Quick Solutions For Login And Cookie Problems
1.
Access the site using the full URL path (http://www.usasexguide.info)
2.
Switch to another Internet Browser (To check if your browser is the problem)
3.
Change your Browser Settings to Accept Cookies (This is the #1 reason why Members can't stay logged in!)
4.
Delete Potentially Corrupted Cookies (Cookies get corruped on ocassion)
5.
Check your Firewall Settings (Firewall programs can also block cookies)
6.
Check your Forum User Settings (There is a user setting that can also effect cookies)
7.
Appendix - Cookie Instructions for Specific Browsers (Step-by-step instructions for most major browsers)
Detailed Solutions for Login and Cookie Problems
From time to time I get emails from correctly registered Forum Members who are experiencing problems logging into the Forum and/or posting reports in the Forum.
These problems include:
| 1. |
Can't log into the Forum. |
| 2. |
Can't stay logged into the Forum. |
| 3. |
Can't post reports in the Forum. |
| 4. |
Getting "kicked out" after logging in. |
| 5. |
Getting "kicked out" when changing pages. |
| 6. |
Getting "kicked out" when trying to read Private Messages. |
| 7. |
Getting "kicked out" when trying to respond to Forum Surveys. |
| 8. |
Getting "kicked out" when trying to reset your password. |
| 9. |
Getting "kicked out" when trying to reset your email address. |
This problem effects a very small number of Forum Members, but it does appear to be a consistent issue. I recently conducted several hours of research into the problem on the vBulletin support forum, which is the company that published the software used to run the Forum. Other forum operators have reported this exact same problem, and from their discussions I have identified the following potential remedies:
| 1. |
You need to access the site through it's full web address. |
| 2. |
You need to switch to another Internet browser. |
| 3. |
Your Internet browser's security settings are blocking cookies. |
| 4. |
Your existing cookies are corrupted. |
| 5. |
Your firewall and/or cookie monitoring software is blocking cookies. |
| 6. |
Your Forum User Settings are incorrect. |
Here are the step-by-step instructions for resolving each of these potential problems.
Please note that if you do not understand these instructions, then please call a friend who does.
What are Cookies?
The Forum needs cookies enabled to work properly. A lot of the cool stuff we do just won't work without them.
Cookies, as you may or may not know, are nothing more than a mechanism for storing information between pages. For registered users this allows us to provide you with more robust features such as search and click history, search preferences, personal profile information such as home airport and more.
In an application such as The Forum, such knowledge is critical to the basic functionality we provide. You enter some search parameters, click "Search," and a bunch of our servers start working. You then proceed through a series of pages to view and manipulate the results. We need to know that you are the same person from one link to another, so we don't show your results to someone else, or somebody else's results to you.
There are two ways in web applications to keep track of user status. One way is with cookies. Our web site asks your browser to store a random value, a string of essentially meaningless letters and numbers that uniquely identify your session from all the other millions of sessions of our users. Whenever your web browser then contacts our site, it sends up that cookie, so the web site can find your search data and present it to you.
Another way to track sessions is to attach a unique value like this to every single web link or address in our entire site. This is certainly possible, and a number of web sites use this method. We do not use it, because it is much more prone to problems than using cookies; if one little link is forgotten or missed, the user session can be lost, and the site will appear to break.
Many people misinterpret cookies as some kind of nefarious plot on the part of web sites to invade their privacy. While cookies can be used to track user activity to varying levels of specificity, our use of cookies does not let us find out who you are in any identifiable way. That is, we don't know *who* you really are, just that you are some user out there on the internet.
Let's be very clear, however. The Forum does use cookies to measure and understand how well or poorly our marketing efforts work. Therefore, it is critical for us to understand the behavior of our users: how many return to the site; how many find us through paid advertising; how many find us on their own. We here at The Forum are decidedly fanatical about privacy policies on the Internet in general, and this is reflected in our privacy policy. Take a look at this policy; if there is anything you find objectionable there, we'd like to hear about it.
Step 1 - Access the Site through it's Full Web Address
This is the easiest thing to change.
