Sign-in & password problem

bucky · Joined: Oct 15, 2003 Posts: 158 Location: Scranton, Pa.

Hello friends, Smile

I'm back with another stickler on my friend's computer. Rolling Eyes

She's not very good with computers and depends on me (and lately you folks) for help.
She asked if I'd be her go between here because she does not have a clue how to explain this sort of stuff. Embarassed

She was thrilled when you all helped solve her "no internet & wireless router problem" a while back. She really can't afford to take it to Bestbuy or one of those other places that charge an arm and a leg to clean the dust out. Shocked

Anyway here's the problem, and she said it just started the other day.
Her Yahoo, Yahoo e-mail, and a few other places WILL NOT hold her sign-in name and passwords. She has to sign in every time she goes to them, and some times has a hard time getting in at all. Crying or Very sad

Some times it will say, "Cookies must be enabled", but as far as I can tell, they are.
I have checked all her security settings and they all seem ok.
Her AV and spyware programs are are ok too.
She is running:
WindowsXP Media Edition version 2002 SP2 (Laptop)
896mb ram
IE7
Thanks for any help,
Bucky Rolling Eyes

colbey · Joined: Jun 09, 2008 Posts: 7

you'll get better help from the real computer people here, but in the meantime, she could download and install Firefox. if she has the same problems in it, then you know it's not a browser problem.

see if i can find you a link....

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

well, i guess you have to try firefox 3. last i heard a couple of weeks ago, there were quite a few bugs in it, but hopefully they've addressed those before making this the preferred version.

good luck.

PhotoCarp · Joined: Sep 06, 2007 Posts: 109

This is a yahoo thing and, like the steering wheel on my belt buckle, it drives me nuts. I have to enter my password regularly. I use Firefox 3.0 and this problem goes back to version 2.

It appears that this is a new security technique that some sites are starting to use. I don't know what yahoo has in their scripts to prevent the password from being saved. However there is a check box that allows users to "Stay logged in" for up to 2 weeks.

This yahoo sign in page explains it somewhat.

Dell uses a java pop-up window for signing in and that doesn't remember user names or passwords either.

I don't use Roboform but I wonder if anyone out there tried using it on the yahoo or Dell sights with any luck?

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 924

Are all of these sites Yahoo related? Are there any that are totally something else? - Are they ALL (every site visited) doing it? If you have any that are NOT all yahoo then I suspect something besides yahoo's doing.

I go to about 10 sites regularly (have shortcuts) & ONE does this same thing. If I leave it, I may have to log back in. What it IS, is the way the cookie is created. If you are running firefox 2 (three hasn't got it updated yet) you can get an add-on that will allow you to edit the cookie. (ADD & EDIT COOKIES) Just make the expiration date in all corresponding cookies 2009 & you won't be bothered with this. Of course that is unless they have found some other way of screwing up the log-ons. But this worked for the site I'm having troubles with. At least it did the 1st time they had this. I'm running fedora 9 & firefox 3 now so can't edit it until they update the editor. But my XP is still at 2 & logged on every time I tried it.

BTW: checking the "remember me" box on this site has no affect - they WANT to limit the log on so I'm told - security, I imaging same thing for you. - Since we seem to be having very similar problems, I'll investigate further on mine & we'll see if it will work for you.

Hope this helps

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 924

pbp33411 · Joined: Dec 01, 2006 Posts: 22

I use RoboForm extensively - it allows me to have passwords that are decidedly obscure for most of my logins. RoboForm does a bang-up job of memorizing login pages, login info, and even whether I've checked the "remember me" box - something I no longer do and have gone through and systematically undone whereever I could.

It's a good package and it does save considerable effort. I highly recommend it.

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 924

Just tried the cookie edit thing under XP & when I went to the site I was immediately logged on so it works - I tried the remember thing in linux (FF3) & I have to click the log in button but that is all. (I thought it did this automatically in 2 but not sure - they DID change things on this)

UPDATE: my logon to the site I was having problems with so far is holding... haven't had to log back on in the last 5 times.

Bottom line, if you have FF2, just edit the cookies...
(if you don't, just one more reason to get it) Laughing

bucky · Joined: Oct 15, 2003 Posts: 158 Location: Scranton, Pa.

Hi Folks,
She uses IE7
The problem exists at every site she goes to, Yahoo mail, Pogo(a game site she has belonged to for over 5 years), Slingo, and a few others.
On yahoo mail, she always had the "sign me in for 2 weeks" checked.
I'm really at a loss as to what happened and so suddenly.
What really bothered me was the few times "cookies must be enabled" popped up. The computer is storing cookies.

