POZ Forums Technical Problems: Report Them Here

[phildinftlaudy]

AIDSmeds posted on Facebook that they were experiencing issues with various main parts of their site due to the after effects of Sandy.... 

-Phil (who keeps ups with AIDSmeds because I have 'liked" them on FB )

[J.R.E.]

That happened to me a few times yesterday, but it hasn't been anything happening consistently. I assumed it may have had something to do with the internet in general with all of the Sandyness in the Northeast.

I also first noticed yesterday,..

I thought this was probably due to Sandy. Currently its working great, but even 45 minutes ago, access was almost impossible.  the problem is intermittent .


Ray

[RAB]

It has taken me almost 5 minutes to:

1.  Get the web site to load
2.  Log in
3.  Get the off topic forum to open
4.  Get the Technical problems thread to open just so I could post this.

This has been happening intermittently for several days now.  I see that the culprit is probably Sandy, but darn it's frustrating.

RAB

Who's technologically impaired as it is.

[bocker3]

Once yesterday and twice today, I have been signed out of the forums WHILE READING threads - despite being signed in "forever"?  Anyone else experiencing this?

Mike

[mitch777]

yes.(today)
also get "this page has expired" when clicking on the back arrow.

[bocker3]

happening again -- I've already had to sign in 4 times today.  No rhyme or reason. 

[bocker3]

Ok -- am I really the only one with this issue??  I just got "signed out" again.  I had read 4-5 threads, clicked on another one and bang -- I'm a guest. 
Is anyone else having this issue -- Mitch mentioned he experienced something similar a little while back, but not a word from any tech folks??  I know it's not a tragedy, but it's annoying as shit...........

Mike

[mitch777]

no problem for me today Mike.

[leatherman]

do you have anti-virus running? like avira, free antivirus
do you use a malware searcher/remover, like SpyBot?
have you re-booted?

[Ann]

Mike, I think this is most likely an issue with your computer, not the website. There are no error messages associated with your IP address and usually when it's a problem with the site, there will be error messages recorded (even when you don't see the messages yourself).

We have had a problem recently that made the site super-slow, but that has been taken care of and doesn't seem to have recurred.

Do you have access to another computer to see if the same thing happens to you on it? That would be one quick way to find out if it is indeed your computer and not the site. Let me know if you can conduct this experiment and what the outcome is.

I'm no techie when it comes to things like this, but if you discover it happens to you on computers other than the one you usually use, I can direct the problem to the appropriate site geek techie.

I really don't think this is the fault of the site, but I am prepared to stand corrected.

edited to add...

And by the way, it just occurred to me...

Are you sure you are logged in "forever"? There are several options as to how long you stay logged in for and the shortest time period is one hour.

Maybe you just haven't noticed that you're logged in for the shortest amount of time. This is the first thing you should check, and apologies if you've already sussed this out as the possible culprit.

[bocker3]

Mike, I think this is most likely an issue with your computer, not the website. There are no error messages associated with your IP address and usually when it's a problem with the site, there will be error messages recorded (even when you don't see the messages yourself).

We have had a problem recently that made the site super-slow, but that has been taken care of and doesn't seem to have recurred.

Do you have access to another computer to see if the same thing happens to you on it? That would be one quick way to find out if it is indeed your computer and not the site. Let me know if you can conduct this experiment and what the outcome is.

I'm no techie when it comes to things like this, but if you discover it happens to you on computers other than the one you usually use, I can direct the problem to the appropriate site geek techie.

I really don't think this is the fault of the site, but I am prepared to stand corrected.

edited to add...

And by the way, it just occurred to me...

Are you sure you are logged in "forever"? There are several options as to how long you stay logged in for and the shortest time period is one hour.

Maybe you just haven't noticed that you're logged in for the shortest amount of time. This is the first thing you should check, and apologies if you've already sussed this out as the possible culprit.

Thanks Ann,

I am logged in "forever". 

The main reason I did not think it was my computer was that this isn't happening to any other site that I remain logged into -- and because it was happening mid-session, not when I come to the site.
I don't have the issue on my iPad -- so it well could be my computer.  It is so sporadic that I can't seem to put a finger on anything that makes sense.

ah well -- if I'm the only one, then clearly the issue resides in my neck of the woods.  I know my anti-virus software is up to date, so I'll take a wait and see approach right now.  No problems thus far today.

thanks for the response
(you too Leatherman)

Mike

[Joe K]

Mike,

If your problem continues, try deleting any cookie related to this site, then clear your cache and reboot.

Joe

[Ann]

Mike,

If your problem continues, try deleting any cookie related to this site, then clear your cache and reboot.

Joe

I was thinking of suggesting the same thing; it couldn't hurt to try. It may be easier to delete all your cookies (no Wumpers, they're not the kind of cookies you eat) rather than hunt down all the ones associated with this site.

[RAB]

OK I'm still having problems with REALLY slow responce times.  This has been going on for several weeks now.

I've deleted cookies (multiple times) and defragged, neither of which seems to help.

