Cannot sign onto cpaptalk with Int Exp.

[allend]

This is true for version 8 and it was true for version 7. Here is the message I get. This has been going on for at least a few months.

Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, [no address given] and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

[trike-mike]

Allen,

I just tried it with Internet Explorer version 8 running on Windows 7 and was successful. I've not encountered any problems with IE, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (Both Mac and PC versions of those last 3).

As much as it is a knee-jerk diagnosis, I would look carefully at your system to see if it is compromised with some manner of malware that is causing it to send instructions to try to subvert cpaptalk.com which are being trapped by their servers.

What is your full system configuration like OS version, patch levels, virus (or other malware) software, firewall settings (another possibility of a problem). Maybe there is a clue there. Did anything significant change on your system when it stopped working?

[allend]

Allen,

I just tried it with Internet Explorer version 8 running on Windows 7 and was successful. I've not encountered any problems with IE, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (Both Mac and PC versions of those last 3).

As much as it is a knee-jerk diagnosis, I would look carefully at your system to see if it is compromised with some manner of malware that is causing it to send instructions to try to subvert cpaptalk.com which are being trapped by their servers.

What is your full system configuration like OS version, patch levels, virus (or other malware) software, firewall settings (another possibility of a problem). Maybe there is a clue there. Did anything significant change on your system when it stopped working?

Mike,

I definitely think it was malware but that's why I replaced ver 6 or 7 with 8. I probably should have erased the prior version, rebooted and then installed 8. I was reluctant to do that because of all my bookmarks. I have no problem getting on cpaptalk with Mozilla Firefox but not IE. I have XP Pro with SP3 and the updates are current. I have McAfee virus protector, 2 gig of ram, Dual Pentium 2.8 ghz

[GumbyCT]

Plenty of ideas if you search for "login".
Here is one viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56540&p=530592&hili ... n+#p530592

I would 1st delete all the board cookies.

[canadrian]

That is quite the odd error to receive - Internal Server Errors (HTTP 500) normally refer to a problem on the server's end, rather than your own. As you can log in with other browsers, this is apparently not the case.

I am typing this with Windows XP SP3 using IE 7. As other browsers allow you to log in, it appears to be a settings issue in IE (which are for the most part maintained when upgrading).

As GumbyCT mentioned, getting rid of cookies is a good start. Sometimes other cached files can cause problems as well. I would try deleting "all" in IE: Tools > Internet Options > General Tab > Delete... Choose Delete All... in IE7; In IE8 I belive you have to check off all the appropriate boxes (including Temporary Internet Files).

Please note this will delete your cookies (websites won't remember who you are), history (IE won't remember sites you have gone to) and any passwords or form information(if you have chosen to store them).

If the page has been cached by IE incorrectly, clearing these settings should fix the issue.

[davecpap]

Try this - go to the control panel, click Internet Options, then go to
the 'Connections' tab. Click 'LAN Settings' at the bottom of the
window. On the resulting screen - do you have anything configured
under 'proxy server' ?? It should be blank. Sometimes viruses use
this to direct your internet traffic through a third party.

[trike-mike]

Gumby's suggestion is an excellent one and may solve your problems. Also as canadrian (the Habs? Seriously? Not enamored with the Maple Loafs?) suggested, it is rather odd to see a server error but I have seen a compromised system exhibit cause server errors such as this when resident malware attempts to subvert a site it connects to and Dave's post speaks to but one of the visible ways (among many invisible) it can do try to do this.

If you continue to see the same (or similar) error after trying these things, it seems to me the problem is manifesting in IE but I suspect the malware, should you have it, is in the OS rather than IE itself. While they closed a bunch with IE8, the underlying code is similar (or the same) for a lot of elements so a pre-existing infection will just carry over to the new install of the application on the system as it is.

Even if your system otherwise seems to be running fine, this is concerning to me. Without being able to look in detail the symptoms feel like you are compromised with a stubbornly insidious bit of code and may be as seditious and dangerous as to be capturing privileged information especially if you are using IE for shopping or banking.

For safety of your personal information and data, or even just as a perhaps needed maintenance exercise, I think you're looking at a weekend project to do a full reinstall from scratch on your system. Depending on how long ago that was done, it probably needs it from a maintenance view regardless of potential system compromise. I tend to reinstall my PCs fresh every 6 - 12 months and Macs every 12 - 18 just to clean up detritus of applications in and out, patches on top of patches, etc. For all potential approaches I'll list, first do the following:

