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Login and Registration Issues

Why can’t I login?
There are several reasons why this could occur. First, ensure your username and password are correct. If they are, contact the board owner to make sure you haven’t been banned. It is also possible the website owner has a configuration error on their end, and they would need to fix it.
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Why do I need to register at all?
You may not have to, it is up to the administrator of the board as to whether you need to register in order to post messages. However; registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing of fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few moments to register so it is recommended you do so.
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Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you login the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in check the box during login, this is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university computer lab, etc. If you do not see this check box, it means your administrator has disabled this feature.
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How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
Within the UCP under “Forum preferences” you will find an option Hide your online status, if you enable this option with Yes, you’ll only appear to the administrators, moderators or yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
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I’ve lost my password!
Don’t panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I’ve forgotten my password, follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again in no time.
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I registered but cannot login!
Firstly check your are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then one of two things may have happened. If COPPA support is enabled and you clicked the I am under 13 years old link while registering then you will have to follow the instructions you received. If this is not the case then does your account need activating? Some boards will require all new registrations be activated, either by yourself or by the administrator before you can logon. When you registered it would have told you whether activation was required. If you were sent an email then follow the instructions, if you did not receive the email then are you sure your email address is valid? One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid then try contacting the board administrator.
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I registered in the past but cannot login any more?!
The most likely reasons for this are; you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the later case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for boards to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Try registering again and get involved in discussions.
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Why can’t I register?
It is possible the website owner has banned your IP address or disallowed the username you are attempting to register. The website owner could have also disabled registration to prevent new visitors from signing up. Contact the board administrator for assistance.
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Posting Issues

How do I post a topic in a forum?
To post a new topic in one of the forums, click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You may need to register before you can post a message, the facilities available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list).
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How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are the board admin or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic, which lists the number of times you edited it along with when. This will not appear if no one has replied, nor will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post though they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post at their own disgression. Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
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How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one, this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio box in your profile (you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form).
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Why can’t I access a forum?
Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization, only the forum moderator and board admin can grant this access, you should contact them.
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Why can’t I add attachments?
The ability to add attachments can be done on a per forum, per group, or per user basis. The board administrator may not have allowed attachments to be added for the specific forum you are posting in, or perhaps only the administrator group can post attachments. Contact the board administrator if you are unsure about why you are unable to add attachments.
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Why did I receive a warning?
Each board administrator has their own set of rules for their site. If they feel you have broken one of their rules, they may issue you a warning. Please note that this is the board administrator’s decision, and the phpBB Group does not have anything to do with the warning on the given site.
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How can I report posts to a moderator?
If the board administrator has allowed it, go to the post you want to report and you should see a button that is for reporting posts. Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.
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What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?
This allows you to save messages to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload them, go to the User Control Panel and follow the self explanatory options there.
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Why does my post need to be approved?
The board administrator may decide that the forum you are posting to needs to have posts reviewed first. It is also possible that the administrator has placed you in to a group of users whom he or she feels is a group that needs to have their posts reviewed before being submitted to the site. Please contact the board administrator for further details.
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Attachments

What attachments are allowed on this board?
Each board administrator can allow or disallow certain attachment types. If you are unsure what is allowed to be uploaded, contact the board administrator for assistance.
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How do I find all my attachments?
To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel, or UCP, and follow the links to the attachments section.
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Searching the Forums

How can I search the forum?
By entering a search term in the search box located on the index view, forum view or topic view. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum.
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Why does my search return no results?
Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed by phpBB3. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search.
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Why does my search return a blank page!?
Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use Advanced search and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.
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How do I search for members?
Go to the “Members” page and click the “Find a member” link. Once there, fill out the self explanatory options.
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How can I find my own posts and topics?
Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Search user’s posts” within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.
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Formatting and Topic Types

Can I use HTML?
No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can also be applied using BBCode instead.
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What are Smilies?
Smilies, or Emoticons are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies though, they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether. The board administrator may also have set a limit to the number of such smilies you may use within a post.
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Can I post images?
Yes, images can be shown in your posts. However; if the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http:/www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.
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What are global announcements?
Global announcements contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Global announcements will appear at the top of every forum and also within your User Control Panel. Whether or not you can post a global announcement depends on the permissions required, these are set by the administrator.
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What are announcements?
Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, whether or not you can post an announcement depends on the permissions required, these are set by the administrator.
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What are sticky topics?
Sticky topics appear below any announcements within the forum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements the board administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics in each forum.
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What are locked topics?
Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll it contained is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.
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What are topic icons?
Topic icons are images which can be associated with posts to indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on the permissions set by the administrator.
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User Preferences and settings

How do I change my settings?
All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the UCP link (generally shown at the top of pages but this may not be the case). This will allow you to change all your settings and preferences.
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The times are not correct!
Though there are rare occurrences of the website’s server having the wrong time, the times are probably correct. However; what you may be seeing are times displayed in a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case you should change your profile setting for the timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings can only be done by registered users. So if you are not registered this is a good time to do so, if you pardon the pun!
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I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
If you are sure you have set the timezone and Summer Time/DST correctly and the time is still different, then the time as stored on the servers clock is incorrect and the Administrators will need to make the correction.
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My language is not in the list!
The most likely reasons for this are either the administrator did not install your language or someone has not translated this board into your language. Try asking the board administrator if they can install the language pack you need, if it does not exist then please feel free to create a new translation. More information can be found at the phpBB Group website (see link at bottom of pages).
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How do I show an image below my username?
There may be two images below a username when viewing posts. The first is an image associated with your rank, generally these take the form of stars or blocks indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the board. Below this may be a larger image known as an avatar, this is generally unique or personal to each user. It is up to the board administrator to enable avatars and they have a choice over the way in which avatars can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars then this is the decision of the board admin, you should ask them their reasons.
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How do I change my rank?
In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile depending on the style used). Most boards use ranks to indicate the number of posts you have made and to identify certain users, e.g. moderators and administrators may have a special rank. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank, you will probably find the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.
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When I click the email link for a user it asks me to login?
Sorry but only registered users can send email to people via the built-in email form (if the admin has enabled this feature). This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.
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