The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Cec]

I've had this annoying problem before and eventually resolved it but can't remember how. When accessing the Forum I have to log in every time by typing in my username and password. Even though I tick the box which should automatically log me in the next time I access the forum I still have to type my name and password in to be logged in. Also, when I eventually access any of the forum topics such as the Off-Topic how do I get rid of the vertical "ladder" menu bar on the left side of the page.
Help would be appreciated.

Cec

[Son of Pappocom]

The last part is easy: just go to www.sudoku.com/forums directly, instead of going to www.sudoku.com first.

When it comes to the login not "sticking", clearing your cookies is the easiest way to fix it. You can clear just the www.sudoku.com cookie, but that involves knowing where to look. What browser do you use?

Regards
Scott

[Cec]

Thanks for your reply Scott. Being somewhat behind in computer knowledge I'll have to contact my son's guru mate to explain your suggestions to solve my problem. However, I'm now able to log-in using Mozilla Firefox which I already had as an alternative browser to Internet Explorer without having to type my username and password every time. Thanks again for your usual prompt help.

Cec

[Smythe Dakota]

I've had this same problem, for months. But today, it finally worked, for the first time. What changed?

Bill Smythe

[ronk]

I've had this same problem, for months.

Same problem, but I'd have to say it's definitely been worse during the last week ... maybe two weeks. I've had to delete the cookies three times during that 2 week interval.

The last time I couldn't log in at all, despite several attempts. Then I closed the browser window for sudoku.com before deleting the sudoku.com cookies ... and it's been fine since (2 or 3 days, I think) ... including the auto log-in.

[Cec]

I've had this same problem, for months.

Same problem, but I'd have to say it's definitely been worse during the last week ... maybe two weeks. I've had to delete the cookies three times during that 2 week interval....."

Sorry you both have had my same problem though at least I now know I didn't cause this problem in the first place. As mentioned above I "solved" the problem by using Mozilla Firefox as my browser as an alternative to Internet Explorer (IE) though I would prefer to stay with IE which I use as my browser for everything else.

By way of interest Ron, could you explain the procedure to "delete the cookies" when IE is used as your browser.

Cec

[ronk]

By way of interest Ron, could you explain the procedure to "delete the cookies" when IE is used as your browser.

First, be aware that the following will delete all cookies for all websites, not just those for sudoku.com. It's at ...

Tools -> Internet Options -> Delete Cookies

[Cec]

Thanks Ron.
Cec

[MCC]

Cec, you can read more about cookies here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie

From the same site.
Misconceptions
Since their introduction on the Internet, misconceptions about cookies have circulated on the Internet and in the media. In 2005, Jupiter Research published the results of a survey, according to which a consistent percentage of respondents believed some of the following claims:

Myth: Cookies are like worms and viruses in that they can erase data from the user's hard disks;
Myth: Cookies are a form of spyware in that they can read personal information stored on the user's computer;
Myth: Cookies generate popups;
Myth: Cookies are used for spamming;
Myth: Cookies are only used for advertising.

Cookies are in fact only data, not program code: they cannot erase or read information from the user's computer. However, cookies allow for detecting the Web pages viewed by a user on a given site or set of sites. This information can be collected in a profile of the user. Such profiles are often anonymous, that is, they do not contain personal information of the user (name, address, etc.) More precisely, they cannot contain personal information unless the user has made it available to some sites. Even if anonymous, these profiles have been the subject of some privacy concerns.

According to the same survey, a large percentage of Internet users do not know how to delete cookies.


MCC

[Smythe Dakota]

.... a large percentage of Internet users do not know how to delete cookies. ....

Could you explain to us how to delete a specific cookie in IE?

Also, the login problem I have been having (until just recently) with this forum never happened to me with another forum, uschess.org/forums, even with the same forum software (phpBB), same computer, same IE, same ISP, same connection, etc. So there's got to be a difference at the supplier end, somewhere.

Bill Smythe

[ronk]

Could you explain to us how to delete a specific cookie in IE?

Assuming Windows XP, follow the path:

My Computer -> Local Disk (C -> Documents and Settings -> (your user name) -> Cookies

That was the easy part. The difficult part is locating all the cookies associated with a site. For example, for sudoku.com there can presently be one or more of the following ...

(user name)@sudoku[#].txt
(user name)@www.sudoku[#].txt

... where '#' is usually digit 1 or 2 ... and (user name) is your user name, of course.

I don't think you can irreparably damage anything by "surgically" deleting cookies, but I recommend caution anyway. For example, you might save the files elsewhere before you delete them from the Cookies directory.

[MCC]

Ron, I've followed your instructions and I do get to a cookie file but all it contains are three documents, one of which is a dat file of 32 KB, which I cannot open.

But if you follow this route:

Click start - control panel - double click Internet Options - General tab, 'browser history' click settings - click view files - click 'view' (top bar) - Arrange Icons by - Internet address.

I haven't deleted any specific cookies on this page but, offhand, I can't see any reason why you cannot delete a single cookie, so long as you're sure of what you're deleting.


MCC

[ronk]

Ron, I've followed your instructions and I do get to a cookie file but all it contains are three documents, one of which is a dat file of 32 KB, which I cannot open.

But if you follow this route:

Click start - control panel - double click Internet Options - General tab, 'browser history' click settings - click view files - click 'view' (top bar) - Arrange Icons by - Internet address.

I haven't deleted any specific cookies on this page but, offhand ...

I don't think cookies are on the page you describe. And I don't know why you can't see cookies in the Cookies directory I described. May already be 4th down and time to punt.

[Cec]

Cec, you can read more about cookies here:..."

Thanks MCC for your contribution ...Gee I've certainly opened up a can of worms (unintentionally) since I raised this matter. I don't mind admitting that my understanding of "cookies" has always been limited to biscuits but now its got a bit beyond my computer wizardry (or lack of it). I'm wading through your comments but as I'm now no longer having a log-in problem since using Mozilla Firefox in lieu of Internet Explorer I'll take the easy option of using Firefox and hope these "cookies" don't give me further problems. Thanks again.

Cec

[Son of Pappocom]

Sorry Cec, been offline for a couple of days. If it's any consolation, a permanent switch to Firefox you should find will will solve all sorts of problems!

A cookie is just a small file on your computer so that a web site can remember who you are between visits -- there's no other way for that to happen, since a web server just responds to each request in sequence without knowing much about where it comes from. The forums use their cookie to identify you and log you in automatically. If there's a problem with it, deleting the cookie ill cause it to get recreated the next time you login, hopefully fixing the problem.

Most browsers do have an easy option to get rid of all your cookies, but the surgical approach, though tricky for a first-timer, can address problem cookies singly.