OK, it happens all the time - that password you knew would always remember has somehow slipped your mind. Don't worry, it's not the end of the world and you can get a new, temporary password issued to you in minutes.
If you enter a password and get a message saying you've entered an invalid username or password, just keep reading that message. There is a link that will allow you to receive a new password - The T-Bucket Forums - Lost Password Recovery Form
Click on that link and request a new password be e-mailed to your registered e-mail address (see why we require you maintain a valid and working e-mail address attached to your account).
Within minutes, you will have a new password sitting in your e-mail Inbox.
I will warn you, this password is not going to be a simple word or phrase. It will be a long alpha-numeric string that you'll likely not be able to easily memorize. (And yes, I've received complaints from locked-out members about how cryptic it looks.) But there is a simple way around the problem.
Highlight the password in that e-mail message and copy it to your operating system's clipboard. You can highlight the text by right-clicking the text and dragging your mouse across the text. You can copy it to the OS clipboard by typing Ctrl-c on a Windows system, or command-c on an Apple system. (If you still cannot understand how this process is accomplished, ask your spouse, child, grandchild or the 4 year-old child next door.)
Once you have the password saved to the operating system clipboard, then point your browser to the forum. Type in your forum username and then insert the cursor in the password field. Now type Ctrl-c (or command-c) and that will paste the copied password into the field. You're logged in with your new password.
See how easy that was? With it being so easy, there's really no need to send me any expletive-laden e-mails is there?
But that password is going to be impossible to remember, so now you need to follow this procedure, to set up a new password -
Look in the forum NavBar and you will see a menu item titled Quick Links. Click on that and a drop-down menu will appear.
Click on User Control Panel.
In the new page that will open, look in the left-hand column under Settings & Options and click on Edit Email & Password.
In the new page that will open, insert the cursor in the first field, typed Enter your present password to continue:
Paste the e-mailed password into that field.
Now you can type the password you want to use into the New Password field.
Re-type your newly-selected password into the Confirm New Password firld.
Scroll down and click on the Save Changes button.
You're finished. It really is just that simple.
Before you ask, no, I cannot tell you what your password is. I can see a lot of details about your account (your registered e-mail address, the date and time you registered for the forum, the date and time you last posted to the forum, the date and time you last visited the forum, etc.), but I cannot see your password. When you register, your password goes through an MD5 hash generator. (For instance, here is an MD5 hash for the word January - 86f5978d9b80124f509bdb71786e929e) Once your password has gone through the generator, then a portion of the forum software license is added and the string gets re-hashed. And that is the character string stored in the database. Since the string means absolutely nothing, it is not even displayed in the Admin Control Panel (see below)-
I can change a member's password, but once I have saved the change, that field goes blank again. So please do not e-mail me asking me to retrieve your password for you.
We cannot stress the importance of password security enough. Do not make your password something simple that others might be able to easily guess. Make it something difficult and make it something different from your other important passwords. Do not make it the same as your bank account password, or your e-mail password. And remember to change the password every 4-6 weeks. Change it up. If you have to make a cryptic note to place in a desk drawer as a reminder, then do it. Just don't tell potential prying eyes what the password is.
If you're still having problems, then use the The T-Bucket Forums - Contact Us link, located at the bottom of every page. I cannot guarantee your e-mail will be read within seconds, but I will try to help walk you through the process as quickly as possible. Unless, of course, you've decided to give me a good cussin' in your e-mail. Then you will discover how unsympathetic I can be.
If you enter a password and get a message saying you've entered an invalid username or password, just keep reading that message. There is a link that will allow you to receive a new password - The T-Bucket Forums - Lost Password Recovery Form
Click on that link and request a new password be e-mailed to your registered e-mail address (see why we require you maintain a valid and working e-mail address attached to your account).
Within minutes, you will have a new password sitting in your e-mail Inbox.
I will warn you, this password is not going to be a simple word or phrase. It will be a long alpha-numeric string that you'll likely not be able to easily memorize. (And yes, I've received complaints from locked-out members about how cryptic it looks.) But there is a simple way around the problem.
Highlight the password in that e-mail message and copy it to your operating system's clipboard. You can highlight the text by right-clicking the text and dragging your mouse across the text. You can copy it to the OS clipboard by typing Ctrl-c on a Windows system, or command-c on an Apple system. (If you still cannot understand how this process is accomplished, ask your spouse, child, grandchild or the 4 year-old child next door.)
Once you have the password saved to the operating system clipboard, then point your browser to the forum. Type in your forum username and then insert the cursor in the password field. Now type Ctrl-c (or command-c) and that will paste the copied password into the field. You're logged in with your new password.
See how easy that was? With it being so easy, there's really no need to send me any expletive-laden e-mails is there?
But that password is going to be impossible to remember, so now you need to follow this procedure, to set up a new password -
Look in the forum NavBar and you will see a menu item titled Quick Links. Click on that and a drop-down menu will appear.
Click on User Control Panel.
In the new page that will open, look in the left-hand column under Settings & Options and click on Edit Email & Password.
In the new page that will open, insert the cursor in the first field, typed Enter your present password to continue:
Paste the e-mailed password into that field.
Now you can type the password you want to use into the New Password field.
Re-type your newly-selected password into the Confirm New Password firld.
Scroll down and click on the Save Changes button.
You're finished. It really is just that simple.
Before you ask, no, I cannot tell you what your password is. I can see a lot of details about your account (your registered e-mail address, the date and time you registered for the forum, the date and time you last posted to the forum, the date and time you last visited the forum, etc.), but I cannot see your password. When you register, your password goes through an MD5 hash generator. (For instance, here is an MD5 hash for the word January - 86f5978d9b80124f509bdb71786e929e) Once your password has gone through the generator, then a portion of the forum software license is added and the string gets re-hashed. And that is the character string stored in the database. Since the string means absolutely nothing, it is not even displayed in the Admin Control Panel (see below)-
I can change a member's password, but once I have saved the change, that field goes blank again. So please do not e-mail me asking me to retrieve your password for you.
We cannot stress the importance of password security enough. Do not make your password something simple that others might be able to easily guess. Make it something difficult and make it something different from your other important passwords. Do not make it the same as your bank account password, or your e-mail password. And remember to change the password every 4-6 weeks. Change it up. If you have to make a cryptic note to place in a desk drawer as a reminder, then do it. Just don't tell potential prying eyes what the password is.
If you're still having problems, then use the The T-Bucket Forums - Contact Us link, located at the bottom of every page. I cannot guarantee your e-mail will be read within seconds, but I will try to help walk you through the process as quickly as possible. Unless, of course, you've decided to give me a good cussin' in your e-mail. Then you will discover how unsympathetic I can be.
