Am I a robot? / login issue

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MarySkater
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by MarySkater »

Just for information, I'm on a Windows 7 desktop PC with Internet Explorer 11, and I've had no problems. Not lately, anyway - the logout problem sometimes happens with some forums, and I can't remember if I've ever had it with Cat Chat.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Lilith »

I use Chrome.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by YogiBoy »

Hello,

We are still trying to work out why some users are being logged out. There are several possible reasons that we have identified so far, so we are looking at each one in turn to see if it helps.

Just now (about 2.30pm Friday) we have changed the 'cookie' that the forum uses to remember you when you are logged in. This may or may not be the solution, but it was the simplest one to try first.

So, we'd be really grateful if those of you having issues could post back here to let us know if you still have the issue of being logged out since we updated the cookie. If possible, please mention the time it happened and your IP address, (you can find out your IP address just by putting 'what is my IP address' into Google). If the problem persists, this information will help us when we look at other possible solutions.

Thank you!!

(PS apologies if you got logged out if you were posting at 2.30pm, that will have been down to us changing the cookie and deleting the old one!)
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Alice
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Alice »

Hello Yogi Boy
I logged in about 4 hours ago, ticking the 'Remember me' box, as I always do, using Chrome. I looked at other websites, made a meal, watched a bit of TV, leaving the laptop on and have just come back to find I'm logged out again, so I'm sorry but things haven't improved for me. :(
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by alanc »

Just to let you know that I haven't had any problems (apart from getting logged out by the cookie change). I'm using Windows 7 and Firefox.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by bobbys girl »

Just had to login on my kindle. But that was probably down to cookie change.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Ruth B »

I' ve just noticed I had been logged out, not sure when it happened but I'm sure it was fine yesterday evening.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Catfan5 »

Don't know about the robot but I'm having to log in every time I go onto cc even after a few minutes and having clicked remember me, annoying. Something's not quite right.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by MarySkater »

I'm not getting logged out, but I just made a post with a photo attached. I got the "I am not a robot" procedure, and when eventually my post appeared, the photo didn't show. The "attachment" text was in the post, but it didn't display the photo. It shouldn't be a size issue, because I had previously used that photo in a different thread. I went back and edited the post (having to do the robot stuff again) and just posted a link to a copy of my photo which is saved on Flickr. So it's not visible in the thread, but anyone who wants to see it can follow the link.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

This is just a test post - please ignore! Just trying to replicate the issue of being logged out, so that we can investigate on the server logs. I have clicked 'remember me' so will come back later and see what happens.
Thanks for your patience!!
xx
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Testing part two - please ignore!
Testing to see if I was logged out... no, not logged out.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Testing part three (please ignore)
Seeing if i got logged out... no, didn't get logged out.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Testing part four (please ignore).
Seeing if am still logged in - yes, still logged in. Will test again later!
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Ruth B »

It seems to be behaving itself for me at the moment, staying logged in and hasn't asked if I am a robot for quite a while.

Maybe its some form of Dr Who hack that is trying to work out who needs to be upgraded, if so to carry on say no might be dangerous.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Alice »

Ruth and David - you're lucky. I'm still being logged out several times a day.

I use Chrome, on Windows 10, and keep a number of favourite pages open, so that I can quickly look back at them. 'Health and Behaviour' is one which I keep open and never get logged out. I also keep this page open, yet I'm logged out every time I return to it :x - I don't understand why this is, :? but would like it to be sorted out.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Testing part 5 (please ignore!). Have closed window and come back, opened fresh window to see if I get logged out....
no, not logged out. Will keep trying to cause a logged-out situation. Test test test!!
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Hi Alice, (and anyone else who is being logged out)
Next time you get logged out, please could you take a note of the time it happened and also your IP address, and post that on here - then we can check the logs. To find out what your IP address is, just google "What is my IP address" and it will come up. That would really help if you could, as so far we don't know what might be the cause, thank you!!

