This article provides answers to frequently asked
questions about using Microsoft Lync Web App communications software.
In this article
Joining the meeting
When I click the meeting
URL I receive a “Pop-up blocked” notification. How should I respond?
- Ensure that the meeting invitation is from a trusted source.
- Select Always allow pop-ups from this site.
Important Do
not select Temporarily allow pop-ups.
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Getting audio
Sometimes Audio Option 1: The conference calls you doesn’t work. Why?
These are the principal causes:
- The support team at the company that organized the meeting disabled the
functionality.
- There was a problem with the phone connection.
- The meeting was incorrectly configured.
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Using instant messaging
Can I apply formatting to
individual words or phrases in my instant message?
In Lync Web App,
only paragraph-level formatting is available. This means that you can use the
text formatting tools to change the look of each message that you send, but all
the text in a given message will have the same formatting.
Why can’t I copy
any text from previously sent instant messages to use in other messages or
documents?
Lync Web App
does not support copying and pasting text from the IM history pane. It also does
not support saving a copy of all the meeting instant messages.
Why can’t I
click URLs that are sent over IM?
The support
team of the company hosting the meeting has the ability to disable active URLs
in the IM area.
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Understanding the meeting
roster
What are the icons next
to each name in the list of meeting participants?
These icons give information about each participant’s current and potential
ways of interacting with the other people in the meeting. A participant’s
interaction capabilities depend on several factors, including the client with
which they joined the meeting, administrative settings for the meeting, and any
current connection problems.
For example, these icons
indicate that the selected participant:
- Can send and receive instant messages.
- Is currently speaking.
- Has paused their video.
- Is currently sharing their desktop, programs, a whiteboard, or polling
information.
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Sharing your desktop and/or
programs
Is my operating
system supported?
The ability to share your desktop or programs with Lync Web App is supported
for all versions of Windows that are listed in Supported
Platforms for Lync Web App, except for Windows Server 2000.
You cannot share your desktop or programs if you are running a Macintosh
operating system or if your browser and operating system combination are not
listed as a supported platform (for example, Google Chrome running on
Windows).
Troubleshooting by platform
The following sections provide troubleshooting tips for users of the
specified platforms.
Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server
2008, or Windows Server 2003 operating systems
Why can’t I install the
Lync Web App plug-in on my computer running a Windows Server operating
system?
Try disabling the Do not save encrypted pages to disk
option:
- In Windows Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click
Internet Options.
- On the Advanced tab, check whether the Do not
save encrypted pages to disk check box is selected (it is selected by
default on server computers).
- Clear this check box to successfully download and run the Lync Web App
plug-in installer.
If this doesn’t work, you may also need to change the default security
settings. For instructions on how to change these settings, see DisableMSI (Windows) at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368304(VS.85).aspx.
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Windows 7 operating system with Internet
Explorer 8
After I update
the Lync Web App plug-in, the meeting window stops responding.
This is a known issue in cases where an older version of the Lync Web App
plug-in is uninstalled during a meeting.
- Close the browser window, and then rejoin the meeting.
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Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server
2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008 operating systems
I have more than
one monitor. Why don’t I have the option to share a monitor?
To share a
monitor, the DPI on your computer must be set to 100% or lower. (The DPI, from
“dots per inch”, is a measure of pixel density.) To view and change the DPI
setting, go to your computer’s display settings. In Windows 7 and Windows Vista,
display settings are in Control Panel, in the Appearance and
Personalization section.
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Windows Server 2008 operating
system with Internet Explorer 8
I receive a
“Javascript not enabled” message when I try to install the Lync Web App plug-in.
What should I do?
- In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
- On the Security tab, click Trusted sites,
and then click the Sites button.
- Under Add this website to the zone, enter the meeting URL
details (for example, “https://*.contoso.com”), and then click Add.
Note Make sure
that you add both the “http” and “https” URLs to the Trusted
sites, for example, “https://*.contoso.com” and
“http://*.contoso.com”.
