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Login and Registration Issues |
Why can't I login?
Have you registered? Seriously,
you must register in order to login. Have you been
banned from the board (a message will be displayed if
you have)? If so then you should contact the webmaster
or board administrator to find out why. If you have
registered and are not banned and you still cannot login
then check and double check your username and password.
Usually this is the problem, if not then contact the
board administrator they may have incorrect
configuration settings for the board.
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Why do I need to register at
all?
You may not have too, 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 cluster, etc.
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How do I prevent my username
appearing in the online user listings?
In your profile you will find an
option Hide your online status, if you switch
this on you'll only appear to board
administrators or to 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 back online 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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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 Profile link (generally shown at the
top of pages but this may not be the case). This will
allow you to change all your settings
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The times are not correct!
The times are almost certainly
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 correctly and the time is still different the
most likely answer is daylight savings time (or summer
time as it is known in the UK and other places). The
board is not designed to handle the changeovers between
standard and daylight time so during summer months the
time may be an hour different from the real local time.
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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 forums. 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
(we're sure they'll be good!)
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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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Posting Issues |
How do I post a topic in a
forum?
Easy, 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, this
lists the number of times you edited it. This will only
appear if no one has replied, it also will not appear if
moderators or administrators edit the post (they should
leave a message saying what they altered and why).
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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How do I create a poll?
Creating a poll is easy, when you
post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if
you have permission) you should see a Add Poll
form below the main posting box (if you cannot see this
then you probably do not have rights to create polls).
You should enter a title for the poll and then at least
two options (to set an option type in the poll question
and click the Add option button. You can also set
a time limit for the poll, 0 is an infinite poll. There
will be a limit to the number of options you can list,
this is set by the board administrator
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How do I edit or delete a
poll?
As with posts, polls can only be
edited by the original poster, a moderator or board
admin. To edit a poll click the first post in the topic
(this always has the poll associated with it). If no one
has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit
any poll option, however if people have already placed
votes only moderators or administrators can edit or
delete it. This is to prevent people rigging polls by
changing options mid-way through a poll
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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 authorisation, only the forum moderator
and board admin can grant this access, you should
contact them.
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Why can't I vote in polls?
Only registered users can vote in
polls (so as to prevent spoofing of results). If you
have registered and still cannot vote then you probably
do not have appropriate access rights.
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Formatting and Topic Types |
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special
implementation of HTML, whether you can use BBCode is
determined by the administrator (you can also disable it
on a per post basis from the posting form). BBCode
itself is similar in style to HTML, tags are enclosed in
square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers
greater control over what and how something is
displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide
which can be accessed from the posting page.
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Can I use HTML?
That depends on whether the
administrator allows you too, they have complete control
over it. If you are allowed to use it you will probably
find only certain tags work. This is a safety
feature to prevent people abusing the board by using
tags which may destroy the layout or cause other
problems. If HTML is enabled you can disable it on a per
post basis from the posting form.
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What are Smileys?
Smileys, 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 smileys though,
they can quickly render a post unreadable and a
moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post
altogether
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Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in
your posts. However, there is no facility at present for
uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you
must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible
web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/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 either the BBCode [img] tag or
appropriate HTML (if allowed).
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What are Announcements?
Announcements often contain
important information 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. 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 in viewforum 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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User Levels and Groups |
What are Administrators?
Administrators are people
assigned the highest level of control over the entire
board. These people can control all facets of board
operation which includes setting permissions, banning
users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also
have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.
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What are Moderators?
Moderators are individuals (or
groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the
running of the forums from day to day. They have the
power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move,
delete and split topics in the forum they moderate.
Generally moderators are there to prevent people going
off-topic or posting abusive or offensive
material.
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What are Usergroups?
Usergroups are a way in which
board administrators can group users. Each user can
belong to several groups (this differs from most other
boards) and each group can be assigned individual access
rights. This makes it easy for administrators to set up
several users as moderators of a forum, or to give them
access to a private forum, etc.
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How do I join a Usergroup?
To join a usergroup click the
usergroup link on the page header (dependent on template
design), you can then view all usergroups. Not all
groups are open access, some are closed and some
may even have hidden memberships. If the board is open
then you can request to join it by clicking the
appropriate button. The user group moderator will need
to approve your request, they may ask why you want to
join the group. Please do not pester a group moderator
if they turn your request down, they will have their
reasons.
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How do I become a Usergroup
Moderator?
Usergroups are initially created
by the board admin, they also assign a board moderator.
If you are interested in creating a usergroup then your
first point of contact should be the admin, try dropping
them a private message.
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Private Messaging |
I cannot send private
messages!
There are three reasons for this;
you are not registered and/or not logged on, the board
administrator has disabled private messaging for the
entire board or the board administrator has prevented
you from sending messages. If it is the later case you
should try asking the administrator why.
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I keep getting unwanted
private messages!
In the future we will be adding
an ignore list to the private messaging system. For now
though if you keep receiving unwanted private messages
from someone inform the board admin, they have the power
to prevent a user from sending private messages at all.
