Why do I have to....

[Arborbridge]

log in to TLF every time I boot up my PC?

Until about three days ago, when I initially booted up, when I went into TLF I would already be logged in. Now, I have to log in to TLF each time I reboot. OK. it's not a great trial as my details are "remembered" from the previous time, but it's an extra click and I'm just puzzled by the change in procedure. This has never happened before, AFAIK.

I'm using Firefox and W10 and have been for a long while.

Thanks for any insight.

Arb.

Moderator Message:
Moved to Computers etc as this is probably a better place than DAK (chas49)

[Dod101]

How did you manage not to have to log in. I log in every time but as you say my password and user name are remembered. Anyway as you say no great hardship and I just do not like the idea of being continuously logged in. I do not know why.

Dod

[swill453]

I remain logged in on all my devices, and nothing's changed recently. Chrome browser on Android, iOS or Windows 10.

Scott.

[bungeejumper]

I'd imagine that something in your set-up has decided that TLF is on the iffy list and needs a confirmation every time that you access it for the first time in the day. My question would be whether you've installed any new 'safeguarding' services lately?

I had similar on both our desktop computers, after I ill-advisedly installed a parental control app (Kaspersky Safe Kids) that didn't like the look of TLF and wouldn't let me straight in. All other passworded sites carried on working as normal. In the end I found it easier to pause the parental control app than to figure out how to whitelist the TLF site.

I'll be getting rid of Kaspersky Safe Kids at the first opportunity.

BJ

[Arborbridge]

I'd imagine that something in your set-up has decided that TLF is on the iffy list and needs a confirmation every time that you access it for the first time in the day. My question would be whether you've installed any new 'safeguarding' services lately?

I had similar on both our desktop computers, after I ill-advisedly installed a parental control app (Kaspersky Safe Kids) that didn't like the look of TLF and wouldn't let me straight in. All other passworded sites carried on working as normal. In the end I found it easier to pause the parental control app than to figure out how to whitelist the TLF site.

I'll be getting rid of Kaspersky Safe Kids at the first opportunity.

BJ

I've not installed anything new, but it could well be that one of the existing programms has caused this via an update. I believe there have been recent updates to W10, Malware and Firefox - so the answer probably lies there. It may be that some box needs to be ticked (which used to be automatically ticked before update) that I will have a problem finding!

What I will do I try using Chrome or Edge instead and see if they behave differently.

[Arborbridge]

How did you manage not to have to log in. I log in every time but as you say my password and user name are remembered. Anyway as you say no great hardship and I just do not like the idea of being continuously logged in. I do not know why.

Dod

I just do not like the idea of being continuously logged in.

An interesting point: am I? When I close down my browser, I wouldn't know if I am still logged in though perhaps I am. A bit like Schroedinger's Cat - I don't know until I open the box

Well, if I am, would it do any harm? Maybe someone will use my account to write some nonsense and be deleted - but that's what I do anyway

Arb.

[swill453]

An interesting point: am I? When I close down my browser, I wouldn't know if I am still logged in though perhaps I am. A bit like Schroedinger's Cat - I don't know until I open the box

That's far nearer the truth than you might imagine. All the state that indicates you are logged in is on your computer, specifically in your browser's cookies. There's nothing on the TLF server relating to this.

So you're literally not logged in until you open the box (your browser).

Well, if I am, would it do any harm? Maybe someone will use my account to write some nonsense and be deleted - but that's what I do anyway

Only if they have access to your device and browser.

Scott.

[tjh290633]

For a day I was having to log in on my android phone, whenever I came to the site. Since then all has been normal again, and it is normal on my W10 PC with Firefox.

TJH

[Arborbridge]

For a day I was having to log in on my android phone, whenever I came to the site. Since then all has been normal again, and it is normal on my W10 PC with Firefox.

TJH

Well, that's interesting. Maybe mine will "correct" itself, though it has been several days already.

This morning, I've noticed that it is OK if I just put the PC into sleep mode. It's only when I shut down completely that I have the trouble.


Arb.

[Arborbridge]

An interesting point: am I? When I close down my browser, I wouldn't know if I am still logged in though perhaps I am. A bit like Schroedinger's Cat - I don't know until I open the box

That's far nearer the truth than you might imagine. All the state that indicates you are logged in is on your computer, specifically in your browser's cookies. There's nothing on the TLF server relating to this.

So you're literally not logged in until you open the box (your browser).

Well, if I am, would it do any harm? Maybe someone will use my account to write some nonsense and be deleted - but that's what I do anyway

Only if they have access to your device and browser.

Scott.

Thanks for that useful info.

Arb.

[mc2fool]

An interesting point: am I? When I close down my browser, I wouldn't know if I am still logged in though perhaps I am. A bit like Schroedinger's Cat - I don't know until I open the box

That's far nearer the truth than you might imagine. All the state that indicates you are logged in is on your computer, specifically in your browser's cookies. There's nothing on the TLF server relating to this.