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Windows Server 2008 operating system or
Windows Vista operating system with Service Pack 2 or earlier
When I try to
install the Lync Web App plug-in, the process fails and I receive a “UAC”
error.
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Internet Explorer
After I install
the Lync Web App plug-in, I receive the following Program Compatibility
Assistant message: “This program might not have installed correctly.” What
should I do?
You might see
this dialog box if someone else has already installed the plug-in on the
computer that you’re using. In this case, click This program
installed correctly, and continue working.
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Windows Server 2000 operating system,
Macintosh operating systems, or Google Chrome
Why can’t I share my
desktop or a program?
Desktop and
program sharing is not supported on Windows Server 2000 or Macintosh operating
systems or with the Google Chrome Internet browser. To participate in sharing
sessions, join the meeting using a supported platform. For more information, see
Supported
Platforms for Lync Web App.
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Any browser and operating system
I am unable to
install the Lync Web App plug-in. What should I do?
When I click Install plug-in or Update plug-in, I receive a
“Pop-up blocked” notification. How should I respond?
- Exit the meeting.
- Ensure that the meeting invitation is from a trusted source.
- Rejoin the meeting.
The “Pop-up blocked” notification will
re-appear.
- Select Always allow pop-ups from this site.
Important Do
not select Temporarily allow pop-ups.
I cannot share my desktop
or program. How should I troubleshoot this?
Make sure that
your browser is not in “Run as Administrator” mode, restart the browser, and
then try sharing again.
When I try to
share my desktop or program, I receive the following message: “Cannot start
sharing in two simultaneous meetings”.
- On your computer, close any other browser window that is part of the
meeting or that shows the exit screen from the meeting, and then try sharing
again.
I receive the
following error message while installing the Lync Web App plug-in: “The process
terminated unexpectedly.” What should I do?
This might occur because another installation is already in progress on your
computer. Click OK in the message, wait for the first
installation to finish, and then proceed with your sharing activity. You will
have to restart the plug-in installation.
Alternatively, this may occur if you chose not to restart the browser during
installation. Restart the browser, and try installing the plug-in
again.
After I start
sharing my screen, I receive the following Windows Security Alert: “Windows
Firewall has blocked some features of this program.” What should I do?
Screen sharing
does not require this permission, so you can ignore this alert. Select any
response, close the alert, and continue sharing.
Why does my desktop and
program sharing always fail?
If your computer
is configured to use HTTP proxy server, which requires an authentication, you
will not be able to share your desktop or programs. Contact the meeting
organizer for other collaboration options.
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Using PowerPoint
When I give a
presentation in a meeting, why do the animation effects look different from the
ones I created?
Lync Web App is unable to replicate all of the animation effects from the
Microsoft PowerPoint presentation graphics program. When replication fails, you
will see either a different effect or a static page.
During a
PowerPoint presentation, why am I unable to add notes to the slides while others
in the meeting can?
The meeting
organizer or a presenter may have set the meeting options so that only
participants with certain roles have permission to annotate PowerPoint slides.
Your role in the meeting may not have this privilege.
During a
PowerPoint presentation, why am I not able to view slides other than the one
currently being presented?
The meeting
organizer or a presenter may have set the meeting options so that only
participants with certain roles have permission to navigate to slides other than
the one being actively presented. Your role in the meeting may not have this
privilege.
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Using the Whiteboard
Why can’t I
paste certain image types onto the whiteboard?
The Microsoft
Silverlight browser plug-in does not support pasting of certain image types.
(Silverlight is the platform that the whiteboard program uses to display
content.)
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Viewing meeting content
Why am I not
able to independently view content that was uploaded to the meeting but is not
currently being presented?
The meeting
organizer or a presenter may have set the meeting options so that only
participants with certain roles have permission to privately view meeting
content when it is not being presented. Your role in the meeting may not have
this privilege.
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