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I have received a spamming or
abusive email from someone on this board!
We are sorry to hear that. The
email form feature of this board includes safeguards to
try and track users who send such posts. You should
email the board administrator with a full copy of the
email you received, it is very important this include
the headers (these list details of the user that sent
the email). They can then take action.
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phpBB 2 Issues |
Who wrote this bulletin board?
This software (in its unmodified
form) is produced, released and is copyright
phpBB
Group. It is made available under the GNU General
Public Licence and may be freely distributed, see link
for more details
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Why isn't X feature available?
This software was written by and
licensed through phpBB Group. If you believe a feature
needs to be added then please visit the phpbb.com
website and see what phpBB Group have to say. Please do
not post feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, the
Group uses sourceforge to handle tasking of new
features. Please read through the forums and see what,
if any, our position may already be for a feature and
then follow the procedure given there.
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Who do I contact about abusive
and/or legal matters related to this board?
You should contact the
administrator of this board. If you cannot find who this
you should first contact one of the forum moderators and
ask them who you should in turn contact. If still get no
response you should contact the owner of the domain (do
a whois lookup) or, if this is running on a free service
(e.g. yahoo, free.fr, f2s.com, etc.), the management or
abuse department of that service. Please note that phpBB
Group has absolutely no control and cannot in any way be
held liable over how, where or by whom this board is
used. It is absolutely pointless contacting phpBB Group
in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable,
defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to
the phpbb.com website or the discrete software of phpBB
itself. If you do email phpBB Group about any third
party use of this software then you should expect a
terse response or no response at all.
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Attachments |
How do I add an attachment?
You can add attachments when you
post a new post. You should see a Add an Attachment
form below the main posting box. When you click the
Browse... button the standard Open dialogue window
for your computer will open. Browse to the file you want
to attach, select it and click OK, Open or doubleclick
according to your liking and/or the correct procedure
for your computer. If you choose to add a comment in the
File Comment field this comment will be used as a
link to the attached file. If you haven't added a
comment the filename itself will be used to link to the
attachment. If the board administrator has allowed it
you will be able to upload multiple attachements by
following the same procedure as described above until
you reach the max allowed number of attachments for each
post.
The board administrator sets an upper limit for
filesize, defined file extensions and other things for
attachments on the board. Be aware that it's your
responsiblity that your attachments comply with the
boards acceptance of use policy, and that they may be
deleted without warning.
Please note that the boards owner, webmaster,
administrator or moderators can not and will not take
responsibility for any loss of data.
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How do I add an attachment
after the initial posting?
To add an attachment after the
initial posting you'll need to edit your post and follow
the description above. The new attachment will be added
when you click Submit to add the edited post.
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How do I delete an attachment?
To delete attachments you'll need
to edit your post and click on the Delete Attachment
next to the attachment you want to delete in the
Posted Attachments box. The attachment will be
deleted when you click Submit to add the edited
post.
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How do I update a file
comment?
To update a file comment you'll
need to edit your post, edit the text in the File
Comment field and click on the Update Comment
button next to the file comment you want to update in
the Posted Attachments box. The file comment will
be updated when you click Submit to add the
edited post.
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Why isn't my attachment
visible in the post?
Most probably the file or
Extension is no longer allowed on the forum, or a
moderator or administrator has deleted it for being in
conflict with the boards acceptance of use policy.
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Why can't I add attachments?
On some forums adding attachments
may be limited to certain users or groups. To add
attachments you may need special authorisation, only the
forum moderator and board admin can grant this access,
you should contact them.
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I've got the necessary
permissions, why can't I add attachments?
The board administrator sets an
upper limit for filesize, file extensions and other
things for attachments on the board. A moderator or
administrator may have altered your permissions, or
discontinued attachments in the specific forum. You
should get an explanation in the error message when
trying to add an attachment, if not you might consider
contacting the moderator or administrator.
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Why can't I delete
attachments?
On some forums deleting
attachments may be limited to certain users or groups.
To delete attachments you may need special
authorisation, only the forum moderator and board admin
can grant this access, you should contact them.
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Why can't I view/download
attachments?
On some viewing/downloading
forums attachments may be limited to certain users or
groups. To view/download attachments you may need
special authorisation, only the forum moderator and
board admin can grant this access, you should contact
them.
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Who do I contact about illegal
or possibly illegal attachments?
You should contact the
administrator of this board. If you cannot find who this
is you should first contact one of the forum moderators
and ask them who you should in turn contact. If you
still get no response you should contact the owner of
the domain (do a whois lookup) or, if this is running on
a free service (e.g. yahoo, free.fr, f2s.com, etc.), the
management or abuse department of that service. Please
note that phpBB Group has absolutely no control and
cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by
whom this board is used. It is absolutely pointless
contacting phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease
and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not
directly related to the phpbb.com website or the
discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do email phpBB
Group about any third party use of this software then
you should expect a terse response or no response at
all.
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