Prrrrrrs
Dave
xx
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by bobbys girl »

Just had to login, first time in a while. I always click on 'remember me'. But this time it didn't.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Alice »

Just had to log in again at 10.40pm - IP is 31-185-173-103

I might add that I leave my router on all the time and always tick 'Remember me'.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by bobbys girl »

Just happened again! I was just about to post on 'elderly cat' and it asked me to confirm I wasn't a robot! What's going on?
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Alice
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Alice »

I've just switched on, and went first to 'Health and Behaviour' where I was still logged in from yesterday, but found yet again that I'd to log in on here - puzzling and frustrating. At least I don't get the robot question.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Lilith »

Arrgh, snarl ,growl, I just wrote a huge long post - and the robot spat it into the inky void! :evil: :x
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by MarySkater »

Lilith wrote:Arrgh, snarl ,growl, I just wrote a huge long post - and the robot spat it into the inky void! :evil: :x
The other day I wrote a post, got the robot question and answered it, and then was left with the "post reply" box which was empty. I muttered curses, but went to my browser's "back" button and right-clicked it. With Internet Explorer, that gives me a list of the last several pages I have been on. I clicked on the one just before all the security stuff, I was taken back to it, and my post was there as I had typed it! Got away with that one. But it was a reminder that I should type my posts in Notepad or Word first, and then copy them into the forum box, so I still have all the text if it gets lost here.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Hi Alice,

Thank you very much for the time/IP information of that 'log out' instance. I'll get onto our hosts now and see if that will flag something up, hopefully a solution!
Much appreciated!
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Lilith »

Ah I'll try going back next time then, thanks Mary, but I'm totally at sea with notepad and stuff like that ... computer ignoramus par excellence I'm afraid :oops:
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

!! UPDATE !! 17.20pm on Thursday 27 July
We are testing each possibility in turn to see what is causing this 'logging out' issue. As at 17.20pm today we have bypassed one particular bit of security protection we had in place for the forum, in case that was causing the issue.

YOUR HELP PLEASE??? We would be really grateful for any feedback as to whether or not this now stops you being logged out. Also whether or not it stops you being presented with robot challenges when posting.

If we can find out what is happening with this protection switched off, that will tell us whether it was the culprit or not!! THANK YOU!!!
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by MarySkater »

Lilith wrote:Ah I'll try going back next time then, thanks Mary, but I'm totally at sea with notepad and stuff like that ... computer ignoramus par excellence I'm afraid :oops:
Well, Notepad is pretty straightforward once you see how to run it. Get someone who is computer-savvy to make a shortcut (icon, little picture) on your basic computer screen. (Details may vary according to what kind of computer and what version of Windows etc that you use.) Then when you want it, double-click the icon and you'll get a box. Type whatever you like in the box. Click "File" and then "Save as" to save your text with whatever name you choose.

PS - I just broke my own rule and typed this straight into the Forum box. I didn't get asked the robot question, and my text didn't vanish :)
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Alice
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Alice »

Just come back and found myself logged out yet again. IP address as before - as I said I leave the router on 24/7.
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by bobbys girl »

MarySkater wrote:
Lilith wrote:Arrgh, snarl ,growl, I just wrote a huge long post - and the robot spat it into the inky void! :evil: :x
But it was a reminder that I should type my posts in Notepad or Word first, and then copy them into the forum box, so I still have all the text if it gets lost here.
That's all well and good, but I'm having horrible problems with Word right now! Damn laptop keeps updating and denying me access to Word. Driving me CRAZY!!! :shock:
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Re: Am I a robot? / login issue

Post by Davethecat »

Hi Alice,

We'll be keeping tabs on this closely since the change at 5.20pm today. It's possible that whatever is/was happening may have already logged you out prior to 5.20, so if you can see what happens from now on that would be great. We don't know for sure that it is anything to do with the security layer that we disabled at 5.20 but we need to rule it out, as it's currently the main suspect.

Unfortunately, it's nothing that we ourselves have changed that has caused this to suddenly start happening, as we didn't change anything. So, it is a case of looking at other things, security programmes, server programmes etc. we will crack it though!!!

Thanks for everyone's patience!
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