Support: Student Support

Many of the most common questions are answered below. If you don't find what you're looking for, Pearson’s Product Support Team is ready to help.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Tips on using the installation wizard

Your computer needs to be properly configured to run your MathXL course.

Where do I find the Installation Wizard?

It's best to access the Installation Wizard from inside your MathXL course. When you log into your course, you should see a link to the Installation Wizard on the Announcements page.

For convenience, you can also run the Installation Wizard from this Support site.

  1. Go the installation wizard
  2. Select the textbook for your course from the drop-down menu
  3. Click Submit

Note: Before running the installation wizard, you should review the information below. You must have administrator rights to install software on your computer. You will also need to confirm pop-up blocker and cookie settings. If you are unfamiliar with these topics, the information below will give you guidance.

Changing your QuickTime settings if videos won’t play

If you are having trouble playing the videos in your MyMathLab course, you may need to adjust your QuickTime settings. Click the links below for instructions:

Administrator Rights

Administrator rights allow you to install software on a computer. Before running the Installation Wizard to install plug-ins and players on your personal computer, make sure you have full administrator rights on your machine. If you are on a lab computer or a computer at your institution or place of business, you probably do not have full administrator rights, and you will not be able to install players and plug-ins from the Installation Wizard. In this case, you need to contact your lab administrator, network administrator, or the owner of the computer so that person can run the Installation Wizard for you.

On Windows 2000 and XP systems, you can check to see whether you have administrator rights by right-clicking on the "Start" button. If you see the text "Explore All Users", you have administrator rights. If you do not see this text, you do not have administrator rights. (If you try to run the Installation Wizard without having administrator rights, you will probably see a message saying that you are missing a key component, but when you click the link to install the component, nothing will happen.) Contact your lab administrator, network administrator, or the owner of the computer for assistance.

Enabling ActiveX for your browser

The Installation Wizard for most MathXL courses requires you to download the MathXL Player, which uses an "ActiveX control" to display homework, tests, and practice exercises. If your Internet Options are set to block ActiveX, you will not be able to install the MathXL Player. In this case, you should see a warning message alerting you that you have ActiveX disabled. For Windows XP Service Pack 2 users, a message like this appears along top of the Installation Wizard screen:

ActiveX message

For Windows XP and Windows 2000 XP1 users, a message like this appears:

Screenshot

In either case, follow these instructions to enable the ActiveX control so you can install the MathXL Player:

  1. From the Internet Explorer Tools menu, select Internet Options.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Click the Internet icon on this tab; then click the Default Level button.
  4. Under "Security Settings for this zone", adjust the slider to Medium.
  5. Click OK to save your settings and close the window.

Now you can return to the Installation Wizard and proceed with installing the MathXL Player.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

Tips for Windows XP Service Pack 2 users

Windows XP SP2 users: When you go to the Installation Wizard to install the required players, you will see a yellow/beige information bar located just below the title bar that looks like this:

Screenshot

You need to click this information bar and accept the installation of the required player (or assistant or plug-in) each time you install a new item from the Installation Wizard. If you do not do this, the required players for your course will not be installed.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

Managing pop-up blockers

Pop-up blockers or ad-ware programs may interfere with installing plug-ins and players and accessing your course. You should disable these programs before running the Installation Wizard or trying to use any part of your course.

Commonly used pop-up blockers:

How to disable pop-up blockers

You can temporarily disable many pop-up blocking programs by clicking the program's icon in either the Windows System Tray or in the browser itself. You can re-enable the software later if you wish.

Tip: Many pop-up blockers let you use the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard to allow an individual pop-up window. If you are not sure how to disable your pop-up blocker completely, hold down the "Ctrl" key when clicking the "Install" or "Detect" buttons on the Installation Wizard.

If disabling the pop-up software doesn't resolve the problem, we recommend uninstalling it completely. You can remove most pop-up blockers using the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool, as follows:

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

Configuring your browser's cookie settings

Cookies must be allowed from mathxl.com in order to log in and use your course. To enable cookies for Internet Explorer, follow these directions:

  1. For Internet Explorer, select Internet Options from the Tools menu.
  2. Click the Privacy tab.
  3. Click the Default Level button.
  4. Set the privacy level slider to Medium High.
  5. Click OK to save your settings.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

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How do I register for MathXL?

See the Getting Started section for instructions.

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I forgot my login name and password. How can I get it again?

You can retrieve your login name and password by submitting an online request form (also available from the MathXL log-in page). When completing this form, be sure to enter the email address you used to register for MathXL. Your login information will be sent only to this email address. If you need additional assistance, call Product Support at 1-800-677-6337.

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How do I enroll in a new course?

See the Getting Started section for instructions.

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Contact Customer Support

Additional Resources

Helpful information on using MathXL can also be found in the following sections:

Getting Started

Take a Tour

Online help is also available from within your MathXL course.