Mac Forum Forced Password Change?

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krs

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I just tried logging into mac-forums using the bookmark I have in the Firefox bookmark bar.

That works like it should - the log in is automatic, I don't have to do anything - works just as it should.

Let's see what happens now when I click on the linkin the notification email.
 
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Ahhh... that seems to work!

It's almost as if the forum software looks for the login information in keychain and if it doesn't find it there gives me the windows I posted.
Now logging in automatically with Firefox the login seems to "stick" - I suppose it's possible that one gets logged out automatically when the request is made for the 120-day password reset because I never logged out myself.

Also, going back to this window - is that even a normal one with just "Reply with Quote" at the bottom right but no "Reply" option.
I always thought one would get both; I don't remember ever seeing just the one before.

mf link from email.jpg
 

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Looks like you've made some progress. Let us know if you have any difficulty with the automatic thread response to email that you're subscribed to.
 
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Looks like you've made some progress. Let us know if you have any difficulty with the automatic thread response to email that you're subscribed to.

I spoke too soon.
Back to the same problem.

Is it normal for the web page that one links to from the URL in the email onlto only show "Reply with Quote" at the bottom right?
It almost seems that there is a half of an automatic log-in going on.
 
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krs, I think there is something different about your setup. I changed the password at the 120 day warning about 10 days ago and the forum has worked exactly as it has since then. No need to log in, links in email open directly, all the "Reply" and "Reply with Quote" things are in the right places. I use Safari, so maybe it's your browser? I know you have said you use Brave, so maybe that is the issue?
 
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Tried something different.

I made Safari my default browser to see if that would help when I link from the notification email to the web page.

Turns out it actually made things worse.

I have attached both the notification email (to show the URL) and the web page it took me to.

Now the web page says: "The address that you have used to request a new password is not valid"
What does that even mean? The web address, my email address.

I had to go back to Firefox to post this because although Safari went through the same web pages as Firefox did, when I got to the log in page with Safari there was nothing prepopulated.

But I think since I'm getting the same problem with Safari as with Firefox, it's unlikely this problem is browser related.
I had been using Firefox since I started posting here with never this type of problem. It all started with the forced password reset.

I'm sort of losing my patience trying to figure out what's wrong. Can the admin not just totally delete my account and I start totally fresh?
Seems to me that is the only logical solution at this time.

email with Safari.jpg

Safari link from email.jpg
 
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krs, I think there is something different about your setup. I changed the password at the 120 day warning about 10 days ago and the forum has worked exactly as it has since then. No need to log in, links in email open directly, all the "Reply" and "Reply with Quote" things are in the right places. I use Safari, so maybe it's your browser? I know you have said you use Brave, so maybe that is the issue?

I think there is someone tinkering with the forum software in the background.
When I clicked on the email link this time, the email notification for your post, not only did the website open properly, but (and that's what I was getting at with tinkering) the thread opened in one page - before it had opened as two pages.
I had changed that setting in my forum preferences quite a while back but didn't think of that when the thread opened in two pages.

I tried Safari with the same results as you can see in the post after yours - and the last time I used Brave for this forum was several days ago.
I stopped using it just in case Brave was the problem, but it obviously was not.

So....this time, linking from the notification email worked the way it should - hopefully it stays that way.

Thanks everyone for the comments, suggestions and help.
 

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But I think since I'm getting the same problem with Safari as with Firefox, it's unlikely this problem is browser related.
I had been using Firefox since I started posting here with never this type of problem. It all started with the forced password reset.

I'm sort of losing my patience trying to figure out what's wrong. Can the admin not just totally delete my account and I start totally fresh?
Seems to me that is the only logical solution at this time.

Sorry to hear about all of the troubles krs.

The big question we have to ask is...is the issue:

- website related
- browser related
- end-user related

As you might guess...we have 1000's & 1000's of registered members on Mac-Forums...and newly registered members each day...and almost all of these have no issues logging in. The 120 day password reset policy has been in effect I believe since about June/July 2016 (almost 3 years). I know many of us that have been Mac-Forums members over that time have had to reset our passwords every 120 days (every 3 months)...and have had no issues.

As far as different browsers. I think most members use Safari & Chrome...some members use FireFox...and a smaller number of members use other less known browsers. Different browsers can react differently to a website...as far as Mac-Forums...I don't think we've had any major browser incompatibilities.

Then there are a multitude of unknown things that can happen on the end-user end:

- 3rd party installed apps (ad-blockers, malware scanners, cleaner apps, "virus" scanners, Apple's Keychain, password organizing apps, etc., etc.).
- Everyday habits of an end user.
- So much information is cached or saved with "cookies"...that many things we would need to manually fill in...are now auto-filled (and we don't even realize it...and some of this info can be out of date).
- Then there are network related possibilities (how is someone's home networking equipment setup, are they using a VPN, etc.).
- Who know's if logging in with different devices has an effect (multiple computers, multiple smartphones, multiple tablets).

As far as deleting your current account and opening a new one. This most likely won't help...since the account setup & website process of logging in will be the same (old account or new account).

Something most likely non-website & non-browser related is probably causing the issue. What that is exactly is hard to guess at...which is why some of our fantastic members have tried suggesting some possibilities in this thread to help out.:)

If the 120 day password reset process was directly responsible for the issue/issues...many many Mac-Forums members would have also experienced similar issue/issues...and this issue (if left unaddressed)...would have been plaguing us since the Summer of 2016.

- Nick
 
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Thanks for the comments Nick.

But as I mentioned just before - somehow everything is working now with Firefox.

