Being a Computer Dummy Ain't Easy!

Bird · Feb 2, 2008

My old Dell computer with Windows XP seemed to be on its last legs; doing number of funny things (actually not very funny), the monitor was getting hard for me to read, the printer had developed some new and loud sounds, and a host of other little things. But it did still work. Anyway, I decided to replace it before it died completely.

So, day before yesterday I bought a new Hewlett-Packard; 3 gig of RAM, 500 gig hard drive, Photosmart printer, and a 19" flat panel monitor. I even paid extra for Best Buy's Geek Squad to do their performance check, install Spy Sweeper and Antivirus, etc. Then yesterday, I spent a couple of hours trying to get the new system to work here at home before giving up and taking it back to Best Buy only to find that I had a brand new, but DEFECTIVE, optical mouse. When I have a computer problem, I always first assume it's my own doing, but this time it wasn't.

So now I have Windows Vista Home Premium, even though I've yet to hear anything good about it from anyone. However, it does have some features I like, as well as many I do not like. And the computer is certainly fast compared to my old one.

BUT NOW FOR THE BIGGEST AND NEWEST CURRENT PROBLEM:

I don't ever Log Out on TBN and CBN so every time I come back to either one, I'm already logged in. Well, that still works on CBN and a couple of other websites, BUT NOT HERE ON TRACTORBYNET!

Everytime I close my browser, when I open it again and come to TBN, I have to sign on again. I even found a place to specifically allow or block cookies from specific urls and specifically set it to allow cookies from TBN and that didn't help.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

In fact, I didn't even have to close the browser. When I went to post the above message, I found that I had been Logged Out while I was typing, or while I stopped to visit with a neighbor for just a few minutes.

teg · Feb 2, 2008

I assume when you log in, you click the box that says "Remember Me"? Just to the right of where you type your user / password.

ToadHill · Feb 2, 2008

Bird that happens to me all the time, I log in read some posts and when I post an answer I'm told I need to log in.

deereman64 · Feb 2, 2008

Secret plot so we can catchup

Bird · Feb 2, 2008

teg said:
I assume when you log in, you click the box that says "Remember Me"? Just to the right of where you type your user / password.

Yep, I did, and with Windows XP, I was also using Norton Password Manager 2004 which automatically filled in username and passwords everywhere they were needed. Now that program ain't compatible with Vista, so I found RoboForm Password Manager so I wouldn't have to do so much typing.

Now for the funny part.

Since I posted that message about not staying logged in, I unhooked everything and took just the computer back to Best Buy to ask their experts some questions about the speakers. Then I came back home and hooked up everything again . . ., and found I was still logged in.

Bird · Feb 2, 2008

ToadHill said:
Bird that happens to me all the time, I log in read some posts and when I post an answer I'm told I need to log in.

I knew that had happened to others, but never to me until yesterday.

George2615 · Feb 2, 2008

Bird,
I replaced my computer back in Sept 07. Like yours, my new one has Windows Vista. I started using IE but switched to Firefox as my browser. I found the same thing happens when I close out (go offline) by hitting the X in the right hand corner it pops up a windows that asks if I want to clear all cookies, passwords, etc. If I say no then go back online I'm still logged in but if I say yes it clears everything and I have to log in each time. I also tried setting up TBN as an allowed site and to save logins and passwords but it still clears them. I tried unchecking the box to save passwords but it defaults to clearing them.
I've been somehow able to save the login and password for the site and when I bring up TBN the login is blank but as soon as I type the first letter of my login a window pops up with my login name on which I click and it automatically puts in the password. All I have to do is click remember me and log in.

Bird · Feb 2, 2008

George, I guess you mean with Firefox, you get that dialogue box that asks if you want to clear cookies, etc. I don't get that with IE. I have been using Norton SystemWorks 2005 and could view and clear individual cookies with it if I wanted to. But without SystemWorks, I know how to clear all of them with both Windows XP and Vista, but not individual ones. I'm probably going to buy the latest version of SystemWorks.

