Keep getting the login page?
Can't login? Can't stay logged in?
Can't post? Can't see pictures or the registration code?
It sounds like Cookies are blocked or broken on your end. Read on to understand and fix.
What are cookies?
Cookies are unique keys that let your browser validate your identity to web sites.
Basically, your browser automatically gets an unique cookie from a website, stores it, and sends it back to the website along with every click. The website checks its list of valid cookies and grants access accordingly.
If this process doesn't happen for any reason, the website does not know who you are from click to click and consequently limits your access.
The result is often descibed as 'being unable to stay logged in.'
Though we fully abide all Internet standards and our website works flawlessly for most people, broken client software or improperly working firewalls thwarts some people.
In all cases we've seen the problem has always been caused by 'software firewalls' on the client computer blocking proper operation of the cookie mechanism in one way or another. This most often includes Microsoft Windows XP and Vista firewalls, Norton and McAfee firewalls, and even Microsoft Internet Explorer "security" features being set too high (non-standard). After decades of open Internet standards, this ongoing idiocity is inexcusable and the solution every time has been to disable the broken software.
How do Cookies work?
When you load this current web page for the first time, your Browser has no cookie to send to our Site. Our Site sends your Browser a new, unique cookie. Your Browser should store that cookie for 30 days (because we tell it to do so), and you will see a big red box below explaining that our Site received no cookie from your Browser.
Every time you subsequently reload this page, your Browser should send back to our Site that exact same Cookie that our Site sent to your Browser (i.e., the "egTestCookie" in the list at the bottom of this page), and you will see a big green box explaining how the cookie mechanism, from our Site's viewpoint, seems to be working fine. This passing back-and-forth of the unique Cookie ("cookie mechanism") is how our Site uniquely identifies your Browser, keeps you logged in and grants access to content.
If anything on your end blocks your Browser from properly receiving our "egTestCookie", or from correctly saving it, or from correctly returning it to our Site, then 'cookies are broken' and you will not be able to see pictures, post or stay logged in. It's just that simple. Without that Cookie for identification, our Site has no idea who you are and consequently limits your access as if you were an unknown guest, because, due to the failed cookie mechanism, you appear to our Site as an unknown guest.
1. When your Browser loaded this page, it did not send us a Cookie.
2. Therefore, we just sent a fresh Cookie to your Browser.
3. Now, make your Browser reload this page.
4. You should not see this message again. 5. If this exact same message appears again after reload (and again, and again), it means that something on your end is blocking or breaking Cookies, and you must fix it to allow Cookies before our Site will work properly. We require working Cookies.
This might help you:
1. "Software Firewalls" from Norton, McAfee and others are bad jokes that haphazardly break rules (and Cookies) while frantically attempting to cover Microsoft's ongoing security flaws. Uninstall or disable these toys. Low-cost hardware firewalls (often built into cable modems or DSL or FIOS routers) are available from D-Link or Linksys and provide much better protection without blocking or breaking Cookies or other crucial Internet standards.
2. "High security settings" in Microsoft's Internet Explorer can break Cookies and other Internet Standards with non-standard restrictions that are really just emergency patches foisted by Microsoft to fix its endless stream of severe security flaws. Turn down the Options/Privacy slider to Moderate or Low. Our Site poses no threat to your security.
3. Check other Browser settings: Sometimes Cookies are blocked by accident or by choice, often due to now outdated privacy concerns. Allow Cookies. They are fast and secure in modern browsers. Also, triple-check the obvious. One Member had his "display pictures" browser option turned off and suffered for months without any pictures! Several others have had "cookie blockers" turned on -- no wonder the cookie mechanism didn't work!
4. Try prepending "www." to the website name. Example: use http://www.eastghost.com/ instead of just http://eastghost.com/. This might help you right away. Try browsing this same page to see if cookies suddenly work with the "www." prepended to the domain name. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but this exact solution worked for at least three people (that we know of, so far) who were using "firewall software."
5. You might consider upgrading to better browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox or Opera. Both are far superior and totally side-step all the Microsoft / Norton / McAfee problems while giving other benefits such as faster speed, stability and much greater resistance to the persistent security holes and other nonsense that plague lesser software.
Whatever solution you discover, please let us know. We'll adjust this information to help the next person.
Your IP Address: 38.107.191.97 • Site Time Now: 2010-02-09 01:17:14 |