Software Troubleshooting and FAQs
Computer Labs and Virtual Andrew provide access to a number of university-provided software titles. Select a topic below for common questions about installing, purchasing, and using software.
Ordering and Licensing
How do I request/download software?
Use our software portal (OnTheHub) to view and download software titles you are eligible for. Most applications are free, but faculty and staff can purchase those that aren't using a departmental charge number.
For steps to download software, see our How To Download Software page.
What software titles are available?
We offer several options for accessing the latest software titles. Computer labs have all the software you need to complete your coursework. We also have virtual and download options. Learn more on our Available Software page.
What operating systems are supported?
We support Windows, Mac, and Linux. For more information about supported versions, see our Operating System Support page.
How do I order something for someone else?See our page on How To Proxy Order a License for step-by-step instructions.
When placing an order on behalf of another person, who will receive the notification?
The individual receiving the software license is notified that the order was placed. They will also receive the renewal email.
What information can be found in the renewal email?
The email provides a link to renew the software. Please have your Oracle String ready. You will need this to place the order.
Can I cancel or transfer a license?
Software licenses cannot be canceled or transferred.
Software Troubleshooting
Where do I find the installation instructions?
Installation instructions are displayed before download. To access these instructions again, navigate to Your Account/Orders within the OnTheHub software portal
Atlassian
Atlassian offers tools to track and plan your team's work - Trello, Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket.
Carnegie Mellon University does not provide site licenses for these tools or other Atlassian products. However, if you log into Atlassian services with your CMU account (@andrew.cmu.edu or @cmu.edu), it is managed centrally by Computing Services, and you cannot change your login credentials to use a non-CMU address.
Additional Help
Visit Atlassian Support for application assistance and documentation.
Mathematica
macOS Troubleshooting
Install Java (macOS)
- If prompted to install Java runtime, click Install.
- Agree to the Apple Software license agreement.
- Return to the installation steps included with the software.
App Cannot Be Opened
- If prompted, "App" can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, click OK.
- Select System Preferences from the Apple menu or Dock.
- Select Security & Privacy.
- Click General and then the lock icon.
- If prompted, enter an Administrator name and password for your computer and then click Unlock.
- Check the following:
- Require password and choose immediately from the drop-down menu.
- Disable automatic login.
- Allow application downloaded from: Anywhere. - Click the lock icon.
- Return to the installation steps included with the software.
Additional Help
Visit Wolfram Mathematica Support for application assistance, training, and documentation.MATLAB
What MATLAB toolboxes are available?
There are a wide range of available toolboxes for MATLAB.
What do I do if I receive an error?
Common error messages are:
- "The application could not connect to MathWorks please make sure your Internet connection is available and all software and hardware firewalls have been disabled before retrying your request." Visit MathWorks Installation for more information.
- (-15) License Error - You must be connected to the CMU Virtual Private Network (VPN) when off-campus. Visit How to Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for more information.
Where do I find the MATLAB license key?
- Standard Version: The activation/license key is in the License Key file that downloads separately with the application.
- Standalone version: Activation is completed through your Mathworks account. No activation codes are required.
How do I run MATLAB GUI?
X11 is required to run MATLAB GUI. Visit About X11 and OS X for more information.
How do I use MATLAB off-campus?
- A VPN connection is required to use the standard version of MATLAB from off campus. For step-by-step instructions on installation and use, visit How to Use VPN.
- Connect to VPN.
- When prompted to register your client, select Campus VPN for the group.
Microsoft 365
Why can't I edit Office files?
To use Office 365 products, you must activate Office by logging in with your Andrew email address.
For help on Activating Office, visit the Activate Office page for your operating system.
- Activate Office for Windows - Follow the Activate Microsoft 365 or a non-subscription version of Office instructions.
- Activate Office for Mac
If you are still unable to activate Office, refer to the following troubleshooting steps:
- Troubleshoot Windows Activation Errors
- Troubleshoot Mac Activation Errors - Skip the "Make sure user licenses are assigned" option and follow the remaining steps one at a time.
