I've been a member here since 2003 and sometime over the last couple of months, my cookies have stopped working on this board. Only on this board.
When I arrive, the little lightbulbs are all lit up. I click on one and enter a forum, but none of the file folders are red. When I return to the main index, the lightbulbs are all dark, unless I hit the back button.
So, I read the faq and deleted cookies, in case they were corrupt. Nothing changed except that after I go into a forum when I return to the index, everything is lit.
It's making me crazy. I'm on the current version of Firefox. Any ideas?
[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited June 26, 2006).]
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
that happens to me, also. i just ignore it.
using Opera
Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :
They are erratic for me, as well. also primarily in opera.
Posted by Minister (Member # 2213) on :
Haven't been good for me for ages in Internet Explorer.
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
Hey. Maybe it's not me?
Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :
It works right for me and I am also running the current Firefox. Sorry if I'm just mudding the water.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
Does Firefox have the equivalent of explorer's "trusted sites' in security settings? If it were explorer, Id say poke around in tools/Internet options/security and tools/Internet options/privacy to see if it got blacklisted somehow (by accident or by virus). However, I don't know firefox at all.
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 3384) on :
I was having the same problem with Firefox. I went into the settings and added hatrack to my trusted sites for cookies, and now it works (so far).
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
Drat. I tried that Mighty Cow and no luck. It still does the same thing.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Occasionally that happens to me---I lose all the "new" posts and have to look at the dates and times. But it doesn't happen all the time. I'm on Windows-whatever-comes-with-a-home-computer-bought-in-2005.
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
Holy cow...it seems to be a trouble with the profile and bookmark. Try making a new Firefox profile. You can import your old bookmarks, but have to delete the bookmark for hatrack.
It seems that I somehow bookmarked the page with "bypass cookie." Who knew. For some reason the profile won't let go of it, but the new one works like a champ.
[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited June 27, 2006).]
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Wow. All this time I've been thinking I was doing something wrong, and it's been happening to a bunch of you, too. Must be true that misery loves company, because that kind of makes me feel good.
Seriously, it's a relief to know it's nothing nefarious.
P.S. Anyone remember how to adjust the size of internet font by doing something with the mouse? Someone mentioned it once and I wrote it somewhere but can't find it now.
Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :
If you have a middle scroll wheel thingie, hold down the control key and whirl it around.
Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :
I have a different problem but this is probably the best place for it. I used to be automatically logged in and then at some point a while ago that stopped. Now I have to log in for EACH AND EVERY POST I MAKE. If I forget to type in my user name and password it doesn't say anything, then deletes my post with a little message about having to be logged in. This has been frustrating on more than one occasion, and I've checked all my profile settings, so I'm not sure what's wrong.
I use IE for Hatrack usually, have done for years, so I don't know what changed. Any thoughts?
Posted by Shendülféa (Member # 2964) on :
I had the same problem with the cookies in Netscape, but I currently use Safari (I'm on a Mac), and I have had no problems since. It just might be the browser, but I don't know.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
I've been hopping computers the last couple of weeks, so it doesn't matter much to me. You might want to check your profile settings, there's an option to "bypass cookies" by default in the PHP generation. You can see it in some of the page URLs, if your navigation bar is long enough (or if you scroll through the entire url using the cursor).
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Ah, yes! Thanks, Beth.
Autumnmuse, I've been going through a similar thing with LibertyHall. On the odd occasions I can get logged in, when I try to move around the site it throws me out again. I remain hopeful that one day I'll get to see the whole site and even participate.
Posted by Doc Brown (Member # 1118) on :
I use Netscape 8.1 and I've never had a problem.
It's probably your security software, not your browser.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
Have you checked your "preferences" settings for this website? That's where you deal with cookies and having Hatrack remember your username and password when you're posting, and so on.
You can check your "preferences" by clicking on the word "preferences" up near the upper right hand corner of the webpage--under the "Post New Topic" and "Post Reply" buttons.
Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :
That's what's frustrating, Kathleen. I've checked the preferences several times and they are definitely set to keep me logged in. I have no clue what's changed. It's not the end of the world, since I haven't been posting very often lately, but it is annoying to have to type both my id and password for each and every post.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I'm attaching this to this thread to avoid cluttering up the board with another thread about how things work, but...
