How-to-Guides-for-Account/How-To-Disable-Plugins-Add-Ons-Extensions-In-Multiple-Browsers/ta-p/19

2. Malware can affect your experience with our software. Look through your list of programs and browser extensions. Look for tool bars that you didn’t intentionally install and other items. Pay attention to whether you get redirected to different sites than you entered or if pop-up windows constantly come up. If you notice anything out of place, consider removing it and running a malware scan and cleanup. We recommend the free version of MalwareBytes to help find and remove malicious programs on your computer. (https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/)

3. Sometimes third-party antivirus, security software, or firewalls can interfere with cdn.testout.com. They can slow everything down, block certain items from displaying or opening in our program, or even cause the program to crash. Experiment by temporarily disabling these services to see if they might be the cause of your issues in TestOut courseware. If performance improves, consider whitelisting cdn.testout.com, switching to a different program, or uninstalling that program and using your computer’s default antivirus and firewall software.

One program to note is Kaspersky. Kaspersky has a setting that is incompatible with our software. This setting injects its script into our script, causing hundreds of consecutive errors until the browser crashes or freezes.

Disable this setting: Kaspersky settings>Additional>Network>Traffic Processing: Inject script into web traffic to interact with web pages

4. If you are on a laptop, plug it in. Laptops may not focus on performance if they are set to conserve battery life.

5. If you find that your internet speed is below our minimum requirements and the initial lab loading times are overly long:

a. Contact your internet service provider (ISP) and ask what speed you are paying for. If you are paying for speeds that exceed 3.6 Mbps, but your results indicate that you are receiving considerably less than that, then you should ask your ISP to help you troubleshoot the issue further.

b. If you are paying for an internet speed that is slower than 3.6 Mbps, then consider upgrading your Internet plan or using a faster internet connection at another location, such as at a public hotspot, your school, or the public library.

c. Do what you can on your end. Limit the number of devices that are connected to the internet, try connecting your computer directly to the router with an Ethernet cord, or test on another computer and/or internet connection.

6. If performance only recently got worse, consider undoing recent changes that might have been made on the computer. This would, in theory, reverse an issue that resulted in performance loss. Uninstalling updates, uninstalling software applications (Programs and Features), and restoring your computer to an earlier point (Windows Recovery) are examples of undoing recent changes.

If none of this has helped, try using another computer/network, factory resetting or re-imaging your computer, or contacting TestOut Technical support. You can email us at support@testout.com, call us at 1-800-877-4889, or use the Live Chat function. We are open between 6:00am and 5:00pm Mountain time, Monday – Friday.

3. What to do if your Lab becomes Unresponsive/Frozen

1. Try waiting a minute or two without clicking or typing anything. Responsiveness might return.
2. Try resetting the lab or task with the Reset or Reset Task buttons
3. Close the browser tab of the lab, click the "Close this message and end the lab" button  and then try starting the lab again.
4. If you are in an exam scheduled by your instructor or in a certification exam, try the above steps and note down the question number on which the freezing occurred. You can contact TestOut support by chat, phone, or email and we can reset that question for you if needed, even after the exam is over (this may require instructor approval in some cases).
5. Close the browser and try the suggestions in sections 1 and 2 of this article.