GMetrix Outlook Practice Test Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing issues with the GMetrix Outlook practice test, please follow the troubleshooting steps in this article for the relevant problem.

Administrator Rights

If it is at all possible, we suggest you have administrator rights on the computer profile that you are using. The process will be considerably simpler if administrator rights are a possibility. You also need to make sure that UAC (User Account Controls) are turned off. They can interfere with the test due to the same issues as not having administrator rights. Unfortunately, there is no work around to let you leave UAC on while using GMetrix SMS with the Outlook practice test.

UAC - User Account Controls

To disable User Account Controls, open the Control Panel, go to the User Accounts section and select "User Accounts". From here, make sure that the Windows user account you are using is selected. Click the "Change User Account Control settings" option. Depending on your operating system, you need to either disable User Account Controls, or set the slider on the left to "Never Notify" you of changes. Apply those settings, and follow the instructions to log off and back on to your Windows account. UAC is now disabled.

3rd Party Add-Ins

Any third party add-ins you have installed in Outlook can frequently interfere with the GMetrix system. If the GMetrix profile is not loading, please disable all Outlook add-ins.

Personal Email or No Emails Present in Inbox

Outlook saves all of your personal data in a .pst file.  This file saves all of your personal settings, and other user specific data.  Without administrator rights, the GMetrix SMS software may be unable to unload your profile, and load our sample profile that is used by the test.  GMetrix protects your personal data at all costs, and so if there is ever a problem unloading your personal email account, the software simply stops.  This is why you may see your own account when you start an Outlook test instead of the GMetrix account. 

Here is a workaround that will get the GMetrix sample email account to load.

1. On your computer, click on the Start menu.
2. Click on Control Panel.
3. Click on Mail.
4. In the dialogue box that comes up, click on Show Profiles.
5. On the new dialogue window, click Prompt for profile to be used.
6. Click Ok.

This will prompt you to select which profile to use when opening Outlook. When you are taking the test, you will want to choose the GMetrix profile. This option will pop up every time you access Outlook, inside or out of the GMetrix system. Once you are done taking the test, you can simply go in through the previous steps and uncheck Prompt for profiles to be used to return to normal.

Another issue that occurs when the GMetrix Outlook test is running without administrator rights is security alerts from Outlook. With administrator rights, the GMetrix system suppresses these alerts, but without them, you will occasionally get an alert that a program is trying to access something in outlook that is abnormal. That is the GMetrix system trying to grade the question, and should always be allowed. Simply click “allow” or “continue” on any security alerts that pop up, and the system will continue with the test.

Summary

The short version of the above information is that the GMetrix Outlook practice test can run without Administrator rights, but you will more than likely run into the above mentioned issues. The best solution is to be able to have full administrative rights.  Once you are finished taking the Outlook test, you can revert the changes you made by going through the above steps in reverse order.