Ine change the way the website comes up now is that this thread is now a single page whereas before it was two pages; I also get the "Reply" and "Reply with Quote" at the bottom right the way it should be.
Somehow the problem seemed to be related to the setting how to display a thread, ie how many posts per page.

So the problem may not just be related to the 120-day password reset but a combination of that and the number of posts per page and maybe something else.
ie my complete setup of mac-forums, something that was suggested earlier.

PS: I have the number of posts per page set to "80 posts per page" - the maximum allowed.
That was done a while back when we had a discussion about this - before it was set to the default.

That part of the forum didn't work before either since this thread showed up as 2 pages but now is fine.
 
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pigoo3

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But as I mentioned just before - somehow everything is working now with Firefox.

Ine change the way the website comes up now is that this thread is now a single page whereas before it was two pages; I also get the "Reply" and "Reply with Quote" at the bottom right the way it should be.
Somehow the problem seemed to be related to the setting how to display a thread, ie how many posts per page.

So the problem may not just be related to the 120-day password reset but a combination of that and the number of posts per page and maybe something else.
ie my complete setup of mac-forums, something that was suggested earlier.

Great to hear that things are working ok again.:)

- Nick
 

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I always look at the logs and also who is online. If any Admin was doing anything I would see it and have not seen anything lately.

If anyone is going to be working on the forums Nick always posts a note telling us in case if affects the users using the forums.
 

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Bravo, Dennis.

Ian
 
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I don't get it...

Now I'm back with the thread showing as three pages and having to log in again to post.

And I did nothing different than the last time - just clicked on the link in the email.
 

pigoo3

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All I can say is...nothing has changed on this end throughout the time this discussion has been taking place. The back & forth nature of things working one visit...and not working the next visit...has got to almost certainly be something on the user end. Otherwise all or many of us would be experiencing similar happenings.

Only thing I can suggest is use a 2nd computer (that's a virgin setup)...with no 3rd party apps or anything else user installed...and see what happens. Or go to an Apple Store & sign in with one of their computers...or sign in from a computer at a library.:)

You may also be able to create a new user account on your computer (not a new Mac-Forums account but a new computer user account on your computer)...and this may work.

- Nick
 
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I don't get it...

Now I'm back with the thread showing as three pages and having to log in again to post.

And I did nothing different than the last time - just clicked on the link in the email.



As you seem to be using Firefox for your browser, why not have a Look at your profile and settings Which apparently is where they are stored on a Mac:
All of the changes you make in Firefox, like your home page, what toolbars you use, extensions you have installed, saved passwords and your bookmarks, are all stored in a special folder, called a profile. Your profile folder is stored in a separate place from the Firefox program so that, if something ever goes wrong with Firefox, your information will still be there. It also means you can uninstall Firefox without losing your settings and you don't have to reinstall Firefox to clear your information or troubleshoot a problem.
...
How do I find my profile?
Profiles - Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data | Firefox Help


PS: I also use Firefox sometimes and I have no trouble accessing mac-forums, and my login Name and information and password is just where they say it should be, it all seems to work. Even after changing my login password as I was asked to do some months ago, and it just works and automatically logs me.

PPS: I will admit that I never logout regardless of browser I happen to be using, in case that makes a difference.




- Patrick
======
 

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Thanks for that Patrick.

It would seem the problem that member "krs" is having is something that he's going to have to try to find by the process of elimination. Nick gave him a good suggestion about creating another account and use that as a test to see if it may be something about his user profile that's causing the difficulties.

Your suggestion is also a good one. Not being familiar with Firefox, I didn't know that it stores a personal profile. That's something worthwhile looking in to.
 
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Thanks Patrick,

I had already looked at the Firefox profile several times and checked the password saved there to make sure it is the one I had set.
As I mentioned before - logging in automatically with Firefox works fine when I log in using the FF bookmark, so there is no problem that way.
Where I have a problem is when I click on the link in the notification email.

What is also happening I just noticed is if I end up with the 'wrong' webpage when logging in via the email link, if I then log in via the FF bookmark (which works) and then go back and log in again using the same email link as before, it works.
But it only seems to work for a certain period of time, eventually the link in the email takes me back to the forum web page where I'm not logged in.

Just now I actually had to wait 15 minutes before I could even try to log in because I used too many wrong log in attempts.
Another thing I noticed is that when one resets the password, there are actually two emails that one is suppsed to get, on at least two occasions I only received one and on the forum website where one enters a new password, the original password filed was prepopulated, but with dots, so I assumed the software provided the correct password.

Last time around I received an email with a link and then a second email with a temporary password.
I used the temporary password to change the password to match what is shown in the FF profile - let's see if that helps.
 
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Thanks for that Patrick.

It would seem the problem that member "krs" is having is something that he's going to have to try to find by the process of elimination. Nick gave him a good suggestion about creating another account and use that as a test to see if it may be something about his user profile that's causing the difficulties.
I'll try that next, but I doubt this issue has anything to do with the FF user profile because I have been using that same one since I started posting, the only difference being the actual password.
 

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I'll try that next, but I doubt this issue has anything to do with the FF user profile because I have been using that same one since I started posting, the only difference being the actual password.

If referring to one of the suggestions I made earlier...the idea is not to try to create a new FF account/user profile...the idea is you're creating a new user account for your computer itself:

- Apple Drop Down menu
- Users & Groups
- Click on the + button (plus button) to create a new user.
- Create the new user.
- Click the "Create User" button.
- Then log in as that new user on your computer.


* Nick
 
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If referring to one of the suggestions I made earlier...the idea is not to try to create a new FF account/user profile...the idea is you're creating a new user account for your computer itself:
Yes, I understood that.
I actully have test user accounts on my Mac, just have not used them for a while.

For right now things seem to be OK.
 

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