Sometimes cookies can be "confused" if you access the site by entering just "internationalsexguide.info" in your browser's address bar.
Try accessing the site through it's full web address
http://www.internationalsexguide.info, then see if you still experience a login problem.
Step 2 - Switch To Another Internet Browser
EDITOR's NOTE: This is the primary solution for Forum Members who have never been able to log into the Forum, or who are getting continuously "kicked out" after getting logged in.
The problem with AOL and other ISPs that use multiple proxies is that as you navigate through the site, the browser they gave you on their CD, etc. will, in some cases, be sending page requests to the Forum from different proxy server IP addresses, so that the IP address that the Forum "sees" you using changes with virtually every page you visit.
The Forum software treats this as invalid session hash and, depending on what your permissions are set to and what you are trying to do, shows a "No Permission" screen requesting you to log in again and again.
If you are an AOL user, or anyone who uses a similar ISP service, I strongly suggest that you try using Internet Explorer instead of AOL's browser to access the Forum, as follows:
| 1. |
Logon via AOL (or your ISP service), then minimize AOL (or the browser they supplied). |
| 2. |
Double-click (start) Internet Explorer on its own. |
| 3. |
Enter "www.worldsexguide.info" in the address bar at the top of the browser window. |
| 4. |
Logon to the Forum using your User Name and Password. |
| 5. |
Try posting a test report in the "Test Messages" section. |
| 6. |
This usually solves the problem! |
As always, get the latest and greatest versions of Internet Explorer.
Many Forum Members report that their login problems cease once they begin using Internet Explorer instead of AOL's browser.
Step 3 - Change Your Browser Settings To Accept Cookies
PLEASE NOTE: These are the cookie instructions for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Detailed instructions for other browsers may be found in the Appendix at the bottom of this page.
| 1. |
Open Internet Explorer. |
| 2. |
Select the "Tools" menu. |
| 3. |
Select the "Internet Options" menu. |
| 4. |
Select the "Privacy" tab. |
| 5. |
Under the Settings area, select "Advanced" button. |
| 6. |
Check the box nest to "Override Automatic Cookie Handling". |
| 7. |
Select "Accept" for First Party Cookie Handling" (should be default) |
| 8. |
Select "Accept" for Third Party Cookie Handling" (should be default) |
| 9. |
Check the box next to "Automatic Session Cookies". |
| 10. |
Select "OK". |
| 11. |
Select "OK" again to close the dialog box. |
Step 4 - Delete Potentially Corrupted Cookies
EDITOR's NOTE: This is the most primary solution for Forum Members who have previously been successful in logging into the Forum, but suddenly one day find themselves having difficulty logging in.
Occasionally cookies will get corrupted with IE 6.0. To fix this you'll need to manually delete them. Here's how to do this in IE 6.0:
| 1. |
Close Internet Explorer. |
| 2. |
Go to your cookies file, as follows:
a. In Windows XP or Windows 2000: c:\Document and Settings\[Your Windows User Name]\Cookies.
b. In Windows 98 and Windows ME they are in c:\windows\cookies.
|
| 3. |
Look for the individual cookies for the Forum. The names should be in the form of:
a. Cookie:[Your Forum User Name Here]@internationalsexguide.info
b. Cookie:[Your Forum User Name Here]@www.internationalsexguide.info
c. ...and any derivatives of the above.
|
| 4. |
Highlight each of the individual cookies. |
| 5. |
Click the right mouse button over the cookie. |
| 6. |
Select "Delete" from from the popup menu to remove each cookie. |
| 7. |
Close all browser windows and restart Internet Explorer. |
In addition, I would highly recommend taking the additional precaution of deleting all offline content. Not to fear, you won't lose anything that won't be replaced the next time you visit the same websites. Here's how to do this in IE 6.0:
| 1. |
Open Internet Explorer. |
| 2. |
Select the "Tools" menu. |
| 3. |
Select the "Internet Options" menu. |
| 4. |
Select "Delete Files". |
| 5. |
Select "Delete all offline content". |
| 6. |
Select "OK". |
Please note that deleting your cookies by logging off the Forum, thus displaying the "All cookies have been deleted" message from the Forum, WILL NOT WORK to solve this problem. You must delete the cookies manually, either by deleting the Forum cookies individually, or by deleting all the cookies in your cookie folder.
