h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm bloody glad for the "Don't Panic" button. It's there, just as it should be, and I heeded its advice when the following occured:

Upon visiting the site now that I can actually make use of it, I tried using my password. I know what I set my password to, as I use a standard algorigthm to determine my password for each site I visit.

However, my password was not accepted. I applied for an e-mail allowing me to login, which I haven't yet received.

Perhaps the mail is just being slow, but it's been a Good While, so when I was just fed up, I found my original registration e-mail and logged in using it.

This was good. I imagined it would be even better, as now I could reset my password. Alas, this was not to be.

In place of my *normal* password was a 15 character string (masked, of course). I promptly replaced it with my proper password in both fields and clicked that magical button that would change it.

Discouragingly enough, the 15 character string remained. Frantically, I tried it again, and again, and again, but to no avail.

Fortunately, I still have my old registration e-mail to login, but it won't stay around forever, if only for a random act of Bad Luck.

Any ideas? I'd be most appreciative of any help.

Your password should now definitely be the one you changed it to - just try to log on with it... The 15 asterisks always remain in the password-line no matter what you do - it's a security thing or something... However, the password changes although the length of the row doesn't... But if you for some reason still can't log on with your password, let me know...

It might be worth pressing "refresh" on the user details screen to see if that brings up the correct length string of asterixs. It did for me.
HTH,
<>====uuu====<

Well, it didn't work when I tried it again... so I tried it AGAIN--then it worked. Who knows why.

Thank you for the speedy and helpful reply. May you ever have a thrush-noseled tweedler cleaning your swimming pool.

Your isp should allow you check your e-mail through a web site. If it does, forward the e-mail from h2g2 to yourself. Download the e-mail from your isp's servers to the web site. This way, no matter what computer you are on, you can always go to the web site, bring up the e-mail and you should be able to get in.

An alternate is to establish an e-mail address at a free website (yahoo, hotmail, GTE (or Verizon), etc.) and foward the e-mail to that new site. If this doesn't work, you can always sign up for a new account with the new site. Again, you will be able to access the e-mail from any computer.

Lucky you, I haven't even found where to go change my password... any help is appreciated! Also, using a password feels like I'm logging in, should I also log out somwhere?

Unhappily ignorant

QT - Alchemilla Digitalis

(oh yeah, how do I check that I haven't stolen somebodyelses UserName?)

Hi

At the top of the screen (just below the adverts) there is a row of orange buttons, click on the one marked "preferences" and it will take you to a screen where you can set your user name, password etc.

If you want to be sure that your user name is unique test it first by using the power search option on the row above the buttons.

If you enter the name you are thinking of using in the search for a friend box. it will show up any other researchers with the same name.

you don't normally need to log in or out of h2g2 if you are using your own computer or have your own account on the network at work / college.
When you register h2g2 sets a cookie on your machine which provides the server with your account ID each time you access the site.

Setting up your password enables you to log in from any computer, not just the one you registered from.

The only time you need to log out is if you have logged in from someone elses machine or account , this is because h2g2 sets a cookie on the machine and logging out is the only way to delete it.

A word of warning if you don't they will appear on h2g2 as you!! this applies especially to internet cafes etc.


Hope this helps

Bald Bloke

Thanks, friend!
I will follow your advice, and also try to add an entry soon!

QT - Alchemilla Digitalis

was subject to the very same 15 asterisk attack, my empathies. surprisingly, one time i logged in from a new machine, my email id was enough & i wasnt even asked for any password. is this a game or what? (shakes fist at galaxy)
and i KNOW my nickname is hobbesforcalvin...

From what I've determined...

All h2g2 need to do is work out who you are. The email id is enough, but some of us don't use webbased email but research from all around the globe. The idea is that if you want to write a journal posting from one of those internet terminals in Euston Station, you just need to type your password in, or click the email link. Either way is good enough, if one is easier than the other use that one!

The 15 asterisks are because the pages given to your browser by h2g2 are cached. This means that if the password was in the starred out box to startwith, the password would have been sent in the HTML which made the page in plain text, along the lines of



In fact, if you look at the code, you'll see --**default**-- in place of the password... this is apparently there to ensure that they can tell if the user changed the password: apparently you can have NO password (ie: a blank, zero character password).
So be really glad that h2g2 takes your password seriously: it won't appear in the cache.

Anyway, this is only what I've picked up and stuff... just what I thinks happening. I may be wrong...