Dear Stardock forums: Please stop logging me out!

By Martok on May 2, 2011 12:29:16 AM from

Dear Stardock forums,

I've been reluctant to say anything for a while now, because I don't want to hurt your feelings. However, enough is enough! My patience has finally run out, and I feel have no choice but to put my foot down.

Overall, you and I have gotten along well, and for a fairly long time: We've been hanging around each other since before the first Galactic Civilizations (Windows version) was released. When you subsequently expanded to include GalCiv2, Sins of a Solar Empire, Elemental, and Impulse, I followed you there as well. I've developed a certain loyalty to, and even affection for, you. While you're definitely not perfect (I've been there with you during your periods of mental breakdowns and schizophrenia, don't bother denying it!), as a general rule, you've treated me well, and I thank you for it.

There is, however, one thing you've consistently been doing to me for at least four years now. It's been bothering me for all this time, to the point that I can no longer contain my irritation: Why do you insist that I re-log-on at certain intervals?

Honestly, not a week goes by that I don't have to re-enter my username & password at least once, if not twice. And it doesn't matter where I'm logging in from -- whether I'm in the GalCiv2, Elemental, or even JoeUser forums, I'm guaranteed to have to re-log-on no less than once every few days or so. To put it mildly, it's a "feature" of yours that has become way beyond annoying!

Yes, I realize that in the grand scheme of things, it's only a very minor inconvenience. However, you're the only forum(s) that requires me to do this. I frequent at least a dozen other message boards on a regular basis besides the ones associated with you, but none of them demand that I constantly re-enter my information....and there's no reason you should either.

So Stardock forums, I'm asking you to please stop making me log back in all the time. You should know better by now, and that it's no way to treat a friend. All I'm asking is that you extend a little common courtesy, nothing more.

Your pal,

Martok

+9 Karma | 20 Replies

Are you running CCleaner, or anything else that clears cookies?

If so, there is your culprit. Stardock/Wincustomize does not "log you out".

Hmm... I don't run either of those, and I get logged out about once a week, too. Maybe it's something else?

happens to me every few weeks

I've never experienced that problem. Like RedneckDude said, running CCleaner or any other app that clears cookies, cache and what have you also clears browser memory. when that happens you have to log back in on any site you visit.

Probably a browser setting or other software thing doing the 'cleaning'. You do have the login set with 'Remember me' ticked and are not using another browser in which you set the same 'Remember me' also?

It logs me out also, and I don't use CCleaner but rarely. Seems to hit every 7 days.

I think Stardock only stores cookies for a week (at least on Firefox). It's just one of the things that irks me about SD forums.

Happens to me too every so often. Not a big issue though.

If you are like me, you will need to log in manually once in a while or run the risk of forgetting your own phone number, I mean address, damn it I mean password. All the above.

Quoting RedneckDude,

reply 1

Are you running CCleaner, or anything else that clears cookies?

If so, there is your culprit. Stardock/Wincustomize does not "log you out".

Yep! took me a minute to figure that one out. But then logging in each time I restart my browser is a small price to pay to make sure some nasties are not hanging around.

i was going to say... firefox updates sort of force you to relogin to some forum... but not others.... strange as it sounds..

Quoting Alstein,

reply 6

It logs me out also, and I don't use CCleaner but rarely. Seems to hit every 7 days.

Well I'm glad that at least I'm not the only who has this issue.

And no, I don't use CCleaner or anything like that either.

Quoting Alstein,

reply 6

I think Stardock only stores cookies for a week (at least on Firefox). It's just one of the things that irks me about SD forums.

Well if it's something to do with Firefox, then I suppose that could be it, as FF is indeed my primary web browser.

That is baffling -- not to mention damn annoying -- that Stardock's forums would only store my info for a limited period of time. I wonder why it would (not) do that? As I said in the OP, none of the other forums I visit on a regular basis pull this nonsense.

Happens to me often too. But why did it take you 4 years to finally crack? LOL

I also have this issue with mail but I wonder if it has anything to do with the multi login feature it now has. I try to long in with my gaming email first so that i can also access my youtube subscriptions for my gaming email since youtube does not have this mylti login feature yet (or if ever) but for some reason gmail insist on login my personal email first when i go to youtube even when I don't log in to check my emails. It's rather annoying since youtube does not let you log in by entering the lonin ID, it first tries to log you in based on your gmail account that is currently logged in and for some reason, as I stated, it's my personal email most of the time.

I use chrome and I have to re-log in every 2 weeks or so. I do have to do that on all forums.

Don't use Crap Cleaner but I do use Uniblue power suite. After cleaning my PC I always have to re-log.....

The servers occasionally require maintenance and after that everyone will need to login. No big mystery.

I'm just tired of looking at the same TEC captain, really Stardock would it kill you to put a new "wallpaper" on your main page?

Quoting CharlesCS,

reply 12

Happens to me often too. But why did it take you 4 years to finally crack? LOL

Apparently, that's simply how long it takes me to reach the Encumbrance limits of my sanity.

Quoting Lantec,

reply 14

The servers occasionally require maintenance and after that everyone will need to login. No big mystery.

Even if that is indeed the reason, however -- something I rather doubt (for reasons listed below) -- again, why is it that this only happens with the Stardock message boards? The other forums I visit require occasional maintenance as well, yet they don't require me to log back in afterward.

And (also) again, why does this happen once or twice a week, every week? I have a hard time believing the forum servers here need maintenance *that* often!

stardock has a lot of forums

I have to agree these forums do have an irritating ability to log you out for unknown reasons.

I will raise it with the devs responsible again to see if there is anything that can be done cookie wise to reduce this problem.

The cookies do not expire for 1 month. Please make sure that you do not have anything running on your computer that may be deleting or invalidating the cookies.

Also note that there is a known problem between the forums and the main sites. When going back and forth between the forums and, say, wincustomize.com, there are certain circumstances that cause the cookies to invalidate for one or the other. This is a known issue and we are working on a way to resolve it in the future, but it will take some time to implement.

Bara

Quoting Bichur,

reply 17

stardock has a lot of forums

Yes, there are. Your point being....?

Quoting Neil Banfield,

reply 18

I have to agree these forums do have an irritating ability to log you out for unknown reasons.

I will raise it with the devs responsible again to see if there is anything that can be done cookie wise to reduce this problem.

Quoting GunslingerBara,

reply 19

The cookies do not expire for 1 month. Please make sure that you do not have anything running on your computer that may be deleting or invalidating the cookies.

Also note that there is a known problem between the forums and the main sites. When going back and forth between the forums and, say, wincustomize.com, there are certain circumstances that cause the cookies to invalidate for one or the other. This is a known issue and we are working on a way to resolve it in the future, but it will take some time to implement.

Bara

Thanks for the responses, gentlemen; I appreciate it. I'm glad you're at least working on the issue, even if it ends up being a good while before changes/fixes are implemented.

Bara, I'm unaware of -- nor can I find -- anything on my PC that would affect or interfere with cookies. Unless there's something about Firefox itself that would do so (and I've not really monkeyed around with the default settings for [internet] options), I can't think of anything that would do that.

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Dear Stardock forums: Please stop logging me out!