Step 5 - Check Your Firewall Settings
If you have a firewall installed on your computer or your network, then you need to review your firewall software's settings to ensure that the software is allowing the Forum to send information through the firewall in both directions.
There are dozens of firewall programs out there in the market, so I can't begin to provide step-by-step instructions for every one of them. Thus you will have to investigate this yourself.
If you are connecting to the Internet through a company firewall that you suspect may be causing the problem, then you will have to get with your network administrator to check these setting and effect any changes, although this may not be advisable.
If you do not have a clue how to check your firewall's settings, then please call a friend who does.
Step 6 - Check Your Forum User Settings
| 1. |
Go to the Forum website. |
| 2. |
Logon using your User Name and Password. |
| 3. |
Select the "User CP" link in the left side of the top bar. |
| 4. |
Select "Change Your Options". |
| 5. |
Select "Yes" for "Automatically login when you return to the site? (uses cookies)". |
| 6. |
Select "Yes" for "Browse board with cookies?". |
I would like to hear from anyone who has or is experiencing problems receiving emails from the Forum and who has employed any these methods in an attempt to resolve the issue.
I would also like to hear from anyone who may have further insight or technical experience in this issue, either with this or other forums or websites. Please use the Forum's
Contact Us form to send me an email.
I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Jackson
Appendix - Cookie Instructions For Different Browsers
To enable cookies, follow the instructions below for the browser version you are using.
Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer 6.x
| 1. |
Select Tools. |
| 2. |
Select Internet Options. |
| 3. |
Select the Privacy tab. |
| 4. |
Select Advanced. |
| 5. |
Deselect override automatic cookie handling button. |
| 6. |
Click on the OK button at the bottom of the screen. |
| 7. |
Click OK to exit. |
Internet Explorer 5.x
| 1. |
Go to Tools on the menu bar. |
| 2. |
Pick Internet Options. |
| 3. |
Click the Security tab. |
| 4. |
Select the Custom Level tab. |
| 5. |
Under "Allow Cookies that are stored on your computer" click "Enable". |
| 6. |
Under "Allow per-session cookies (not stored)" click "Enable". |
| 7. |
Select OK, Yes you want to save the settings. |
Internet Explorer 4.x
| 1. |
Go to View on the menu bar. |
| 2. |
Pick Internet Options. |
| 3. |
Click the Advanced tab. |
| 4. |
Go down to the Cookies section. |
| 5. |
Click "Always Accept Cookies". |
| 6. |
Click OK. |
Internet Explorer 3.x
| 1. |
Go to View on the menu bar. |
| 2. |
Pick Options. |
| 3. |
Click the Advanced tab. |
| 4. |
Go down to the Cookies section. |
| 5. |
Click "Warn Before Accept Cookies" . |
| 6. |
Click OK. |
Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator 7.x
| 1. |
Click Edit on the Toolbar. |
| 2. |
Click Preferences. |
| 3. |
Click the Privacy and Security category; expand the list to show the subcategories.
|
| 4. |
Click Cookies. |
| 5. |
Three options are displayed. Click the appropriate choice:
| •
| Disable cookies.
|
| •
| Enable cookies for the originating web site only.
|
| •
| Enable all cookies.
|
| •
| If you want to be notified when a web site tries to set a cookie, select "Warn me before accepting a cookie.
|
|
Netscape Navigator 6.x
| 1. |
Click Edit on the Toolbar. |
| 2. |
Click Preferences. |
| 3. |
Click the Privacy and Security category; expand the list to show the subcategories. |
| 4. |
Click Cookies. |
| 5. |
Three options are displayed. Click the appropriate choice:
| •
| Disable cookies.
|
| •
| Enable cookies for the originating web site only.
|
| •
| Enable all cookies.
|
| •
| If you want to be notified when a web site tries to set a cookie, select "Warn me before accepting a cookie.
