Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip

Subject: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: rock chick
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 05:31 PM

The gremlins are at it again!! Does any other mudcatter have the same tech problems; I have had to sign in Again with my membership, resetting my cookie!

I log in most days; I'm obviously not making a good enough impression, now come on you guys I getting a complex.

rc

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: CraigS
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 05:36 PM

Are you using more than one internet service? This can confuse the Mudcat no end. Use only one service, or use a different screen identity for each service t6o preserve your settings.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: rock chick
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 06:06 PM

Do you mean I am logging in on another computer, if so I use my office computer as well ,(Hope the boss doesn't log in also, or I could be looking for a new job!!) Mind you that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

rc

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Jeri
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 06:29 PM

No, please don't take out a separate membership for separate computers.

The cookie that identifies you is on the computer. All Mudcat does is look for a cookie and it doesn't make any difference what computer it's on. There's no reason it should cause problems.

Rock chick, you may want to ask in the Help Forum.
Folks with WebTV or other services where the cache (where your cookie is normally kept safe) isn't stored on their machine have had problems. I don't know what the answer was for those folks or if there was one.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: rock chick
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 06:54 PM

I won't take out a different membership for different computors,promise, but i need to sort this problem out, i will take your advice and log into the help forum and see what happens.

Thanks

r c

Subject: RE: Mudcat FAQ - Newcomer's Guide
From: rock chick
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 07:01 PM

The gremlins are at work with my cookie! I log in most days yet my membership is not recognised and I have to reset my cookie, can you tell me why? I sometimes use my computer at my office, but didn't think that should be the cause of the problem, there again I am not that tech minded.

Any advice would be useful.

r c

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 07:05 PM

Your mudcat "identity" is stored on the machine you use to log in, in a cookie, usually located in C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\. It will usually be named something like "cookie:[e-mail]," or "cookie:[e-mail]," where "username" is the name you use on your machine (not your mudcat name).

1. If you "log off" when you leave mudcat, the cookie will (usually) be deleted, and you will need to log on at your next visit.

2. If "security settings" are set to reject cookies, you may not be able to log on; or, with some settings you may get a "session cookie" instead of the usual "permanent cookie." If you get a temporary/session cookie, your mudcat id will not be retained when you close your browser.

3. If you, or some other user of your machine deletes your mudcat cookies, you will need to log on and get a new cookie at your next visit.

4. If you use a different machine (one without your cookie), or log in to Windows with a different username on your regular machine, you will need to get a new cookie for that "username."

If other people have access to your machine, there is an element of risk that they could log on to mudcat and pretend to be you, if your mudcat cookie is left on the machine. Since cookies are a sort of record of where you've been, you also may not want to leave a cookie on your machine at work. Cookies are "plain text" files (although they may contain 'unprintable' characters), so in principal, you could copy your cookies to a floppy disk (or to some "other" place on the machine), deleted them from the Temporary Internet Files location, and copy them back when you want to resume. Note that this is not an "officially sanctioned" procedure, and no guarantees are given - cookies crumble sometimes.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: rock chick
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 07:21 PM

Thanks for that, but it all sounds very complicated, i will print it off and digest it slowly.

r c

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 11:32 PM

The cookie problem is usually on the user's computer. For your membership to work, you have to have a cookie on your computer that Mudcat can read. If your computer's hard drive is scrambled, the cookies can be hard to read.
If you use various computers, then you have to log in (reset cookie) on each computer you use - and it's a good idea to log out if it's a computer used by others.
There is a new glitch that came with the new version of Mudcat, and it is possible that Mudcat will sometimes scramble your cookie and force you to have to reset. Happened to me once since the changeover to the new Mudcat. Jeff is working on a fix for the glitch, but it's not something that should happen very often.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: GUEST,waterdragon
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 09:42 AM

I'm having difficulty resetting my cookie too.Every time I send my e-mail address Mudcat tells me my password has been e-mailed yet I cannot find the message.If I try to log in again Mudcat will not accept any of my details.Any helpful suggestions???

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Jeri
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 10:19 AM

Waterdragon, ask Joe for help in the Help Forum.

You can get to it by going up to the top of this page and clicking on the word "Help" on the far right of the menu bar. Or just click here

That "mail password to self" thingie hasn't worked in ages. Joe or Jeff (Pene Azul) can send it to you though.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Jeri
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 10:21 AM

Or who knows. Maybe Joe will help you out before you get a chance to post in the Help Forum since he's reading this thread.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 10:47 AM

rockchick, I was experiencing similar problems. A little patience and some time with Joe Offer on the FAQ thread solved it. He literally walks you through every contingency. It was MY computer that was the problem and a simple fix.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Tweed
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 10:53 AM

Do you have McAffee "Safe and Sound" installed? I tried that for a couple days and went nuts trying to reset cookies after each page change etc. I had to put the disc back in and remove the program and all went well after that. Plus the puter loaded pages quickly again.