George2615 · Feb 2, 2008

Bird, Yes I'm using Firefox. I just figured out how to save my login and password using Firefox so for those who are also using Firefox and want to save your login and password do the following after logging in.
1) Click on Tools
2) Click on Options
3) Click on Privacy, go down to cookies, click exceptions. Type in tractorbynet.com then click allow then close
4) Uncheck the always clear my private data box then click OK
This is working for me now.
George

rox · Feb 2, 2008

Bird said:
My old Dell computer with Windows XP seemed to be on its last legs; doing number of funny things (actually not very funny), the monitor was getting hard for me to read, the printer had developed some new and loud sounds, and a host of other little things. But it did still work. Anyway, I decided to replace it before it died completely.

So, day before yesterday I bought a new Hewlett-Packard; 3 gig of RAM, 500 gig hard drive, Photosmart printer, and a 19" flat panel monitor. I even paid extra for Best Buy's Geek Squad to do their performance check, install Spy Sweeper and Antivirus, etc. Then yesterday, I spent a couple of hours trying to get the new system to work here at home before giving up and taking it back to Best Buy only to find that I had a brand new, but DEFECTIVE, optical mouse. When I have a computer problem, I always first assume it's my own doing, but this time it wasn't.

So now I have Windows Vista Home Premium, even though I've yet to hear anything good about it from anyone. However, it does have some features I like, as well as many I do not like. And the computer is certainly fast compared to my old one.

BUT NOW FOR THE BIGGEST AND NEWEST CURRENT PROBLEM:

I don't ever Log Out on TBN and CBN so every time I come back to either one, I'm already logged in. Well, that still works on CBN and a couple of other websites, BUT NOT HERE ON TRACTORBYNET! Everytime I close my browser, when I open it again and come to TBN, I have to sign on again. I even found a place to specifically allow or block cookies from specific urls and specifically set it to allow cookies from TBN and that didn't help.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

In fact, I didn't even have to close the browser. When I went to post the above message, I found that I had been Logged Out while I was typing, or while I stopped to visit with a neighbor for just a few minutes.

Bid, good luck with your new HP! I wish you well with it. I bought my HP 17" screen laptop in September. In November I had to send it to French HP becasue the screen was flickering. They did a number on it, the story is to ong to post so I'll move on, Now in January I mailed it back to my daughter in the states for HP USA to fix as it would not turn on at all. Geeze. The only good news to this story is that the HP warranty seems to be very good. They pick and and return the laptop using a courrier service and there is no charge.

I am on my back up laptop also and Hp and it periodicaly does not recognize the mouse, refuses to shut down etc. So what I am going to do with my back up laptop is find someone who is a Unix Wizard and send them my laptop to have the Windows operating system erased and replaced by Unix. I got the idea after reading a post from someone here on TBN who said he was amazed with his old computer once he put Unix on it how fast and stable it is. See it is not the laptop/computer it si the operating system. On windows you install this and then you install that and pretty soon things just keep getting slower and slower becuase of conflicts you can't see happening until you become so frustrated that you jsut go out and buy a new computer. Trust me BTDT. Within the last eyar both my kids bought Apple Computers. I could not because I have to much of our olive oil business in files that are Windows based files to buy an Apple. However I am very curious to see what my sluggish backup laptop will be like with Unix on it instead of Windows.

Oh here is one tip for you. If you ever really want to get the computer sent back to HP for repairs, instead of constantly ging back to Best Buy jsut call HP and say you saw a puff of smoke. This is called a level 3 and they will not force you to spend hours on the phone with them trying this and that to attempt to fix it over the phone. Once you say, "I saw a puff of smoke then this stopped working..." They tell you not to turn it back on, they will have it picked up under warranty.

Once I get this done, Unix on my backup laptop, I'll post back here and let you know how it went. Good Luck to you it is always exciting to get a new computer. I bet you are loving the big flat screen Monitor.