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Problem: Unable to save survey as an online survey form due to communications issue

← Troubleshooting
A communications error message appears when saving a survey as an online form. Here is a list of possible root causes and what to do about them.


POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #1: Proxy Server

If you are in an institutional setting where your computer is managed by information technology staff, then ask them the following question:
  • Do we use a proxy server to access the Internet? 
If the answer is "yes," then follow up by asking them these questions:
  • What is the proxy server TCP/IP address?
    (Note: The address is a series of numbers separated by three periods.)
  • What is the proxy server port number?
  • What are the username and password (if any) used to gain access to the proxy server? 
When you have the answer to these questions, complete the following steps:
  1. Launch the SurveyGold application.
  2. Select Help in the SurveyGold application toolbar.
  3. Select Change Application Preferences.
  4. Select the Proxy Server tab. Ensure that the proxy server settings are correct and select OK.

POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #2: Firewall on Your Computer

A security setting on your computer may prevent the SurveyGold application from communicating with the surveygold.com subscription server via the Internet.

The most likely culprit is firewall software running on your computer. Some firewall programs interpret SurveyGold's attempt to access the Internet as suspicious, blocking its attempt to connect with the SurveyGold online services server via the Internet.

To resolve this, access your firewall software and create rules to allow the following programs to access the Internet, both outbound and inbound.
  • surveygold.exe
  • rteng9.exe
  • update.exe
These programs reside in a folder (which varies depending upon your version of the Windows operating system):
  • Windows 32-bit:      "C:\Program Files\SurveyGold"
  • Windows 64-bit:      "C:\Program Files (x86)\SurveyGold"
If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, refer to the Windows Firewall Help in your Windows Control Panel and look in the section about "rules."


POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #3: Antivirus

Another likely culprit is antivirus software running on your computer. Some antivirus programs interpret SurveyGold's attempt to access the Internet as suspicious, blocking its attempt to connect with the SurveyGold online services server via the Internet.

To resolve this, access your antivirus software and create rules to allow the following programs to access the Internet, both outbound and inbound.
  • surveygold.exe
  • rteng9.exe
  • update.exe
These programs reside in a folder (which varies depending upon your version of the Windows operating system):
  • Windows 32-bit:      "C:\Program Files\SurveyGold"
  • Windows 64-bit:      "C:\Program Files (x86)\SurveyGold"
If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, refer to your antivirus software's help facility and look in the section about "Internet worm protection" or "managing exceptions."


POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #4: Missing Windows Operating System Component

Another factor could be the absence of a key Microsoft Windows software component related to a technology known as XML. Please download and install msxml.msi from the Microsoft website as follows:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15697


POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #5: Corporate Firewall on Your Company Network

If you are in an institutional setting where your company moderates your access to the Internet, the SurveyGold websites could be blocked by a corporate firewall. Contact your IT support staff and ensure that the following websites are not blocked:
  • surveygold.com IP address: 206.72.194.40

  • surveygoldcloud.com IP address: 206.72.194.52
These websites are accessed by the SurveyGold application via port 80 (HTTP) and port 443 (HTTPS).  


POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #6: Administrator Privileges Required for SurveyGold Application

If you are in an institutional setting where your company moderates your access to the Internet, the SurveyGold application could be restricted from accessing the Internet due to the application running with too low a security privilege as defined by a network administrator.

Work with your IT support staff to elevate the application to run using Administrator privileges. This can be done by having your IT support staff affect the security settings on the surveygold.exe and update.exe applications. These two applications reside in the "Program Files (x86)\SurveyGold" folder for Windows 64-bit operating systems or the "Program Files\SurveyGold" folder for Windows 64-bit operating systems.

POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE #7: User Account Control Settings Need to Be Relaxed

The root cause may be attributable to a Windows security feature called User Account Control (UAC). UAC is why Windows sometimes prompt you to ask if you are sure you want to open specific applications.

UAC can be set to stringent levels (where it pessimistically blocks interactions between applications and questions many of your choices to launch applications) or very relaxed levels (where you hardly even know it's there but still monitor application activity).

The issue may be resolved by setting UAC to a more relaxed setting than its current setting. This is done via the Windows Control Panel.

Changing UAC settings is not usually required to resolve this issue. However, due to security settings in your computing environment, changing this setting may prove to be the difference-maker.

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