Other Office Issues
Microsoft provides a recovery assistant that will check and resolve many common issues with Office products on Windows computers. If you are having issues with your Office programs, visit the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant page to use this tool.
Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching
I am being asked to provide a phone number to validate my account.
Microsoft requires a valid, non-VoIP phone number to validate your account. This is a one-time process; the phone number used is not saved on your account or by Microsoft.
I'm not able to log in.
Please access the website using a web browser in private or incognito mode.
I do not see all available software titles.
You may need to take additional action to access all software titles. Any required actions will be posted as a message at the top of the software list. Complete the actions listed there to access all software titles.
If no actions are listed there, or if you completed the actions and still cannot see the full list of software titles, please access the website using a browser in private or incognito mode.
I'm a staff member; how do I get Project, Viso, Visual Studio?
Submit a request to the Computing Services Help Center.
Minitab
Is Minitab available for other operating systems (i.e., macOS)?
Yes, through the web application. Supported browsers include Chrome, Chromium Edge, and Safari.
Additional Help
Visit Minitab Support for application support and documentation.
Qualtrics CoreXM Survey Platform
Use Qualtrics to create robust surveys, polls, and more. Access the tool through the web application.
Additional Help
Visit the Qualtrics CoreXM Support page for community discussions and training.
SOLIDWORKS
When does SOLIDWORKS expire?
Serial numbers are for a limited time period. To view the expiration date of your serial number:- Open SOLIDWORKS.
- Click the arrow beside the question mark (top right), and choose Show Licenses. The expiration date is displayed.
Note: Once the software expires, you will need to follow the steps to install a new version.
Why am I receiving an SQL error upon installation?
If you previously installed SOLIDWORKS, you may receive the following errors during the install:
- The user needs the SQL permission 'CREATE ANY DATABASE'.
- The user needs the SQL permission 'ALTER ANY LOGIN'.
Create a new data location under the Electrical Options to prevent this error. Create a new server name and select Install a new instance of SQL Server.
How to Access Specific Software Titles
Some software titles require specific login steps due to their educational license structure. For more information about these titles, refer to the steps below.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud is available on Virtual Andrew to faculty, staff, and students assigned a Creative Cloud license. If you do not have an active license, Adobe Creative Cloud is available free of charge in computer labs.
- Launch the Adobe title you wish to use.
- Enter your CMU email address on the Sign in screen and click Continue.
- Select Company or School Account.
- Enter your Andrew userID and password on the Web Login screen.
- Authenticate with DUO when prompted.
Adobe Lightroom Classic
When launched, Lightroom Classic will show the following warning message: Lightroom cannot create a catalog named “Lightroom Catalog” on network volume “\\andrew.ad.cmu.edu\users\”.
- Click OK.
- Select Create a New Catalog.
- Select a file location on the device, enter a file name, and click Create.
Analytica (Virtual Andrew)
These steps apply to Virtual Andrew.
- Accept the Analytica End-User License Agreement.
ArcGIS Pro
- Click the link for Your ArcGIS organization's URL.
- In the field provided, enter carnegiemellon.maps.arcgis.com.
- Click Continue, then click Carnegie Mellon University.
- Enter your Andrew userID and password on the Web Login screen.
- Authenticate with DUO when prompted.
- Select Open ArcGIS Pro if prompted.
COMSOL
A license is required in order to use COMSOL. If the software is launched and the account does not have a COMSOL license, the software will show an error message stating that it could not obtain a license. This window will show a license error -5.
Please contact a faculty or staff member in your department so that they can request access on your behalf. Please note that there are two license types:
- A ClassKit license may only be used to perform coursework in a class and is assigned on a semester-by-semester basis. ClassKit licenses are not permitted for use in research. ClassKit licenses are available for courses taught by ECE, ChemE, and BME.
