BigFix Consumer Edition Help



GENERAL BIGFIX TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

If you are experiencing problems with BigFix (e.g., not gathering new Fixlet messages, crashing, etc.), you should try the following general troubleshooting steps to see if you can correct the problem.

Note: You might want to bookmark this page to make it easy to return to when you performing tasks such as restarting your computer.

Follow these instructions to troubleshoot your BigFix problems:

  • Restart BigFix - Sometimes simply restarting BigFix will fix your problem.
    1. Close BigFix by right clicking on the BigFix icon (little blue circle with a "b" in it) in the bottom right corner of the screen and click on "Exit BigFix".
    2. Start BigFix again by going to the Start menu on the bottom left of the screen and then selecting to Programs then BigFix then BigFix.
    3. If the problem persists, go to the next section.

  • Restart your computer - Many times your computer will get into an "unstable" state for a variety of reasons and can be fixed by restarting your computer.
    1. Go to the Start menu on the bottom left of the screen and go to Shutdown then choose the Restart option.
    2. If the problem persists, go to the next section.

  • Uninstall and reinstall BigFix - Uninstalling and reinstalling BigFix will replace all of the BigFix core program files, which may help solve certain types of problems (such as a corrupted file).
    1. Go to the Start menu on the bottom left of the screen and go to Settings then choose Control Panel then choose Add/Remove Programs.
    2. Click BigFix from the list and click on Change/Remove.
    3. You will be prompted to confirm removing BigFix, click Yes.
    4. BigFix will now be uninstalled from your computer.
    5. Now install the latest version of BigFix by clicking here then click Open to authorize the download and installation.
    6. When the download completes and the installer starts, follow the installer's instructions.
    7. If the problem persists, go to the next section.

  • Run the BFRemove tool and reinstall - BFRemove is a tool that will remove all traces of BigFix from your computer. By running this tool, then reinstalling, you will be able to remove all BigFix files and registry information.

    • (Note: running BFRemove will get rid of all Fixlet message history, BigFix preferences, and will remove all of your subscribed Fixlet sites -- when you reinstall you will be subscribed to the default Fixlet sites).
  1. Close BigFix by right clicking on the BigFix icon (little blue circle with a "b" in it) in the bottom right corner of the screen, and click on "Exit BigFix".
  2. Download BFRemove.exe, then click Open when prompted.
  3. You will be prompted to confirm removing BigFix, click OK.
  4. BigFix will now be completely removed from your computer.
  5. Now install the latest version of BigFix by clicking here then click Open to authorize the download and installation.
  6. When the download completes and the installer starts, follow the installer's instructions.
  7. If the problem persists, go to the next section.

  • Update Internet Explorer - BigFix uses some system files that are included with Internet Explorer: sometimes updating Internet Explorer will fix a problem BigFix is experiencing.
    1. Follow the instructions on Microsoft's Internet Explorer update page.

  • Submit problem to BigFix
    1. If the problem persists, please fill out a problem report.