When I try to enter a forum or thread it just sits there for several minutes and says waiting for poz.com.

I'm not experiencing this with any other web site (MSN, CNN, my local paper, etc.).

Any suggestions anyone?

RAB

[leatherman]

do you use a malware searcher/remover, like SpyBot?

this ^
or have you tried something like Hijackthis to see if you have some sort of malware interferring?

have you tried logging in from anywhere else? Kinda like your Ipad login, I would think you'd be okay on another PC, which would mean the problem IS something going wrong with your PC. It'll just be a matter now of using the right software to figure out what the problem is.

[WillyWump]

When I click into the "I Love Porn Thread" today I get a Warning from my AVAST Anti-virus program saying " ALERT- MALICIOUS LINK BLOCKED"

This is what I get...

MALICIUOUS LINK BLOCKED!

URL:   http://sites.securepaynet.net/redirect_0...
Process:   C:\PROGRA~1\Google\GOOGLE~1\GOEC62~1.DLL
Infection:   URL:Mal

Maybe one of RedDragons pics he posted today has a virus in it?

[mitch777]

my norton blocked an attack with your last post Jeff.

[Jeff G]

I don't asses this kind of viral risk so I will leave it to the tech guys .

Im the mean time if you feel you have been infected by a computer virus then only thing I know to do is to raise your arms above your head and run down the street screaming or grind up some of your HIV meds and shove it in your USB slots . 

[Ann]

I think (hope) I may have fixed it. But regardless of whether or not it's fixed, the thread is now locked and will be deleted in about eight hours (or sooner if Red is online and sees the thread sooner)

Ann

[JazJon]

Are we supposed to be able to edit our own posts?  I found some embarrassing grammar mistakes in a thread I replied to last week that I would like to correct.   I hovered my mouse all over my message and don't see the usual edit link or icon anywhere on my own post.   If yes, where did I miss it?   If No, bummer.

[Ann]

Are we supposed to be able to edit our own posts?  I found some embarrassing grammar mistakes in a thread I replied to last week that I would like to correct.   I hovered my mouse all over my message and don't see the usual edit link or icon anywhere on my own post.   If yes, where did I miss it?   If No, bummer.

You now only have 30 minutes to edit a post. This is due to abuse of the edit button.

Look at it this way - if you haven't corrected grammar or spelling mistakes by then, loads of people have already seen it, so why sweat it? Also, if you want to go back and add some additional information, it's best to create a new post because people who read the original post usually won't see the new information. If you've posted something (such as a personal detail) that you later regret, get in touch with me via PM and I'll sort it out.

[PFOUR2013]

Hi everyone -- I am new here.  I've been trying to post a little bit about myself and some questions for you in the Living With forum.  Every time I click "Post" I am taken to a new page with an error that reads "Forbidden."  Can someone help me?

Thanks!

[Jeff G]

Hi everyone -- I am new here.  I've been trying to post a little bit about myself and some questions for you in the Living With forum.  Every time I click "Post" I am taken to a new page with an error that reads "Forbidden."  Can someone help me?

Thanks!

I am looking into having someone look into it    ... I just posted in living with so I'm not sure what the problem is but it will be addressed asap . Im moving this thread into the proper forum so that the tech gods see it .

[PFOUR2013]

I am looking into having someone look into it    ... I just posted in living with so I'm not sure what the problem is but it will be addressed asap . Im moving this thread into the proper forum so that the tech gods see it .

I just tried again this evening and it looks like everything is working now.  Hail the almighty tech gods!

Thanks!

[WillyWump]

is it just me, or are the Forums running unusually slow? It takes like 20 seconds after I hit reply to get to the screen to type in...which is a long time for an old man like me cause I forget what I was going to type.

[mitch777]

is it just me, or are the Forums running unusually slow? It takes like 20 seconds after I hit reply to get to the screen to type in...which is a long time for an old man like me cause I forget what I was going to type.

me too. and I am older than you. imagine my experience.

btw...
that pop up ad used to pop up only when entering. now it pops up every time you hit the "back button".
need to X it out a zillion times when online. VERY annoying!

[andrejj]

We have implemented some more security features on the server. It should stop most of the unwanted traffic and make the forums faster in general. Please let us know if any user activity got affected by these changes.

[Ann]

Andrej, Jeff and I are getting "forbidden" messages when trying to do the approvals list.

I just sent you a PM about it, but got a "forbidden" message when I clicked on send.

Help!

[Jeff G]

I think I have all my moderator buttons working again ... I hope .  .

[wolfter]

I'm forbidden to reply.

except here.   

[wolfter]

It indicates that I'm forbidden from accessing the server when trying to respond on other threads.

Wolfie

[andrejj]

I'm forbidden to reply.

except here.   

Please try again, it all should be working now.

[wolfter]

This is the error message I'm still receiving.


Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /index.php on this server.

Apache/2.2.24 (Amazon) Server at forums.poz.com Port 80

[J.R.E.]

Are the forums having some difficulty loading pagae?  I noticed this around wednesday. This morning is really bad.

