Cannot login as Admin and CAPTCHA problems
Printed From: Web Wiz Forums
Category: Web Wiz Web App Support Forums
Forum Name: Web Wiz Forums
Forum Description: Support forum for Web Wiz Forums application.
URL: https://forums.webwiz.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=27116
Printed Date: 02 April 2026 at 2:16pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.08 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Cannot login as Admin and CAPTCHA problems
Posted By: VTBO
Subject: Cannot login as Admin and CAPTCHA problems
Date Posted: 15 March 2009 at 7:33am
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I had a problem with the system not recognizing the CAPTCHA. I looked in the session table and saw that the session captcha info matched the graphic. For some reason the compare was not working.
I modified the code in Functions_Login.asp around line 115 to this
If ((CStr(LCase(Trim(getSessionItem("SCS")))) = CStr(LCase(Trim(Request.Form("securityCode"))))) AND (getSessionItem("SCS") <> "")) Then
I added the CStr to each term as well as adding the Trim to the getSessionItem("SCS") and that seemed to fix the problem. I now get a reliable compare. I am not sure why this is a problem, but it has been working on and off for a few years now. Something is changing and I am not sure what.
The system is Windows 2000 server sp4 with MSSQL 2000 and the latest SP. I still have one more problem in that when I login as administrator, it shows me as administrator but when I go to login in the admin section, it lets me login and then thinks I am user guest (group 2) and says I do not have permission to continue. Not sure why it is doing that, but I suspect that somewhere it is loosing the session information or cookie info and treating me as a guest. The subroutine getUserData is returning the Guest info. It happens in both IE6 and Firefox.
I have it set to use the SQL server for sessions blnDatabaseHeldSessions = True and also have tried both ways on blnUseApplicationVariables = false with the same problem.
Any ideas on this?
Phil
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Replies:
Posted By: 123Simples
Date Posted: 15 March 2009 at 9:07am
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Are you still using version 9.08 Phil? I assume you mean the forum software? It could be a corrupt software download problem but if you could elaborate I'll look later ------------- http://www.123simples.com/" rel="nofollow - Visit 123 Simples Web Design |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 15 March 2009 at 9:17am
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I was running 9.53 and it stopped working the other day. Several months ago when I had posted a CAPTCHA problem here I was running 9.08 and it had stopped working the same way, then I upgraded to 9.53 it worked for long time then stopped working a few days ago. Could be related to latest microsoft upadates, I think it quit around Tuesday. So I upgraded tonight to 9.55 and still had the same problem. I was able to track down the captcha problem and got that working, and I figured how it fails with the admin login, but have not tracked down where the session is being cleared causing it to revert to guest.
I have tried re-downloading and unzipping and re-installing without any improvement. I get no other errors that I know of so I assume the files came through uncorrupted. It must be someting to do with a server configuration but I don't know what. There is no web garden setting or multiple application pool setting that I can see on the IIS panel unless it is in the registry. I have the application set to its own application and set it for high isolation. Is this correct?
Thanks for your help in this.
Phil
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Posted By: 123Simples
Date Posted: 15 March 2009 at 2:02pm
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If it was working up to a few days ago, and assuming you had not tampered with your own database, I'm only guessing, but it would seem that your server is not holding the information correctly Perhaps you have reached your database limits or something, or the server has changed its own configuration which has in turn affected your own database I would suggest 2 things: 1. Contact Web Wiz Support (if this is a paid for version) and 2. Contact your hosting server and ask them if they can explain what may have happened I think your other settings are correct so that does not appear to be the problem. Of course, if all else fails, then your other solution might be to http://www.webwiz.net?AID=203" rel="nofollow - change to web wiz hosting and get a free premium edition by having them host your site for you  ------------- http://www.123simples.com/" rel="nofollow - Visit 123 Simples Web Design |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 15 March 2009 at 9:39pm
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Well it is hosted locally on one of our own servers, there are only a few hundred postings to the forum so I doubt it ran out of space and nothing was changed that I know of other then applying the latest Microsoft patches which may have messed with something although all of the other sites on the server seem to be working and they all use sessions without any problems.
This is a paid version so I will see what support can come up with.