I just installed some new security and system software that seems to have wiped out my own cookie cache. Here on the boards, I have to key in my name and password every "first time" I post that day. After that, it's okay. (I've been to the preferences page and reset, but it doesn't seem to take.)
Also, the last three days, the little light bulbs and files that indicate new posts have disappeared on me.
This has happened before, but I'm still at a loss. Anybody want to guide me to an appropriate page, or advise? Or even make some raw comment that holds useful information?
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Like Robert, I don't want to start a new post just for this. For some reason, my desktop and everything has become very large. I can get only parts of a screen at once; for the rest I have to move the side and bottom up-and-down back-and-forth slides. I've tried everything I can think of but can't get rid of this oversized problem. Anyone?
Posted by authorsjourney (Member # 3569) on :
Kolona, from your description of the problem, it sounds like the culprit is your screen resolution. Occasionally, poorly designed software installations (especially older games) will sometimes mess with your resolution. If you've installed anything lately, that program might be the culprit.
If the problem IS your screen resolution, it's easy to fix. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select "Properties". In the window that comes up, go to the "Settings" tab in the upper right. On this page, you can set the color settings and screen resolution.
In the "Screen Resolution" box, try moving the slider one notch to the right. Your screen will flicker. If you get a blank screen, don't panic, just wait. It will fix itself in fifteen seconds. If it works properly, your desktop will return and everything will be smaller again. Depending on your monitor, you may have to crank the resolution up a couple notches to get back to your previous settings.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
If you get the blank screen, it is very important that you not hit any keys for those 15 seconds. Most particularly, don't get clever and mess with your arrow keys and then hit "enter".
If you do that, you have to boot in a command line mode (which can be a real hassle) and then find and edit your configuration settings, and any mistakes could get you in even worse trouble. Okay, I'm just telling you scary stories. There is almost no chance this will happen, I've changed my screen resolution hundreds of times and only pulled this trick once...er...maybe twice
Also, you have to click on "Apply" or "Okay" before the resolution change will be applied.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I've lost my preference settings here for what seems like the eighth or ninth time so far. (And also elsewhere, about the same frequency.) I'm sure it's the new security software I installed a while ago...I just haven't figured out how to turn it off, or to let it allow the sites I want.
Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :
Strangely (but quite happily!) my problem has cleared itself up for some unknown reason. I haven't changed anything. Ah well, I am not complaining!
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
The Display Properties screen was one of the things I tried, but the slider there didn't budge. I figured maybe it wasn't supposed to. I tried it again just now. When I go to the Display Properties screen, the 'Display Properties' heading is in grey. When I click the slider for the screen resolution, the 'Display Properties' heading turns blue and a dotted box appears around the slider for the resolution. When I try to move the slider, the slider goes from plain white to dotted, but doesn't move.
We did install Riven, but that was a while ago. I just uninstalled it, but still no luck with the screen resolution. Maybe it's time to contact Gateway.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
There's your problem right there. You bought your computer from Gateway.
Oh well. Check the value under your display resolution. If it's 1024x768 or higher, then that probably isn't your problem anyway. You might try looking in your advanced settings and check your dpi settings. This value controls the size (in pixels) of elements like icons, buttons, and menu bars. If it's set to 200% or something like that, then you'll be short on screen space.
Also, check your display adaptor drivers and monitor settings. It's unusual for modern display adaptors and monitors to be capable of only one resolution. Even if you're using an LCD display, it should usually be able to handle resolutions other than it's native resolution (though these resolutions will always be less than the native one). Some bit of software might have messed up your drivers.
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Thanks, all. I won't be able to fool with this the next couple days, but we'll see what happens. Everything has a solution, right?
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Go figure. I did a Live Update for my security, restarted my computer -- which I had done several times since this problem started and to no avail -- and voila! I quickly checked the screen resolution, and the little slider has moved over a little. Don't ask me to explain it. I'll echo autumnmuse and not complain, though.
Thanks for the tips, authorsjourney, Survivor, and Robert. I appreciate your jumping in to help.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Hmmm...drivers, I'd guess. Probably some installation program reset your directx to an earlier version or something. Riven's a good suspect, it's pretty old.
