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password troubleshooting
I have listed the most common causes of password problems. If you cannot resolve your problem using this information, please send me an e-mail and I will try to help. Technical support (to the best of my ability) is included in your subscription.
1. bookmarking
If you are starting a new session you must enter via the login page. Once inside the members area you can go to bookmarked pages, but if you have logged out, or timed out from your last session, you must enter via the login page.
2. cookies
Ebony Bondage uses password protection software that requires the setting of a cookie on your computer. A cookie is a small text file, and you can read a fuller definition of what a cookie is here. The sole function of the cookie we set is to interact with the password protection software, and allow your browser to enter the members area. The cookie is perfectly innocuous, and it does not have any other function.
The cookie is generated when you log into the members area, and there is no reason to keep it on your computer when you are not logged in. However by default most browsers store cookies, unless you ask them not to, or delete them manually.
You will not be able to enter the members area unless your browser accepts this cookie.
3. dialogue boxes
Some browsers may ask you to re-enter your username and password into a new "dialogue box". With the current software this should only happen once (or once per session). However if you are asked to re-enter your username and password into several dialogue boxes that open in succession, just be patient and do it. But if you still can't get in after 3 dialogue boxes then something is definitely wrong, so send me an e-mail!
4. refreshing the log in page
If you get a red message saying your session has expired, it is because your browser is loading the login page from it's cache of stored web pages (this cache is located somewhere on your hard drive), as opposed to fresh from the internet, and your session (or your previous session) has been timed out.
There is a simple solution. While viewing the log in page, ask your browser to download it afresh by pressing the refresh/reload button (or the F5 key in most browsers). This fetches a completely fresh version of the page from the internet, and this enables a new session to be started.
5. invalid password
a) The password is not valid.
This will happen if
- You enter an incorrect username/password (they are cAsE SEnsiTIVe, and you must not confuse l with I (lower case letter L with upper case letter i, or zero with oh for that matter, etc)
- Your username/password has expired. Unfortunately there are ways for this to happen without you realising it, but in all cases you should be warned beforehand (by e-mail to the address you used when you signed up). If you find yourself in this position, it will be necessary to sign up again as a new member.
If you are not sure if your password is valid, send me an e-mail.
b) The message is in error and the password is valid.
(when you have read this, see also number 2 above, which is related)
This can happen if you are using a browser that remembers your username/passord, if it tries to enter the wrong username/password at one of the verification steps. I know this can happen with some browsers, for the reasons below.
Our password protection software has two levels of password verification, and upon your first entry into the website, you will probably be asked to provide your username and password twice, in two distinct verification steps.
In the first step you enter your username and password into the appropriate spaces in the log in page. In the second step, you will be asked to enter them again into a dialogue box (a small window that opens up and requires a response). It is essential that you enter the same combination of username and password on both occasions.
Some browsers are able to remember passwords for you, and I have come across one example (using Mozilla Firefox) where this can lead to an entry problem. I expect there are other, similar, circumstances where this problem can arise also - depending on how the browser handles your remembered passwords.
Suppose you enter your correct (up to date) username/password in the log in page, but your browser enters a different (eg out of date) username/password in the second verification step. If your browser does this automatically, without displaying a dialogue box or asking for confirmation from you, your username/password will be rejected as invalid.
The simple solution is to look at the list of passwords your browser has stored, and delete any that are not longer valid (eg in Mozilla Firefox go Tools > Options > Privacy... etc).
c) The password has been inactivated by our password protection software.
If you share your username/password combination with someone else, don't be surprised if it suddenly become permanently invalid.
6. firewall
I have heard of rare cases where members experience a problem caused by a firewall, such as Norton Security or Zone Alarm. However I think all these firewalls allow you to relax your security settings for specific websites (domains). In this case you would need to tell your firewall to trust ebony-bondage.org. In every case I have heard of so far, this problem has been easy to fix, once the cause of the problem has been identified.
7. proxy servers
I have been informed that using a proxy server can occasionally lead to a problem, at least if Internet Explorer is the browser being used. I am told this can be avoided by telling Internet Explorer to connect directly with the internet, rather than going through a proxy server.
8. dodgy browser
Occasionally I hear from members who have difficulty getting into the members area using a specific browser. For example, in January 2006 one of my members told me he cannot get in using the latest version of Compuserve's browser (in Windows XP). If you are in a position to install alternative browsers on your computer, there is no reason why you shouldn't install as many as you like. See my technical notes for more browser information.