|
|
Netscape Navigator 4.x
| 1. |
Go to Edit on the menu bar. |
| 2. |
Pick Preferences. |
| 3. |
Go to the Advanced option on the Category menu. |
| 4. |
Click the check box next to "Accept All Cookies". |
| 5. |
Click OK. |
Netscape Navigator 3.x Clients
| 1. |
Go to Options on the menu bar.
|
| 2. |
Pick Network Preferences. |
| 3. |
Click the Languages tab. |
| 4. |
Click the checkbox next to "Enable Java". |
| 5. |
Click OK. |
Mac Internet Explorer
Mac Internet Explorer 5.x
| 1. |
Click Edit. |
| 2. |
Select Preferences. |
| 3. |
Under the Receiving Files option, select Cookies. |
| 4. |
Under "When receiving cookies:" select the desired level of cookie acceptance. |
| 5. |
Click OK to finish. |
AOL
AOL 8.0
| 1. |
From the AOL Toolbar, select Settings. |
| 2. |
Select Preferences. |
| 3. |
Select Internet Properties (WWW). |
| 4. |
Select the Privacytab. |
| 5. |
Select Advanced. |
| 6. |
Deselect override automatic cookie handling button. |
| 7. |
Click OK to exit. |
AOL 7.0 with Internet Explorer 6.x
| 1. |
From the AOL Toolbar, select Settings. |
| 2. |
Select Preferences. |
| 3. |
Select Internet Properties (WWW). |
| 4. |
Select the Privacy tab. |
| 5. |
Select Advanced. |
| 6. |
Deselect override automatic cookie handling button. |
| 7. |
Click OK to exit. |
AOL 7.0 with Internet Explorer 5.5
| 1. |
From the AOL Toolbar, select Settings. |
| 2. |
Select Preferences. |
| 3. |
Select Internet Properties (WWW). |
| 4. |
Select the Security tab. |
| 5. |
Select the Custom Level tab. |
| 6. |
Under "Allow Cookies that are stored on your computer" click "Enable". |
| 7. |
Under "Allow per-session cookies (not stored)" click "Enable". |
| 8. |
Select OK, Yes you want to save the settings. |
AOL 6.0
| 1. |
From the AOL Toolbar, select Settings. |
| 2. |
Select Preferences. |
| 3. |
Select Internet Properties (WWW). |
| 4. |
Select the Security tab. |
| 5. |
Select the Custom Level tab. |
| 6. |
Under "Allow Cookies that are stored on your computer" click "Enable". |
| 7. |
Under "Allow per-session cookies (not stored)" click "Enable". |
| 8. |
Select OK, Yes you want to save the settings. |
AOL 5.0
| 1. |
Go to My AOL. |
| 2. |
Pick WWW. |
| 3. |
Click the Security tab. |
| 4. |
Go to Custom Level. |
| 5. |
Scroll down to find Cookie. |
| 6. |
Click "Enable". |
| 7. |
Click OK. |
AOL 4.0
| 1. |
Click on Preferences. |
| 2. |
Select on the WWW button. |
| 3. |
Click on the Advanced tab. |
| 4. |
Select the "Accept all cookies" checkbox. |
AOL for Windows 3.1
| |
This browser does not give you the ability to turn off cookies. |
Enabling your browser's cookies
What type of browser are you using?
Internet Explorer Netscape
AOL Opera
Mozilla Firefox
Safari Camino
Konqueror
Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer 6.x:
| 1. |
In Internet Explorer click on "Tools" at the top of the window. |
| 2. |
Select "Internet Options". |
| 3. |
Click on the "Privacy" tab. |
| 4. |
In the center of the "Privacy" tab screen, there should betdn
|
| 5. |
&td class="indentNumberText"ot;Advanced" button. Click this button.
| 6. |
Ensure that "Override automatic cookie handling" is checked. |
| 7. |
First and Third party cookies should be set to "Accept" |
| 8. |
Check "Always allow session cookies" |
| 9. |
Click on "OK" |
Internet Explorer 5.x (Windows):
| 1. |
From the Tools menu, click [Internet Options]. |
| 2. |
Click the [Security] tab. |
| 3. |
Click the [Custom Level] button. |
| 4. |
Click on the "Advanced" button |
| 5. |
Scroll down through the window to locate the Cookie Section. Internet Exploretd5
|
| 6. |
ctd class="indentNumberText"tains two separate locations where cookies are changed:
|
| 7. |
Atd class="indentNumberText"ow Cookies that are stored on your computer.