Yerz,
Tweed

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Abby Sale
Date: 26 May 08 - 11:58 AM

Oh well, time to plea for advice.

I now have had to login and reset my cookie whenever I close Firefox 2.

Bunch of nonsense!

I don't think Firefox ever uses cookies stored on the computer (and a Windows Explorer search for files including 'mudcat.org' is a blank.)

Yet Firefox _is_ set to Allow 'mudcat.org' and does retain nine 'mudcat.org' cookies in its Privacy/Show Cookies dialog. Thus they are not (I think) just Session Cookies.

I never logoff.

I have the same problem several other sites - I've tried Help at Firefox but I can't get close to anything useful there.

Any thoughts?   My wee bit of remaining sanity is waning.

Abby

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: GUEST,old girl
Date: 26 May 08 - 12:04 PM

I have the same probs

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 26 May 08 - 01:44 PM

A cookie from mudcat will be named something like username@mudcat[1].txt. The username is the name you use to log onto your own computer, and NOT YOUR MUDCAT NAME. You will not find any filename containing "mudcat.org" in your cookies, since it's just a text file.

"mudcat.org" is included in the text content of the file, but you may not find it with Windows Explorer search since the "Cookies" folder is a hidden and read-only folder, and in the simplest place where you can find it is an "image folder" that doesn't really exist.

In recent Windows versions - except Vista, the Windows location for cookies is at:

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files.

This location is both a "hidden folder" and a "system folder" that will NOT BE SEARCHED unless you tell Win Explorer to do so. I would expect the location to be the same regardless of what browser you use, but can't verify that Firefox doesn't create a separate folder for its stuff.

A separate "image folder" at C:\Documents and Settings\username\Cookies will show you the cookies that are in the Temporary Internet Files folder, but the "cookies" folder isn't "real," and only exists to make you think you know what you're seeing.

If you're using IE, and probably regardless of what browser you use, the Temporary Internet Files folder contains all your cookies and all the bits and pieces of web pages you've looked at during your "current session" on the internet. Your browser can be set to "delete Temporary Internet Files" when the browser is closed, and probably is set to do this cleanup if you're using default settings.

Even if your browser is set to do this cleanup, only temporary files in the Temporary Internet Files folder will be deleted.

Windows should also delete temporary files in Temporary Internet Files when you reboot, but doesn't always do an effective job of this, hence the need to run "Disk Cleanup" occasionally.

A cookie can be refused by your browser, or can be blocked by your AV, or can be blocked by your anti-popup program, or by a number of other kinds of "protection programs" that you may have added; but if this happens you won't be able to log in.

With some browser security settings, you may be able to log in, but your browser accepts only a temporary cookie, called a "session cookie" that will be deleted when the browser closes.

To get a permanent login cookie from mudcat, you must tell your browser that mudcat.org is a "trusted site."

In IE you click Tools|Internet Options, click the Privacy tab, click the Sites button, type mudcat.org in the box and click "Allow." This puts mudcat.org in your list of "managed sites" so that the cookie you get when you log in will be kept. As I don't use Firefox, I can't tell you where to find the setting in it.

Sites that show your browser a "security certificate" and/or a "privacy policy" may be allowed to give you a cookie without being put in the trusted sites list, but mudcat has neither kind of certificate (and has no real reason to have them). This makes mudcat sort of a special case that's worth your doing the bit of setup needed to get with it.

A cookie can be given to your computer as a temporary or session cookie that will be deleted automatically when the browser is closed; but most cookies - especially the ones you don't particularly want - have an "expiration date" and if they're put in your cookie folder they'll stay there until they expire - which usually is "in a few years." A cookie can also be "permanent" but this apparently makes it more likely to be rejected by Windows (IE) security settings. The mudcat cookie appears to be a "permanent" one, which is an additional reason why you MUST TELL YOUR BROWSER to take it and keep it.

An alternative to setting mudcat.org as a trusted site is just to lower the security settings on your browser for all sites, but this is NOT RECOMMENDED by any sane persons I've encountered.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Abby Sale
Date: 26 May 08 - 04:22 PM

John,

Thanks for all the work but no, it don't work. You was right, of course, about the file name but a search for 'mudcat[' don't work either. (Sometimes it's mudcat[2 or mudcat[3)

Nothing is placed in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files unless I use IE or something else that depends on it (eg, RealPlay, I think). Generally I vastly prefer Firefox.