• Save all your data (files, images, documents, and any email that is local to your system and not on a mail server somewhere) to external media of some sort (SD cards, CD, DVD, whatever)
• Export all your bookmarks from your browsers to a file and save on that same external media
• Make a list of all the software you have downloaded and installed and use
• Assemble all the install media for software you bought and have physical media for
• This is a bit of an "aluminum foil hat" thought but some really hideous ones will badly infect your hard drive and are rather stubborn (even impossible without drastic measures) to wash out. I would be tempted (and probably would) buy a new drive. Given that Best Buy has 320GB for $50 and 1TB drives for $80, it's not a big cost.
• If you don't go the new HDD route, DO NOT start any recovery, install, or upgrade that you initiate from your currently running system. A lot of malware out there, if resident on your system, will simply carry over through any of these exercises started from the running system. ONLY begin an install or recovery with your system booted from a CD or DVD. From there, utterly delete all disk partitions then recreate and reformat. Understand, though, that some really nasty ones will infect the boot sector of the disk and this may not clean it. Either this or the new disk approach is best anyway as it gives you a nice, clean, fresh OS that isn't polluted with dead registry entries and potentially conflicting system configuration elements. Your system will feel quicker and fresher overall

Once all the above is done, there are three approaches with the steps in order for each approach:

Approach 1:

• Reinstall XP from read-only media (CD or DVD)
• Ditch McAfee. It protects fairly well but it's a system resource hog. Put the freeware Avast antivirus on. It is better protection and much less intrusive
• Apply all system updates with Microsoft Update
• Install all your software
• Run MS Update again to apply patches imposed by installed software
• Copy all your data back onto the computer and import your bookmarks to browsers

Approach 2:

• Given that XP is near (or at depending on who you talk to) End Of Life, ditch XP. Install Windows 7 Home Premium. You don't need Professional or Ultimate unless you a) want it, or b) need to run S/W that will only work under XP or have to join a corporate domain. If for home use, likely anything you'll have will either run under 7 or there is a free/cheap replacement that will. Regardless, with the dual Pentium, 7 is honestly multi-threaded. Even if your apps are only single threaded, your system will run faster on 7 than XP. My quad core PC got ~30% performance boost with 7 over XP. 7 Home Premium also runs better on my netbook and my 7 Virtual Machine in Parallels on the Mac runs quicker than the XP VM (I DO have some corporate apps that require XP which is why I still have an XP install running but only use it for those).
• Put the freeware Avast antivirus on.
• Apply all system updates with Microsoft Update
• Install all your software
• Run MS Update again to apply patches imposed by installed software
• Copy all your data back onto the computer and import your bookmarks to browsers

Approach 3:

• Get a Mac. Seriously. If you can afford and are at all inclined, once you transition you'll never, ever, ever, ever go back to a PC. Windows 7 is a dang fine OS in its own right but it ain't no Mac. Even for production work, the only reasons I ever need or use Windows is for Visio, MS Project, or some specialized corporate applications. All the rest is done on the Mac and much more pleasantly. As an example, the Mac version of MS Office is far more pleasant than the Windows version. If you go this route, my recommended steps change to:
• When you first start it and it prompts you to create a system user, Make that first username to be "Admin" or something like that (why becomes obvious in subsequent steps)
• When logged in as this Admin user, do a "Apple menu" -> System Update to apply all patches (same function as Windows Update)
• Install any software you purchased or download. On the Mac, it either has an installer or you just drag the application to the "Applications" folder
• Install some type of virus software if you wish. This isn't crucial. There are some exploits for the Mac in the wild but most of those are encountered only if you visit some of the shadier sites depicting certain acts if you follow my meaning. The only other reason you might do so is to catch viruses sent to you by your poor friends and family still stuck with a PC but won't affect your Mac. It does let you know that they passed along malware to you and they probably need to so some serious maintenance on their systems
• Create a non-admin user for yourself to use the system day to day. This allows you to do all your functions with a non-privileged user so any exploits that you might encounter won't have privileged access to the system to embed themselves. Additionally, any time you do initiate something as your day-to-day user identity on the system, it doesn't stop you from doing it but prompts you for the Admin username and password. This provides a measure of protection from inadvertently doing something you didn't mean to as you do need to be deliberately making a change and are thinking about it
• Create non-admin users for others who might be using the machine. This allows them to log in as themselves, do essentially anything they want to with the machine, have their own user prefs (and even their own software unique to their user accounts in many cases) but NOT be able to mess up the machine. You can do this with Windows as well (and I highly recommend it) but the division between and Admin user and a non-privileged user is not so crisp and distinct. Or even possible in many cases as some badly written software assumes you are an Admin user. Mac OS X is, at its core, UNIX BSD 4.3; an honestly enterprise class of operating system.
• Copy all your data back onto the computer and import your bookmarks to browsers
• Start to understand why Apple and Macs enjoy the highest customer satisfaction rating

[GumbyCT]

Try this - ucp.php?mode=delete_cookies

let us know how you make out.