|
| 8. |
Atd class="indentNumberText"ow per-session Cookies, not stored.
| 9. |
Enable your cookies at each location. |
| 10. |
Click [OK]. |
Internet Explorer 5.x (Macintosh):
| 1. |
Click Edit |
| 2. |
Select Preferences |
| 3. |
Under the Receiving Files option, select Cookies |
| 4. |
Under "When receiving cookies:" select the desired level of cookie acceptance |
| 5. |
Click OK to finish |
Internet Explorer 4.x:
| 1. |
Click on VIEW. |
| 2. |
Go to INTERNET OPTIONS. |
| 3. |
Click Security tab. |
| 4. |
Click on Custom Level. |
| 5. |
Scroll Down to COOKIES. |
| 6. |
"Enable Cookies" should be selected. |
| 7. |
Click OK to exit |
Netscape
Netscape Navigator 6.x - 8.x
| 1. |
Click Edit on the Toolbar. |
| 2. |
Click Preferences |
| 3. |
Click the Privacy and Security category; expand the list to show the subcategories. |
| 4. |
Click Cookies |
| 5. |
Two options are displayed. Do the following:
| •
| Check "Enable all cookies"
|
| •
|
If you want to be notified when a web site tries to set a cookie, select "Warn me
before accepting a cookie."
|
|
|
Netscape Navigator 4.x
| 1. |
Click on Edit, and then click Preferences |
| 2. |
Click on the Advanced |
| 3. |
In the Cookies section, select Accept all cookies |
| 4. |
Click OK |
Netscape Navigator 3.x
| 1. |
Go to Options on the menu bar |
| 2. |
Pick Network Preferences |
| 3. |
Click the Languages tab |
| 4. |
Click the checkbox next to "Enable Java" |
| 5. |
Click OK |
AOL
NOTE: If the changes below do not work for you, after you log on, please minimize the AOL Browser and then open and use a DIFFERENT browser like Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
Properly Enabling Cookies on AOL 9.0:
| 1. |
Click on the AOL "Settings" icon near the top of your AOL window. |
| 2. |
In the "Essentials" section, click on "Internet [Web] Options" |
| 3. |
Click on the "Privacy" tab. |
| 4. |
Click on the "Advanced" button |
| 5. |
Ensure that "Override automatic cookie handling" is checked. |
| 6. |
First and Third party cookies should be set to "Accept" |
| 7. |
Check "Always allow session cookies" |
| 8. |
Click on "OK" |
| 9. |
Click "Apply" and then "OK" |
Properly Enabling Cookies on AOL 8.0:
| 1. |
Click on the AOL "Settings" icon near the top of your AOL window. |
| 2. |
In the dropdown that appears, select "Preferences". |
| 3. |
Click the "By Category" tab |
| 4. |
Find "Internet" in the listings. |
| 5. |
Click on the "Privacy" tab. |
| 6. |
Click on the "Advanced" button. |
| 7. |
Ensure that "Override automatic cookie handling" is checked. |
| 8. |
First and Third party cookies should be set to "Accept" |
| 9. |
Check "Always allow session cookies" |
| 10. |
Click on "OK" |
| 11. |
Click "Apply" and then "OK" |
Enable Cookies on AOL (v6.0) for WINDOWS:
| 1. |
Click on MY AOL. |
| 2. |
Click SETTINGS on the main toolbar. |
| 3. |
Click PREFERENCES. |
| 4. |
Click on Internet Properties (WWW). |
| 5. |
Click on the SECURITY tab. |
| 6. |
Click on the INTERNET ZONE, then click on the Custom button on the bottom of the window. The Security Settings window will appear. |
| 7. |
Scroll down until you see Cookies. |
| 8. |
Click Enable for the Allow per-session cookies option. |
| 9. |
Click OK to exit. |
Enable Cookies on AOL (v5.0) for WINDOWS:
| 1. |
Click on MY AOL on the main toolbar. |
| 2. |
Click PREFERENCES. |
| 3. |
Click on WWW. |
| 4. |
Click on the SECURITY tab. |
| 5. |