I've tried using 3 different browsers, IE, Firefox and Chrome , ( on different computers, in different locatons)

And it's taking an extremely long time to log-in, and for any page to load

It not a constant thing, but it's getting to be more frequent.



Ray

[mitch777]

It was better yesterday afternoon and evening until I tried to send a lengthy post.
I got that "forbidden" message.
Today the site is very slow.

[Ann]

We seem to be having server problems. It's not just us, it's also the HepMag forums.

To try and fix it, yesterday our tech guy Andrej made some changes to the security settings - that's what was causing the "forbidden" error messages. He then undid the security changes and the server problems seem to be getting worse.

I know, it's frustrating. Hopefully it will be fixed ASAP.

In the meantime, feel free to post any problems here. It will help us understand the extent of the problem and may give us clues as to how to fix it.

I have to admit - this level of computer tinkering is beyond me.

[mitch777]

Yesterday and today (about 5 minutes ago) I got to the POZ site OK but had to make several (about eight) attempts to get to the forums.
Not sure if this helps.

edited to add... when I typed the "numeral eight" above^ it first appears as the emoticon with the sunglasses on. weird.

TEST: 8 -numeral 8
TEST:  -  emoticon
TEST: - numeral 8 with ) added afterward

(I think this is a separate issue)

[Ann]

Yesterday and today (about 5 minutes ago) I got to the POZ site OK but had to make several (about attempts to get to the forums.
Not sure if this helps.

The magazine site (poz.com) and the forums are on different servers. All of S&S's forums (from the various magazines in the tabs at the top of any forum page) are experiencing this problem.

[leatherman]

edited to add... when I typed the "numeral eight" above^ it first appears as the emoticon with the sunglasses on. weird.

TEST: 8 -numeral 8
TEST:  -  emoticon
TEST: - numeral 8 with ) added afterward

(I think this is a separate issue)

this is not a separate issue. It's how emoticons work 

in the olden days (LOL) all we could do was type text on the web. Emoticons were born by combining a right or left parentheses or an "O" as the mouth on a face. Semi-colons, colons, the number 8, the letter B, etc were typed before the "mouth" to represent eyes. an 8 or B and a right parentheses typed together then represent sunglasses and a smile.

Because it's not the olden days anymore, when you type emoticon characters together, the software automagically changes it into a picture/image for that emoticon. Think of it like predictive text.

: ( typed side-by-side (without the space between the characters) is translated to
8 ) typed side-by-side (without the space between the characters) is translated to
 : - * typed side-by-side (without the space between the characters) is translated to
(sometimes a dash "-" is added to the "face" of the emoticon representing the "nose")

you'll find you accidentally create emoticons sometimes when you don't mean to.  To correct the issue, just type in an extra space. For example to not have "8 )" be ; type "8", then a space, then the ")"

keep an eye out in the reply text box when you're writing a post and adding in an emoticon. You will see the characters that are typed together to create each emoticon. (FYI that winky emoticon is a semi-colon followed by a rt parentheses) Keep an eye out in the preview of your reply for accidental emoticons and just add a space between the characters to keep the software from creating the unwanted emoticon.

[mitch777]

thanks Mikie!
silly me.
lol!

[leatherman]

i'm getting the "forbidden" message now  
in Living with HIV, "Statistics on non-Adherence to Regimen"

but I'm not on this post.

weird!

edited to add: i got the error msg when I tried to link an image (with the IMG tag http://www.alrp.org/wp-content/uploads/Cascade.jpg) to my post

[Ann]

i'm getting the "forbidden" message now  
in Living with HIV, "Statistics on non-Adherence to Regimen"

but I'm not on this post.

weird!

edited to add: i got the error msg when I tried to link an image (with the IMG tag http://www.alrp.org/wp-content/uploads/Cascade.jpg) to my post

Could folks please copy and paste the exact error message you get, when you get one? Thanks.

[leatherman]

This is the error message I'm still receiving.


Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /index.php on this server.

Apache/2.2.24 (Amazon) Server at forums.poz.com Port 80

i got the same msg yesterday the rest of you seemed to be getting over the last few days when I tried to preview and post a post that included a linked image. However, I do not seem to be having that issue anymore this morning. 

[mitch777]

trying to post some pics from photobucket and get the forbidden notice.
hope I captured the link for you.

http://forums.poz.com/index.php?action=post2;start=200;board=11

very frustrating after the time spent.

[bmancanfly]

Am I the only one still having problems with this website loading slowly?

[Jeff G]

Am I the only one still having problems with this website loading slowly?

Its running great for me today but thanks for reporting it because the tech guys need to know this stuff .   

[bmancanfly]

I'm getting a message that "website not responding because of a long running script"  or some such.

[Jeff G]

I'm getting a message that "website not responding because of a long running script"  or some such.

That sounds like a problem with your computer to me . Delete your browsing history under internet options and see if that helps . 

[bmancanfly]

Thanks for the suggestion,  but that didn't help.

This is the only website that I'm having a problem with though.

[bmancanfly]

Hmm,  for some reason it works when I use Firefox,  but not Internet explorer.