Logging in problem

[gillhalfpint]

Since the site changed I have to log in every time I want to use the site, and this is something I haven't had to do since I first logged in on Joining Pubs Galore.

Is this something new?

I ticked the remember me box, and I never log out when I leave the site.

[Millay]

I've not had that problem Gill, either on the main site or the forums, I have stayed logged in on both.

Sometimes it helps Conrad identify the problem if he knows what browser you are using so you might want to let him know.

Cheers

[gillhalfpint]

I am windows internet explorer provided by yahoo, but am not in way a technical person.

Hope that is the info you need.

[Conrad]

Hmm, that is an odd one. We seem to regularly get this with individuals and I am none the wiser as to what causes it. So far it seems that if you switch the computer off and on again, or when you come back it starts working.

Interestingly in your case our system is telling me that you don't have the remember me on which is the first time I have seen it that way round. So next time you come to the site you will have to log in again. I am intrigued, is it happening with both the forum and the main site? They use different login code so it may give me a hint that I need to improve mine. Let me know if it persists, keep on using the remember me and I think it will just start working.

[Evil Gazebo]

I get the forum page remembering me, but always have to log into the main site, despite clicking the remember me box each time. Using Firefox, fwiw. Hope this helps.:)

[Conrad]

I really am stumped over all this as I can't reproduce it.

My latest idea that may work is, try logging into the main site, preferably with remember me on, then log out again fairly swiftly. If you then log in again with the remember me on I am hoping it will stick.

Basically this should clear out all the relevant cookies we place on your computer and hopefully remove any garbage that may be causing problems.

Let me know how that one goes.

[Strongers]

That's what I did and I've been logged in ever since.

[Conrad]

Interesting, hopefully this will work for others.

[gillhalfpint]

Tried the above, and I still have to log in every time.

Can't work out what changed. When I first signed up I logged in and ticked remember me, and for months I have never had to log in any more.

All of a sudden I have to log in every time I want to be on site and use the forums, sometimes several times a day.

[Conrad]

Ok, well I have been analysing this a little now. To get to the punchline at the start though I am bemused and the only solutions I have are radical ones.

The fact that the forums aren't remembering you adds to the confusion, as they were written by better coders than I and shouldn't have any real issues in there which tends to make me want to blame your computer. I am not sure if you are also getting this problem with other sites though.

The other thing confusing me is that our system is saying that you have not ticked the remember me even though you last logged in today, whereas when we have seen this problem elsewhere we still get indicators that the user has clicked on the remember me. I am sure you are clicking it, but something is not picking it up on either your computer or our server.

If it is exclusively to our site then the issue may be with cookies. You can flush these, but it will mean that you will most likely loose all your remembered sites and have to login to them all again, so any Hotmail accounts, other forums and the like (although you should stay logged in as normal to them once you have logged in again).

If you want to try this, from within IE8 you should click on tools -> Internet Options. Once here you should have a tabbed pop up, with the first tab "General" already selected, going down you will have the headings, Home page, Browsing history, .... Under Browsing history click "Delete..." a new pop up will appear. If we are a favourite (bookmarked website) you will need to untick "Preserve Favorites website data", and you will want "Temporary Internet files" and "Cookies" ticked. Although you needn't have "History", "Form data", "Passwords" and "InPrivate Filtering data" ticked. Then click on Delete. Hopefully that should get your browser remembering us.

My suggested solution is a little less dramatic, but still may be more than you want to try, and that is to install another browser, my preferred is Firefox (http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/firefox/) it is what the site is designed in and I think it looks a lot better in that, and the map functions work quicker. There are many other options with Opera (http://www.opera.com/browser/) being an old favourite (although I am not a fan) and the new Google Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome) beginning to gather fans.

If you browse our site through that new Browser it should hopefully work better than IE8 which is still lagging a bit behind its competitors (as ever in my humble opinion).

I am happy to try and walk through the cookie solution in a way that will try and just delete our sites cookies although it will most likely take a bit of back and forthing on the forum (which I am happy to do but might end up being frustrating for you).

Sorry I can't be more helpful on this one.

