Frequently Asked Technical Questions

Support | FAQ

Frequently Asked Technical Questions

I forgot my username and/or password.

If you've forgotten your password but know your username, go to our login page, enter your username, and click on the Forgot button. If you've forgotten your username (normally your full email address), please contact Technical Support and we'll be happy to provide it.


Why can't I view the Notes?

Our notes and transcripts are Adobe "PDF" files. The Adobe Reader software can become stuck and stop responding, so if you've been able to view the notes or transcripts previously, please reboot your computer and try again.

If that doesn't help, please download and (re)install the latest version of the free Adobe Reader software:

  1. Go to www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
    Adobe may offer additional, optional downloads which you are free to decline (by un-checking them). Thinkwell only requires Adobe Reader.
  2. Click on the yellow Download now button
  3. Follow the directions on the download page

I accidentally registered for the wrong course.

When you log in to the Thinkwell website, there will be a link in the upper right side of the screen that reads "Wrong class? Click here" which will enable you to change your course or class section.

If you've registered for a class under the wrong school, please contact Technical Support and let us know the name of your school, your professor's name, and the course you're taking.

Can I use a Thinkwell title if I'm not in school or my professor hasn't assigned Thinkwell?

Absolutely. Just select the Thinkwell title in the lefthand column of this page you'd like to use.


Every time I try to do an exercise, it just freezes up or gives me a blank screen when I click "Next." What should I do?

This generally means that you have a missing or incompatible version of the Java software package required by the Thinkwell equation editor. To correct this problem:

  1. Uninstall any existing instances of the Java J2SE Runtime Environment software:

    1. Click Start
    2. Select Settings (if necessary)
    3. Select Control Panel
    4. Click on Add or Remove Programs
    5. Select each and every version (one at a time) of the J2SE Runtime Environment, including Updates and click the Remove button to uninstall it
  2. Install the latest version of the (free) Java Software
    1. Go to www.java.com/en/download/
    2. Click on the Free Java Download button
    3. Follow the directions on the download page
  3. Close all of your web browser windows, restart your web browser, and go back to the question where the equation editor would not open.
    If you get a "Warning - Security" dialog, click Run

If you continue to experience problems getting the equation editor to start and you are using Internet Explorer, please try accessing the Thinkwell website with the free Firefox web browser.


Whenever I try to log in, it just takes me right back to the login page.

Please be sure to login directly at www.thinkwell.com rather than through a bookmark or using a link from another website.

If that doesn't help, then the "Meta Refresh" browser function is probably being blocked either by your browser or by another program (usually an anti-spy or anti-adware package).

If you're using Internet Explorer, follow these steps to correct the problem:

  1. Click on Tools in the menu bar of any Internet Explorer window
  2. Select Internet Options...
  3. Click on the Security tab
  4. Under Select a zone ..., click on Trusted sites
  5. Click on the Sites button
  6. Make sure that Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone is unchecked
  7. In the Add this website to the zone: box, enter thinkwell.com (without a leading "www.") and click on Add
  8. In the Add this website to the zone: box, enter thinkwell.cachefly.net (again, without a leading "www.") and click on Add
  9. Click on the Close button in the Trusted sites window
  10. If it is active, click on the Default level button under Security level for this zone
  11. Click OK to close the Internet Options window

If you still don't get to your course home page after you've entered your Thinkwell username and password, then it's almost certain that an external program is blocking Meta Refresh. In that case, you will have to determine which program is responsible and how to configure it to allow thinkwell.com to use Meta Refresh.

We also recommend that you try using the free Firefox browser to access the Thinkwell site.