Click on the INTERNET ZONE, then click on the Custom button on the bottom of the window. The Security Settings window will appear. |
| 6. |
Scroll down until you see Cookies. |
| 7. |
Click Enable for the Allow per-session cookies option. |
| 8. |
Click OK to exit. |
Enable Cookies on AOL (v4.0) for WINDOWS:
| 1. |
Click on START MENU from desktop |
| 2. |
Click on SETTINGS, then CONTROL PANEL |
| 3. |
Click on the INTERNET icon. |
| 4. |
Click the ADVANCED tab and scroll down until you see the word COOKIES. |
| 5. |
Click on ALWAYS ACCEPT COOKIES. |
| 6. |
Click on APPLY and then OK to exit. |
Enable Cookies on AOL (v3.x) for WINDOWS or (v4.x) for MACINTOSH:
| 1. |
Click on MEMBERS or MY AOL. |
| 2. |
Click PREFERENCES. |
| 3. |
Click on WWW or WEB. |
| 4. |
Click on ADVANCED TAB and scroll down until you see the word COOKIES. |
| 5. |
ENABLED should be selected. |
| 6. |
Click OK to exit. |
Enable Cookies on AOL (v3.x) for MACINTOSH:
| 1. |
Cookies are NOT available through v3.x for Mac. AOL recommends upgrading to AOL 5.0. |
| 2. |
This is available to download at http://free.aol.com. |
Opera
Opera 7.11
| 1. |
From the File menu, choose Preferences. |
| 2. |
Click the Privacy category. |
| 3. |
Check Enable Cookies. |
| 4. |
From the Normal Cookies drop-down menu, select Automatically accept all cookies. |
| 5. |
From the Third Part drop-down menu, select Automatically accept all cookies. |
| 6. |
Click OK. |
Mozilla
Mozilla
| 1. |
Go to Edit on top of browser |
| 2. |
Choose Preferences on bottom of list |
| 3. |
Open the Privacy & Security menu on left hand side of box. |
| 4. |
On right hand side of box choose "Enable all cookies" |
| 5. |
Press OK |
Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
| 1. |
Select Tools | Options... from the main menu. |
| 2. |
Select Privacy from the left panel of options. |
| 3. |
Expand the Cookies options on the right. |
| 4. |
Select "Enable Cookies." |
Safari
Safari 1.0
| 1. |
From the Safari Menu, choose Preferences. |
| 2. |
Click the Security icon. |
| 3. |
In the Accept Cookies: selection box, chose Always. |
Camino
Camino
| 1. |
Select Preferences from the Camino menu. |
| 2. |
Select the Privacy icon. |
| 3. |
Select Enable cookies. |
| 4. |
Close the Preferences by clicking in the window's close box |
Konqueror
Konqueror
| 1. |
Under Settings select Configure Konqueror. |
| 2. |
In the 'Settings' window, select 'Cookies'. |
| 3. |
On the right-hand side panel select 'Enable Cookies.' |
Modify your security/firewall/anti-virus software settings
Security/firewall/anti-virus software can sometimes affect how browsers handle cookies.
Please turn off Zone Alarm, Norton Personal Firewall, McAfee Privacy Service while browsing our site.
To determine the version of browser on your computer:
| 1. |
Click Help from the menu at the top of the screen |
| 2. |
Click About (a screen should display giving you the version) |
Try a different browser/Update your current browser
AOL users in particular may want to try using a different browser other than the default
AOL Browser:
| 1. |
Connect to AOL as you normally do |
| 2. |
Start a separate web browser program (other than the AOL browser) such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape |
Some popular browsers are listed below. Click the browser's name to download the latest
version:
Microsoft
Internet Explorer
Netscape
AOL
Opera
Safari (Macintosh only)
Mozilla
Firefox
Camino (Macintosh only)
Revised 08-12-08
