Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Technical Help and How To's The Cookie Question

Does anyone have any idea why my computer wouldn't be saving cookies? I think I've got that lingo right. Every time I go to a site that I often frequent I have to re-enter info (like with TV listings) or I have to re-enter passwords (like with this board).

You probably don't have cookies enabled in your browser. I suggest looking up cookies in the help index of the browser to find out how to enable them.

Do you use Firefox or Internet Explorer (or another browser)?

Each has a different way of changing that. For example, I have my version of Firefox delete the cookies when a session is done (that is, when I close all windows of Firefox).

In Firefox, you choose that under Tools->Options...
Click on the "Privacy" tab and under "Cookies", choose the best option for you. I can see the following options under "Keep until": "they expire", "I close Firefox", "ask me every time". I prefer the "I close Firefox", since I don't like keeping too many cookies in my computer. But then, you have the option of removing them everytime you close Firefox but keeping the ones you trust, through the "Exceptions..." button. I have this website's cookies and Google's cookies always saved.

In Internet Explorer, go to Tools->Internet Options, Privacy tab. There you can change the information (but I don't recommend changing much if you don't know what you're doing; you don't want to reduce the security too much for your computer).

malu

Okay, I'll check on that. But they were enabled and never "unenabled" them. So I'd be surprised if they had suddenly become "unenabled". That shouldn't happen, right?

I usually use Firefox, Malu. I'll check on these, too. Thanks.

That wasn't the problem. Everything was set to accept and remember cookies.

On the same tab as the Cookies information in Firefox, see if the "Always clear my private data when I close Firefox" is selected. If it is, click on the "Settings..." button and see if "Cookies" is selected. This option clears all the data types selected when you close Firefox.

Just trying to exclude all the obvious options.

malu

That wasn't it either. Thanks.

Then I'm not sure what the problem could be. Unless you have some other software in your computer that automatically removes that type of data, I can't think of any other configuration that would not keep the cookies. Do you have any software installed, such as anti-spyware, Internet security, etc.?

One thing is for sure: if you are able to use this website without problems (logging in, posting, etc.), you shouldn't have any problems with cookies being enabled and saved in your computer during the sessions. The question obviously is what happens when you are done.

malu

Yes, it could be my anti-spyware. This started happening with the last update. Thanks.

Which one do you use? Maybe I can help.

malu

Super Anti-Spyware Free Edition.

From the SuperAntiSpyware website:
http://www.superantispyware.com/supportfaqdisplay.html?faq=26

"SUPERAntiSpyware will detect tracking cookies as "Adware.Tracking Cookies" and you can choose to remove them or leave them on your system. You may turn off this feature in the Preferences -> Scanning Control tab of SUPERAntiSpyware should you not wish cookies to be scanned, detected and removed."

I don't know if the software AUTOMATICALLY scans and deletes the cookies from your computer, but you can change the preferences to never delete them (and do it manually if you wish in the future).

Hope this helps.

malu

Hmm... I always look over the cookies and stuff before I delete anything. The anti spyware doesn't do it automatically. I wonder if it's something else. But I do admit that the last time I deleted them I was tired and didn't look as closely as I usually do. I still have a working link for this site on my desktop and but it's not keeping my signed in. Every time I turn off Firefox, I have to log in again.

Classicalla - I think that's a new Firefox thing - the new version. The older version would keep me logged in when I turned it back on [I have several 'home' pages, including this one and gmail]. With the newer version, I have to log back into everything. If FF shuts down improperly and then I tell it to 'resume', I stay logged in, but if done properly, then no. Not sure how to get around it but let me know if you come up with something...

Carol

Firefox? Okay, let's see...

Go to Tools > Options > Privacy

The middle group controls the cookies. You just have to define Exceptions for the sites where you want to stay logged in, for instance, add lcficmbs.com.

Michael

Classicalla has said in the previous posts that she already checked all that information in Firefox but that it isn't assigned to remove the cookies when Firefox closes. It seems like it's something else that is affecting the cookies.

Carol, which version of Firefox are you using? I'm using Firefox 3.0.10 (and it seems it's downloading version 3.0.11 at the moment). When I explained to Classicalla, I assumed she was using the newer version 3.

malu

I'm using 3.0.1 or whatever the latest is. I did what Michael suggested but haven't closed it down and restarted it yet. I have all the 'accept cookies' stuff checked but added lcficmbs.com specifically as 'allow'. Didn't see a 'keep me logged in' or whatever option. It did keep me logged in on older versions...

Carol

On my version, I have Firefox keep cookies until "I close Firefox" and I have this website's cookies in the Exception. It keeps the cookies with no problem. Also make sure you don't have Firefox removing the cookies in the "Clear Private Data". Check the same tab as the cookies tab, but a little lower, where it says "Private Data".

If you have "Always clear my private data when I close Firefox" checked, click on "Settings..." and see if the Cookies is also selected. If it is, the cookies will be removed every time you close Firefox, even if you add it to the "Exceptions...". It will be completely removed from the system and you won't probably see it anymore in "Exceptions...".

That is my experience with Firefox.

malu

Doesn't clear my private data without asking me... And I have 'allow cookies' checked until 'they expire' or something...

/me shrugs - oh well...

Hey, Carol, I've just looked at the cookies my computer is currently storing, and even though I have keep until I close Firefox, cookies from websites I haven't accessed lately are still there. I don't think that option works very well. It might be something else that is messing up with your cookies.

EDIT: Now this is interesting. I removed the cookies that I didn't want stored (through the Show Cookies... button) and, when I closed Firefox, opened again, accessed one of those websites, closed Firefox again and reopened (I'm dizzy too ), the cookie was deleted correctly. Maybe there was something stuck that wasn't deleting the cookies in an older version and the new update fixed it?

Oh, and I'm using Vista Home Premium.

malu