Well, actually ... https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/ucp.php?i=ucp_profile&mode=autologin_keys

However, as noted, the autologin is achieved via cookies in your browser, so Arb check out that your browser isn't set up to clear cookies on exit, or has any blocks on cookies, either generally or specifically for lemonfool.co.uk, or is set for private browsing. With FIrefox that's all under Options - Privacy.

You should have three cookies for lemonfool.co.uk starting with phpbb3_kuesx_ and phpbb3_kuesx_u should contain 72, which is your TLF user number. The other two will contain gobbledygook and all of them should be set to expire in a years time (Sep 2021). You can check these by when on the site right clicking within the page and selecting View Page Info, then under Security clicking View Cookies.

[swill453]

Well, actually ... https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/ucp.php?i=ucp_profile&mode=autologin_keys

Fair enough. Seems a bit wasteful though, I seem to have about 60 keys stretching back to 2016, most for just a couple of IP addresses*.

I normally use 3 devices to visit TLF, and I never log out.

* - interestingly it shows Virgin Media keep my home IP address the same over the long term. It flipped to a new one when I moved house a couple of years ago and has stayed the same since, through multiple router reboots, power-offs etc. Sorry off at a tangent here.

Scott.

[Arborbridge]

An interesting point: am I? When I close down my browser, I wouldn't know if I am still logged in though perhaps I am. A bit like Schroedinger's Cat - I don't know until I open the box

That's far nearer the truth than you might imagine. All the state that indicates you are logged in is on your computer, specifically in your browser's cookies. There's nothing on the TLF server relating to this.

Well, actually ... https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/ucp.php?i=ucp_profile&mode=autologin_keys

However, as noted, the autologin is achieved via cookies in your browser, so Arb check out that your browser isn't set up to clear cookies on exit, or has any blocks on cookies, either generally or specifically for lemonfool.co.uk, or is set for private browsing. With FIrefox that's all under Options - Privacy.

You should have three cookies for lemonfool.co.uk starting with phpbb3_kuesx_ and phpbb3_kuesx_u should contain 72, which is your TLF user number. The other two will contain gobbledygook and all of them should be set to expire in a years time (Sep 2021). You can check these by when on the site right clicking within the page and selecting View Page Info, then under Security clicking View Cookies.

Thanks for the leads:-

Browser is not set up to clear cookies on exit, and lemon fool is not marked as an exception or private browsing.
I haven't found how to check the cookies you mention because going to View Page Info/Security only shows "Clear Cookies and Site Data" with no option to view cookies.

What's interesting about this exercise is the number of websites listed that I've never heard of and am not aware of having ever visited!

Thanks for your help so far.

Arb.

[Arborbridge]

An interesting point: am I? When I close down my browser, I wouldn't know if I am still logged in though perhaps I am. A bit like Schroedinger's Cat - I don't know until I open the box

That's far nearer the truth than you might imagine. All the state that indicates you are logged in is on your computer, specifically in your browser's cookies. There's nothing on the TLF server relating to this.

Well, actually ... https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/ucp.php?i=ucp_profile&mode=autologin_keys

This shows me two logins today with the same IP address at different times which tie in with start up and when the PC came out of sleep mode. There is only one other record for the same IP address, and that was yesterday - nothing prior to that. Two other IP adresses on two earlier dates, 2nd Sept and in August.

Arb.

[mc2fool]

You should have three cookies for lemonfool.co.uk starting with phpbb3_kuesx_ and phpbb3_kuesx_u should contain 72, which is your TLF user number. The other two will contain gobbledygook and all of them should be set to expire in a years time (Sep 2021). You can check these by when on the site right clicking within the page and selecting View Page Info, then under Security clicking View Cookies.

I haven't found how to check the cookies you mention because going to View Page Info/Security only shows "Clear Cookies and Site Data" with no option to view cookies.

Ah, sorry, I'm using Waterfox Classic (64 bit Firefox) and assumed those options were still in the same place in Firefox. Have a dig around ... (or maybe another Firefox user can help....)

[tsr2]

* - interestingly it shows Virgin Media keep my home IP address the same over the long term. It flipped to a new one when I moved house a couple of years ago and has stayed the same since, through multiple router reboots, power-offs etc. Sorry off at a tangent here.

That's probably due to your router not having lost the connection for any length of time. I believe that the protocol the router uses to get an IP address is DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, IIRC). When the router starts up for the first time, it requests an address. It gets an address "leased" for a specific period of time. When the lease runs out, it requests a renewal and it will normally be renewed. The address is unlikely to change unless the renewal is missed because the router is down and fails to renew. If the renewal is missed the IP address may be allocated elsewhere, requiring a new address to be allocated.

[Arborbridge]

Today, for the second day in a row, start up of TLF seems to have reverted to normal - that is, the browser comes up with my usual board (HYPP) and I am already logged in. I hope it stays that way.

I've down nothing to alter the settings since my previous post and AFAIK no further updates were received to any program.

Whatever it was, it has corrected in the way TJH mentioned for his phone.

Arb.