Yes, I'm pretty sure Firefox keeps cookies in a separate, single cookie file. C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\(random number).default\cookies.txt but no 'mudcat' text seems to enter the file. Other useful cookie names are in there, though.

Netscape definately uster do that. Yes, I've set Firefox to "Allow" (ie, permanent, not session.) and cookies are specifically not to be deleted if I should ask to Clear Private Data on exit. (I rarely do that anyway.)

Don't know what else to look for.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 26 May 08 - 05:09 PM

Abby -

If you can't find a mudcat cookie, it's probably because you're not getting a persistent mudcat cookie.

You indicated that you've told Firefox to accept the cookie. Have you added a cookie blocker/popup blocker, perhaps via a Firefox plugin? The add-in, or separate blocker program may also need to be separately told to allow the mudcat cookie.

Have you updated Firefox? Browsers often apply different "rules" to different "zones" (security levels) you can apply on the internet, and a change in the definition of a zone can change how the rules are applied, even if the name of the zone/level hasn't changed.

Regardless of your permission to allow a cookie from a site when you're operating at one security level, changing to a more secure mode of browsing may override the permission. If the security level you've been using has been "re-described" by a browser update, you may need to reset the permission within the security level you're using.

Google Toolbar (and others) also can block cookies, or render them "session only." The same thing can happen with popup blockers and antiphishing add-ons. Some of these can be difficult to set to override the default behaviour (since it can be hard to find the right place to change the settings when you've got a lot of redundant "protections").

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: Abby Sale
Date: 26 May 08 - 06:51 PM

If you can't find a mudcat cookie, it's probably because you're not getting a persistent mudcat cookie.

I'm afraid I agree with that!

blocker/popup blocker, perhaps via a Firefox plugin? The add-in,

Firefox uses "add-ins," I think that's the same thing. Only one I've accepted is RealPlayer.

I've set its pop-up blocker to Notify me with only 5 Allow exceptions (like my bank!) Does Mudcat use pop-ups to set cookies?

Firefox doesn't use security zones...one of the reasons I prefer it.

No Toolbars in the usual sense. Just a search preference option that includes Google & several others.

Hmm. Now you got me thinking. I wonder if Ad-Watch could be doing it. It can be annoying and unpredictable but it's saved my bacon any number of times. It lets me set other cookies...

I'm sure (pretty sure) Symantic AV wouldn't do that. I have it running live time (Auto-protect) and do a Quick Scan daily at lunch time. It caught two nasties just this week after two-months of peace.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: BK Lick
Date: 28 May 08 - 05:18 PM

Abby, if you remove those nine cookies and then login again they re-appear in the Privacy/Show Cookies dialog, right?

Have you selected "they expire" in the "Keep until:" pull-down menu?

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: My guru always said
Date: 29 May 08 - 01:15 AM

May not be relevant, but wasn't there something recently about AOL creating cookie & login problems?

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: GUEST
Date: 29 May 08 - 11:04 AM

BK, it's not quite like that. Normally Firefox asks how to treat cookies (I have Always Ask checked) when it doesn't have specific site instructions. (Eg, if I delete the cookies or a new site.)

Then it gives 4 choices: Block, Allow, Allow for Session and Forget It And Go Rollerblade Over To A Bar. I choose the last one now.

BUT, for Mudcat and several other sites it just don't ask. I have to login and Firefox always records it as a Session Cookie. It does not get into cookies.txt at all. I even set Firefox Exceptions to Always Allow Mudcat. No use.

So yes, they reappear next time I login.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: BK Lick
Date: 29 May 08 - 05:05 PM

Do you see a button labeled [Exceptions...]? Clicking that should let you specify mudcat.org and give you a choice of [Block], [Allow for Session], or [Allow].

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 May 08 - 05:20 AM

Firefox has 2 relevant tabes - Privacy & Content.

I have now fixed Mudchat - it needed to have an 'allow' entry for mudcat.org in the 'Block popup windows' section.

Under the Privacy tab - there is a 'allow sites to set cookies' and an 'exceptions' section.

There is also a 'View Cookies' section below.

I went into BOTH and set 'mudcat.org' to 'always allow'.

I have now fixed all the hassles I have been complaining regarding Mudcat about with Mudcat & Firefox version 1.5.

I also have the 'noscript' addin - and checked that everything there was correct before I finally fiddled the above.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help keep having to re set my membersip
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 30 May 08 - 04:37 PM

A recent update to the "new" Ad-Aware SE with new def files deleted my mudcat cookie when I ran a full scan. I don't run it often, as I have multi-layers of better protections, although it does clean out lots of nuisance cookies.

I haven't run another Ad-Aware scan to see if that's a consistent behavior, but those who use it regularly might want to watch for this effect.

John