Troubleshooting and Advice Page

Login Problems?
Login problems are 99 percent due to cookies not being allowed on your computer. Setting cookies will vary with different types of browser (what you are using to view this web page is called a browser.)

It is IMPERATIVE that your machine can accept cookies. These are tiny files that are placed in a special folder in your machine by websites so that they can keep a record of who you are. They are not dangerous. Carboys's scripts only set your username, first name and surname (and sometimes your email) but that is all. They are not used to track your movements or do anything else, only to remember you when each page is called. If the script cannot see who you are, it assumes you have not logged in.

Look at your browsers options and check that cookies are enabled. If not, turn them on. You can have advanced options with some browsers that let you stipulate what domains (e.g. www.carboys.co.uk) you will accept cookies from.

Much of Carboys's features are for subscribers only. This is necessary for a number of reasons - to keep overheads down, to keep out people who may be abusive, to reduce search engine activity and to ensure the site is being paid for. The scripts check to see if you are a subscriber before delivering your page. Cookies are at the moment the best way of doing this, otherwise costly reorganization of the site would be needed.

Username/Password Difficulties
If you are SURE that cookies are enabled but the script still refuses to recognise you, be sure to check you are entering your username and password exactly as you first entered them when you subscribed. A record of your log in details was mailed to your email address when you did this. If you didn't get it, it is possible your email address was entered incorrectly. Contact me at bruce at carboys.co.uk (remember to rewrite this properly using the '@' symbol, I have left it out so spam robots don't pick it up) and I will amend your records and send you your correct login details

Upload Problems
If you cannot upload a picture (or it doesn't show) there are two main reasons for this. One, you are trying to upload a picture bigger than 120 kbytes. 120 Kbytes is quite adequate for most pictures and below is a rough guide on how to save pictures for uploading

Size the picture: A full colour JPG format picture can be sized to around 800 pixels wide using a 50% compression (this might be different depending on the image program you use) and will be under 120 Kbytes There is no magic formula, play around with your program ad experiment, trading quality with size until you get the right balance for you.

Check your DPI - There is no need for very high resolution on the internet. If your picture has a DPI greater than 70 it is possibly much bigger in file size than it needs to be. Most program will allow you to change the DPI

Sharpness: Pictures that are very sharp or have been sharpened with an image program mean bigger files sizes. Don't sharpen too much.

What is meant by file sizes - Some people get very confused about this. A file's physical space that it uses on a hard drive is not always relative to the size you see on the screen. The factors above all come into play. Don't expect a picture to fit just because it looks small! Conversely, don't expect a picture upload to fail because it is big on the screen. Always, always, check the actual filesize before uploading. This can be found by right clicking it and selecting Properties - you will see the size in kilobytes and bytes - one kilobyte - one thousand bytes. If it is under 120 kilobytes (120,000 bytes) it will upload fine.

File Types - Another reason uploads fail is that you have not uploaded a JPG file, or if you have, you haven't given it a JPG extension. People with Macs often do this. You have to name the file with a dot jpg extension - so, mypicture has to be mypicture.jpg. Also, don't use the .jpeg extension either, it confuses things no end!

Name Your File Wisely! - When naming a file for upload, keep it simple and don't use spaces or symbols. The more complicated the name then the greater the chance it will get mucked up further by the upload script. So don't say - this is my picture taken in 19/03/2001!!!!!!!.jpg say - picture_19_03_2001.jpg

Smaller filenames also means less space being taken up in the database.

You squashed my picture! - No I didnae! - Your original picture is always available. The picture you see is a resized version (truly resized, not simply squashed in the browser) to maintain the look of the site and also not to give people big downloads they may not want. When the medium sized picture is clicked, your original, unmolested version is downloaded.

A Sensible Image Program
The following link will take you to a web site that has the best image program in the world! It is simple yet highly effective and loads in a split second. It is also free - but don't think that means it isn't good, it is very good indeed, especially for resizing and organising your files and it has some nifty features for tidying up your pictures. Highly recommended.

http://www.irfanview.com/

Hyperlinks In Messages
The main posting program automatically wraps http:// addresses in hyperlinks. The edit program doesnt. I have left it this way for a reason. If you are trying to do your own hyperlinks, it wont work! You will have them wrapped again! Editing allows you to correct this mistake if you are so technically minded to do so. In the main, dont try your own hyperlinks, just enter the address in your post (using http://)

Linking to other websites:
I generally dont mind people doing this, but please dont do it to promote goods or websites that have nothing to do with the subjects we cover. Also, blatant advertising is banned! This is an ad free site, I want to keep it that way!

Contacting Me:
It amazes me how many people forget my email address! - Just anything you like @clydesite.co.uk.co.uk will do.

Reporting Errors:
When reporting errors be as specific as possible. In Internet Explorer quite often people have it set to display unhelpful error messages - these blanket messages dont describe the problem adequately. In your Internet Options, if Show Friendly HTTP Error Messages is ticked, untick it. You will get much more specific error messages.

If The Site Is Slow Or Down:
Bear this in mind. Very often the site is slow or not available because of internet connections along the way, not because the server is broken. If the problem persists, do email me, but check other sites too and gauge if they are slower than normal or not available. Sometimes the server does go AWOL but very rarely.

Other Problems:
Quite often there are specific problems that have nothing to do with this site but on your own providers service. NTL and AOL customers especially may experience problems no-one else does. If other people are posting fine or I tell you the site is ok, then get in touch with your own support people and tell them what's happening.

If you have a problem you would like explained here, email me and then check the page for a reply.

Bruce Biddulph
Site Owner