- A research license may be used for academic work, including research. It requires a yearly subscription. Faculty or staff members will need to provide an Oracle number.
COMSOL licensing may not be used for commercial purposes.
To launch the software, you must know what license type is on your account. Once you know the type of license that you have, follow the instructions below to launch the software.
- Click Start, and search for COMSOL Launchers.
- Click the COMSOL Launchers entry that will be identified as an App.
- Click the shortcut that lists your license type in parentheses. There are also shortcuts for launching the software with different GPU options for each license type.
Duik - Adobe After Effects Plugin
- Launch Adobe After Effects and log in to the software.
- Create a new project or open an existing one.
- Click the Windows Menu, scroll down and select the desired plug-in with a name beginning with Duik.
- If prompted to provide File and network access.
- Click the Open Preferences button.
- In the window that opens, check Allow Scripts to write files and access the network (this should be the top checkbox).
- Click OK to save settings and launch Duik.
Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL)
The Emerald Cloud Lab requires login information granted by the Mellon College of Science. For questions or assistance, please contact MCS Technology Services.
IBM SPSS
- Launch the application and select Apply Existing License.
Mendeley Reference Manager
A Mendeley account is needed to use this software. To create an account:
- Go to https://www.mendeley.com/ and click Create Account.
- Click the Sign in via your Organization button.
- Start typing Carnegie Mellon University in the text box. A drop-down will appear.
- Select Carnegie Mellon University.
- Ensure that the Personalize your experience box indicates that you are from Carnegie Mellon University, then click the Sign in or register button.
- Enter your full Andrew email address (AndrewUserID@andrew.cmu.edu) and click Continue.
- Enter the requested information to register and click the Register button. If you already have an account, simply enter your password.
- Click Continue on the welcome screen to complete the sign-in
Minitab
- Click Sign In on the Authentication Required screen.
- Enter your Andrew email address.
- Enter your Andrew userID and password on the Web Login screen.
- Authenticate with DUO when prompted.
- Close the browser tab and return to Minitab.
Netica
Netica is available using a Limited Mode license.
- When the application launches, select Limited Mode.
Pd
Pd is available from an icon in the Start Menu and can also be run by doing the following:
- In the toolbar search box, type: C:\Program Files\Pd\bin\pd.exe
RStudio
- When launching RStudio, select both:
- default 64-bit version of R
- Rendering Engine: Auto-detect
- Click OK.
SolidWorks
- Accept the SOLIDWORKS License Agreement when prompted.
UltiMaker Cura
- Click Get started.
- Review the User Agreement and click Agree.
- Click Next on the Help Us to Improve UltiMaker Cura screen.
- If you have an UltiMaker Account, click Sign in or Skip on the Sign in screen.
- Select either UltiMaker printer or Non UltiMaker printer, depending on the printer you use for your project, on the Add printer screen.
- Choose Add local printer.
- Add a non-networked printer.
- Select your printer model and click Next.
UNITY
This software is configured to use an educational license. However, you must log in to the software using a Unity ID to use it.
To create a Unity ID, go to https://id.unity.com/account/new and follow the prompts to set up an account.
Visual Studio Code
This software can be launched by clicking Code in the Start menu.
VMware Horizon Client - Customize Display (Virtual Andrew)
Follow the steps below to customize the display resolution and scaling for VMware Horizon Client. These steps apply to Virtual Andrew.
- Open VMware Horizon Client and connect to a server.
- Right-click the CMU vLab remote desktop in the desktop and application selector window, and select Settings.
- From the Display drop-down, select Fullscreen > All Monitors > Fullscreen > Single Monitor, Window - Large, Window - Small, or Custom.
- Select a resolution from the Resolution drop-down menu to customize the display resolution.
Weka
- When launching, Weka will display a message about its package manager tool. Click OK to continue.
WinAVR
WinAVR is available via the command line.
- In the toolbar search box type: cmd
- At the command prompt, enter the following for instructions: avr32-ar