Thanks all, Bucky

pasquanel · Joined: Jun 20, 2005 Posts: 507 Location: Maine

I know and understand most here in the forum are dedicated FF fanatics but if you ever want a break from plugins and addons you really should give the newest version of Opera a try! You can read about and download it here.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Browsers/Opera-for-Windows-witho...Java.sh

This one is a real screamer with so many features you have to try it to believe it! Cool

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 924

With that info, it sounds like something beyond just normal hooey. So other than checking for the possibility of a virus or trojan, I'm at a loss at this point. I'll have to think on it a bit.

micker377 · Joined: May 27, 2005 Posts: 994

My daughter also uses Pogo. Every six months she brings her tower over so I can clean it! Pogo is one of the biggest gatherers of malware. Run Trend Micro - Housecall (you will find hundreds of "baddies")!

goretsky

Hello,

Could this be an issue with a security or privacy program's configuration, or some utility software which "cleans" the system periodically?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Central FL, USA

So as not to get anyone's Ire up, I won't mention the name, but I tried a programs lately that starts with "CC" that totally raped my PC. It removed all my login information for every forum and then took out something that not only killed my dial up connections but also removed the ability of the Connection Wizard to make a new connection.

I had to use a Ghost Image of my C: drive, that was about a week old to get my dial up connection back and get everything working again.

So YES, MR. G. , some cleanup programs can take out way more than what you'd want them to.

I too have a yahoo account and hate it! Regardless of how many times I've told it to "Remember Me" , , , it won't! Twisted Evil

In the eight years I've had that account it's never remembered me once!
I always have to type in my name and password.

Thank God, that's not an account that I even check on often.
And, Yahoo Groups was a total nightmare. A couple of clubs I've been in use Yahoo Groups for their newsletter, etc. I had to use Netscape in years past to even get into it. I.E. wouldn't even work.

Bucky, if you want to greatly simplify things for your lady friend, set her up with a GMail address and then set up GMail in Outlook express.
Then all she has to do is click on an O.E. icon on her desktop to get her mail. That's it!!!
No fussing around on the internet and NEVER a problem with Log-In and Passwords. The password will be locked into Outlook Express.
Also, she can use her Windows Address Book and keep all her addresses, etc., on her own computer, not in some server, somewhere. Question

GMail even has a tutorial, with pictures, showing you how to set up GMail on your computer, using Outlook Express. Wink

She can also access her email from any computer anywhere, using the webmail feature at www.gmail.com

I've personally set up GMail accounts for many of my customers who were having problems with Earthlink, Yahoo, Embarq-Mail, etc.
It just solves so many problems.

Good Luck,
The Doctor Cool

bucky · Joined: Oct 15, 2003 Posts: 158 Location: Scranton, Pa.

Hello there all you fine people, Very Happy

I said it before, you are a great bunch of folks!! Very Happy

Anyway... problem solved. Shocked

I sat at her computer last night for an hour and a half with her and went through EVERYTHING! Rolling Eyes

Couldn't find a darn thing out of the ordinary. Confused

THEN... she remembered that a friend of her's sent her a NEW SPYWARE PROGRAM last week. Embarassed

Hmmmm...OK, let's recheck this puppy. Wink

All the settings in it looked alright.
But... gut feeling entered the picture. Cool

Uninstalled the "new" program.
There it was... everything back to normal! Wink

I told her NEVER to put it back in, she has the best in there already anyway that I gave her, from you folks. Laughing

OK... name of the culprit you ask??
HAZARD SHIELD Shocked

And yes, just to make sure... I installed it again, and there were the problems all back again, so that was enough to convince me.
I guess her computer just didn't like that program. (Musta gave it heartburn or something) Laughing

Also, Micker377...
She has been on pogo for about 5 years... and so have I. Wink

Neither of us ever had any problems with it.
Of course it costs us $40 a year to play. Cool

My computer gets checked every week, and I have some of the best programs at my disposal, thanks to a good online friend(you know who you are) Wink

and I have yet to find anything bad related to pogo or slingo.
Well, thank you fine friends once again, Very Happy

Bucky

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 924

A LOTof these are nothing more that TROJANS, as I think, you just found out. Just goes to show, you DON'T what to be loading everything that comes down the pike.

Very glad you found it.
Now go take her mouse away until she learns what NOT to click on... Laughing