BINGO! Now I know what is happening. OK, for anyone having this same issue, sit up and take notice.
Steve, if you've genuinely been having this problem, for over a week, then you are the earliest, known instance of this issue. But you have managed to confirm my suspicions as to what has been going on with every one else.
The issue you describe is caused by one thing and only one thing. Your browser is not accepting the proper cookie, or session ID, from the forum software.
This can only be caused by a couple things. Either your browser security settings have been modified to no longer accept cookies, or your browser's cache is constipated. That's it, the end of the list of possible culprits. Absolutely nothing else can cause this problem.
See Post 16 for a link to help you clearing cache. Read through that topic and follow the instructions, exactly as I have posted them. Do not cut any corners.
I've been working with 5 or 6 people who have e-mailed me about the problem. With one of them, I suggested clearing cache and the problem was fixed. With four others, I have had them send me their passwords and have been able to successfully log into the forum and to successfully post. I've been trying as many as seven or eight different browsers on as many as three different computers with as many as three different operating systems. The only difference being that my browsers are not suffering from overloaded and corrupted cache, because I clear cache on my systems, multiple times a day, every day.
If anyone else is experiencing this problem, trying to register a second account is not going to fix the problem. Because you are going to try using that second account with the same browser that is the actual cause of the problem. Steve, it looks as if you registered at least two additional accounts and I have deleted both. If there are any others, will you pass along the account information to me, so I can delete those accounts as well?
As Milt mentioned, I am wondering if a recent spate of Windows updates hasn't created some of this problem. A security update recently installed on my Win 7 machine "could" have been part of the problem. Without knowing exactly how Redmond coded the update, I really cannot say for sure. On the other hand, Corley was also experiencing problems on a Linux machine. So I am really not sure why the problem has kicked up, but with what I have learned from Milt, Corley and now from Steve, I know the problem is most definitely cookie-related. Don't ask me why so many people are suddenly having the problem, but I am now 100% certain the problem has been identified.
For those who don't understand what cookies are, your browser is full of them. When you visit this site, the site software sends you a cookie, which lets your browser and the site communicate with one another more easily. When you visit a topic you've not previously viewed, the site software and the browser agree you have now visited the topic, so it no longer appears with an unread topic icon. When you decide to log into your account, you will receive another cookie that carries a unique session ID. When you log out of the forum, if your browser is working as it should, it drops that session ID cookie. if you're someone like me and belong to dozens of forums, logging in and out of them repeats this process, receiving cookies, receiving session IDs and subsequently dropping the session IDs on logout. But if your browser decides to play up on you and fails to drop a session ID, you now have a problem on your next visit to that site. You visit the site and the site software tries to send your browser a new cookie and your browser ignores it, since it sees it already has a cookie saved with a unique session ID. You try to log in and the site software recognizes your log in details and the database now shows you as being logged in. But the software also sends you a new session ID cookie for that particular session. But your browser is holding onto the previous session ID and refuses the new ID. So, you move to a new page on the site and suddenly the site software sees your browser is communicating with that old session ID, which it already knows is invalid. So, the site dumps you back out. You try again and the same thing happens. Someone like Steve tries to register some new accounts and the same thing happens with each new account. The site can't send you a new session ID, because your browser has an outdated ID caught sideways.
People, there are no laws against having multiple browsers installed on your computers. And it can often be an excellent means to diagnose problems. I use multiple browsers to test changes I have made to my sites, to ensure everything works as it should with each browser. This Linux machine has a Beta version of Firefox 3, a Beta version of Firefox 4, Epiphany 2, Midori 0.3, Chromium 10 and Opera 10 installed on it. The Win 7 machine sitting next to this machine has Firefox 3, Firefox 4, Opera 10, Chrome 10, IE 9 and Safari 5 installed on it. My iMac has Firefox 3, Firefox 4, Opera 10 and Safari 5 installed on it. My notebook has all of these same browsers installed on both the Windows and the Linux partitions. When I make a change to one of my sites, I test the change with all of those. If something looks wonky about a Web site, I can easily open another browser to see how it looks there. I know, when you arrive here and have a problem, I'm your whippin' boy. I've obviously changed SOMETHING and managed to break everything. The problem is always down to me and there is no way it could ever been on your end. That's just part of the territory, when operating Web sites. But you need to know I'm actually more than a little anal about things working as they should.
When I upgrade a script, I test it and make sure it is working as it should. If the script is a Beta version and something is not 100%, I will flag everyone up, as I did with the recent Gallery upgrade. When a recently-departed "expert" was telling me how the registration process on this site was somehow broken, he was failing to listen to what I was saying about having tested that process on multiple machines, using multiple browsers. If you ever see a user named Test on the site, that will be me. And just because you cannot be too careful, the user named testaccount is also me.
The last change made to this site took place mid-morning on 22 March, when I upgraded the Gallery. Absolutely nothing else has changed. I have proved this by taking other members' log in details and successfully logging into the forums with their accounts. I have not had any problems, whatsoever. But I want to remind you I clear cache history at least twice a day and even more on some days. It takes me all of about 20 seconds to do it and it prevents me from running into browser issues.
If you're running a Windows computer and you use Internet Explorer, that's all well and good. But you can also download and install Firefox 4, Chrome, Opera, or Safari on that same computer. And by using at least one other browser, you can often diagnose online problems on your own. Browsers are free for the taking, so why limit yourself to only one? Install them all and run all of them at the same time, if you want. Or run a different one for each day of the week. You just might find you like the layout of Firefox is more user friendly than IE. Or you might be lured in by Chrome's speed. With all the testing I've been doing these last couple days, I've been discovering Epiphany is trying to attract my attention away from Firefox.
For those of you with multiple vehicles, do you drive the same vehicle every day, for every occasion? Why do you feel you need to limit yourself to just one browser and use it, day in and day out.
Would any of you drive one of your vehicles without simple maintenance like oil changes? I hope you will understand how easy browser maintenance is and how it doesn't cost a dime and will not even require you to wash your hands after.
Internet browsing seems to get a bit easier every day. New operating systems do a pretty good job of sniffing out Internet connections and new browsers pretty much work, straight out of the tin. But it's not yet a perfect science and problems do crop up, from time to time. Some basic maintenance will keep those instances to a minimum. Now if you have a propensity for tinkering with Internet connection settings or browser settings, then you can expect to end up with some self-inflicted problems. If someone else is tinkering with things behind your back, that's going to create problems too.
Have you cleared your browser's cache today? If not, shame on you. Now go do it, straight away or there'll be no dessert for you this evening.
