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Let's find the solution to your problem. Please read the questions and the problems together...
Does the Member Logon page say your record is not found?
Solution: Use the Password Lookup feature found on the Member Logon page and we will send you your handle and password via e-mail immediately. Then, you will know if you have inadvertently made a mistake editing your profile and have accidentally changed your password and/or handle.
After logging on and continuing to browse the site, does the site not recognize that you have logged on?
Problem: After logging on, you notice your handle and a "LOGOFF" button at the top right of the screen, directly under the "Powered By TangoWire" icon. If that does not appear, you are definitely not logged on.
The most common problem is that cookies are not enabled within your Web browser software. Cookies are small settings, concerning our site, which we tell your Web browser to store for future use. Each time you go to one of our Web pages, the browser sends back the cookie, which then tells us it's you. If cookies are disabled in your Web browser software, we do not know it's you returning to our site. Therefore, we cannot validate who you are and if
it is truly you who claims they are logged on.
Issues with cookies are the most common logon problem with all Internet sites.
Solution: With Internet Explorer or Firefox, you can easily find help concerning the cookie issue by pressing F1 on your keyboard. We suggest using the help feature of your Web browser because of changes consistently made by these software developers.
Once cookies are enabled, you should have no problem accessing our site.
Have you recently installed any anti-virus software, such as Norton Anti-virus?
Problem: Many times, anti-virus software also installs other software components, such as a firewall. What a firewall does is actually very important to the security of your data on today's hostile Internet.
Web pages, e-mail, secure Web pages, etc., all travel via the Internet on their own "ports", much like tunnels. As evidenced lately, software vendors don't always do enough testing to make sure these ports are "closed" and not left open to malicious hackers. Therefore, firewall software was created to "shut down" all ports not used, except for those needed by your Web browser, e-mail software, etc..
Sometimes firewalls get too aggressive concerning their initial or default settings and many novice users don't know which ports they should leave open and which ports they should allow closed. To add to the problem, some anti-virus software packages install firewall components without your knowledge.
As a side effect to using our site, your firewall protection software might have also blocked cookies from being stored from your favorite Web sites. Cookies are necessary for logging onto our site and you may read about them in the problem and solution prior to this.
Solution: First, we absolutely recommend having anti-virus and firewall protection software. You will, however, need to learn how to enable cookies within your software's settings. Because there are so many firewall and anti-virus software packages on the market, it would be impossible for us to explain how to do that. The absolute best way to discover the features of your security software is to start snooping around with assistance of the help feature.
You will learn to find the settings you need to adjust, and have a better comfort level concerning your computer's security.
How old is your browser software? Does it need updating?
Problem: If you are not using Internet Explorer 7.0 (or greater) or Firefox 3.0 (or greater) it's time to upgrade your software. Are you aware it's free to upgrade?
Solution: Go to Microsoft.com or Firefox.com and download the most recent Web browser software available to you. You won't be sorry! The newer browsers offer many new features and upgrades that can dramatically improve your internet experience!
Are you using WebTV?
Problem: WebTV is one of the largest hurdles we have to overcome when designing Web pages, yet less than 1/2 of 1% of our members use it.
In layman's terms, online security constantly evolves and we have to change to meet new standards. WebTV does not change to meet those standards, and we will not let a member logon unless we are certain secure communications between our servers and them exist.
Solution: This may sound bold of us, but we highly recommend using a computer with a typical, industry standard Web browser. It can be accomplished very inexpensively these days and with bargains on new and used systems at Dell.com, what do you have to lose? This ensures that you always have the most updated Web browser software because it is easily updated directly over the Internet at Microsoft.com or Firefox.com. In addition, monthly fees for Internet subscriptions rival that of WebTV.
We have spent countless resources developing patches to our system to accommodate our members using WebTV and can no longer dedicate the resources when 99.5% of all other members need our development skills to assist them, also.
Was your problem not covered above?
The next step is to analyze ANYTHING that may have changed on your computer. If you were once able to logon to our site and create a membership, something must have changed on your computer.
Have you scanned your computer for viruses?
Have you scanned your computer for Spyware and Adware?
Can you log onto the site from work or a friends computer?
In the end, you might want to have a qualified professional troubleshoot your computer. With so many versions of Windows and so many different Web browsers, narrowing down your exact problem might not be possible without the "hands-on" help of a professional.
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