[gillhalfpint]

Thanks Conrad,

I have printed your reply as I am no way into sorting this myself, and should be able to find someone to go through it with me as I don't try to change anything in its "guts" if you know what I mean in case I do serious damage.

I tried to get my e-mails to go onto outlook express from Bulldog that changed to Pipex once, now I cannot use outlook express anymore. If I click on someones e-mail address on a site, outlook express box comes up and I have to copy the address onto hotmail to send it now.

I do always click the remember me box when I come on site, but not to worry. Some sites remember all the bits and pieces, and others don't. One site automatically brings up a bulldog e-mail that I used years ago, and that is something to do with cookies. I was told then if I did anything with cookies I would lose too much information to make it worth it, so I just keep on typing the relevant things. Just couldn't understand why I lost the ability to stay logged on when I had it so long that was all.

Thanks for trying.

[Conrad]

As computers age they tend to move off the norm, I remember back when I started using Windows XP I would have to reinstall it at least once a year (I will naturally break these things faster as a regular user). It could be that the cookies for our site are corrupted, or it could be that your computers set up has moved far enough from the norm to confuse our site. The fact that you are having troubles with the forums as well makes me think it is something specific to our site, so a corrupt cookie, or maybe if you have a protection program that is not playing nice with us now.

I would say it is worth installing Firefox and trying that out it will ask you if you want to use it as your default browser, just say no, you can always set it as such in the future, you may find it helps your Internet experience quite a bit. In terms of security it generally is safer than IE anyway so shouldn't really endanger your machine.

For the email, you may already have tried this, I sadly don't have a machine with your sort of configuration on it near me, but from memory:


In IE, select Tools, Internet Options.
From the top select Programs which should be the last tab before advanced.
You should see a list of scenarios with drop downs next to them, one will be email and the drop down will have "Outlook Express" selected.
Move that drop down to "Windows Live Hotmail" (let me know if it is not there, there may be another trick available) then select OK.


Hopefully it should then go to Hotmail whenever you click on an email link :)

Do let me know if you need more feedback, I have to admit I am fairly stumped on this one though.

[gillhalfpint]

Conrad you are a genius!!

Thank you for sorting the e-mail out as it works a treat. I need the step by step instructions like that to follow from someone in the know, then I know I am not causing internal problems.

[Conrad]

No problem, glad I can help with at least 1 issue anyway :).

Feel free to ask any computer questions on here, I am beginning to realise that Arwkrite has been hiding his genius (I'm sure there is a pithy remark to be added here but I will restrain myself) and me or Dave are happy to give our thoughts. I'm hoping that whilst this forum is here due to a shared interest in pubs people will feel free to chat about whatever they want.

[gillhalfpint]

I have installed firefox 3.6 and it is mozilla firefox and is terrifying me.

I appear to have lost favourites. Every time I click it an elections page comes on.

I also seem to have got rid of toolbars in error, and can't find how to get them back.

All these pages have changed too.

Will have to play around a bit and do some quick learning.

[Conrad]

Well the important thing to note here is that IE is still there so you have lost nothing, if you find it more comfortable do just stick to IE.

Favourites are called Bookmarks in Firefox, so if you look under there you should see them, if not I can give you more instructions.

Not sure what you mean by an elections page, I can probably help out with that, what is it mentioning?

Toolbars - If you have the Menubar up, with "File" - "Edit" - on it you can right click to the right of help and it will give you a list of the toolbars that are available and you can tick or untick them. If you have not got the menubar tap alt on the keyboard once, right click on the menu bar and make sure menu bar is clicked. If there is a tool bar you are used to from IE that is not listed it can probably be got for FF.

These pages should have a lot more curves on them as FF renders them in a more expected way that IE can't do.

Hope some of that helps, although most importantly is the remember me working :)

[gillhalfpint]

Conrad, I really do owe you one. I had lost the toolbar with file, edit etc on, but have got it back through the alt key.

I have found pubs galore on the bookmark list, and yes, I am straight in without typing email etc.

Thanks again for sorting me out.

[Conrad]

Good stuff, if you are finding anything doesn't make sense to you, do just ask, no point in getting frustrated if there may be a quick answer.