Thanks,
Phil
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Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 16 March 2009 at 8:46am
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This sounds like a session issue and your server is no longer able to hold sessions as the worker process is recycling to often. Unfortunately Windows Server 2000 is not something that has been used around here for about 7 years, so it hard to recommend what to do to check this. If your host offers newer servers such as Windows 2003, or even better Windows Server 2008 then I would recommend moving to a newer server as you can then manage worker process much better placing each site in it's own process. You also get better performance and security. Our SQL Server 2005/2008 version also give far superior performance with server side paging, allowing you to view all topics within a forum not just the first 1,500. ------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 16 March 2009 at 5:50pm
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Bruce, I agree it must be something that happened in the server but I don't know what. I am running a free version of the forum on a windows 2003 server and it has also stopped working in the exact same way. It must be related to the latest Microsoft updates that came out last week. It changed something but I don't know what.
The fact that I can log into this forum and use the captcha means that my computer is ok and not blocking sessions. This has reallly thown me for a loop. Back to the detective work I guess.
Phil
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Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 17 March 2009 at 9:01am
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To see if it is an issue with the latest patches from Microsoft I installed the latest patches on 3 Win2k3 boxes but I was still unable to replicate any issue with CAPTCHA and/or logging in. Make sure you are not using multiple work processes for your application pools as this will prevent ASP sessions from working. ------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 18 March 2009 at 10:03am
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Well it was set as a default application in the application pool. I added a new application pool and made sure it was set to 1 worker process. It didn't make a difference.
I restored the software back to the way it was prior to my modifications above.
I can log in, but when I go to login as admin it ignores the captcha info and tells me it was wrong. I see the same thing I am typing in the session table but for some reason it isn't making it through the compares. If I blow the normal user login and it puts up a captcha after 3 incorrect tries, I can no longer log in as the captcha compare does not work unless I add cstr and trim functions to the first term. This is really strange. I cannot log in to any of the web wiz forums here free or paid, something really changed, I still think it has to do with the updates but I don't know which, not sure I want to roll back and the web wiz stuff is the only stuff that has been effected.
Phil
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Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 18 March 2009 at 11:13am
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It still sounds to me like a session issue. We have updated over 10 Win2k3 boxes here which all have the latest MS patches on and can see no issues with sessions. Although I do remember an issue with ASP Sessions that was coursed by SP1 or SP2 for Win2k3 but was later fixed, but this was going back a few years. Also have you tried changing your forums in the includes/setup_options_inc.asp file to use the database to store session data in instead of the IIS worker process? ------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 18 March 2009 at 12:45pm
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Well i tried rolling back the 3 software updates that were applied on the 11th and it was still bad so it wasn't them. I do remember installing that microsoft malicious software removal tool update, so maybe that got overzealous and took something out it wasn't supposed to. I just put the updates back in.
I am already using the database for the sessions, not using the application method, although it doesn't work either. This is about the strangest thing I have seen. Sorry to be such a pain.
Phil
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Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 18 March 2009 at 12:51pm
| I wonder if it could be some sort of permissions thing that changed. What are your applications pools running under. Are they as a network service, or IWAM or something else? |
Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 18 March 2009 at 12:55pm
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If you are using the database for sessions then it should make no difference if sessions are working on the server or not. Have a look in the database at the tblSessions table and see if the CAPTCHA code matches that in the session table in the database. Also make sure that the collation for the database is not case sensitive. ------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 18 March 2009 at 1:16pm
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Well, I see the captcha in the sessions table. See first postings. Problem is that it doesn't work unless I add that "trim" function to the first part of the compare as shown in the sql code posted.
WHen i am at the admin login screen once it compares and it sends me to the next page admin login then it craps out because the session table is now blank so it thinks i am a guest and tells me i have no permissions. better explanation in previous posts.
I have not changed anything in the database at all, but the 2 forums i have both stopped working at the same time, one is on a win2k machine the other is on a win2k3 machine. One is 9.55 the other is 9.53.
Really strange.
Phil
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Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 23 March 2009 at 12:13am
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After several hours of debuging, it has come down to the session info in the session table is clearing out. If I try to login 3 times as admin each time the captcha is not recognized after the 3rd login attempt, I am no longer loged in at all. Something is not working when using the session table to track user sessions instead of the application.
I switched the config file back to use application variables for both the forum config and the users and now everything seems to work ok. So apparently there is some sort of bug in using the sessions table. For now I will keep it using the applications, but I would rather use the sessions table if possible.
Phil
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Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 23 March 2009 at 9:24am
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Have not found an issue with this during testing when using the database to store sessions. However, it is highly recommend not to use the database to store sessions unless you really have to, as using the database to store the session database is a BIG performance hit on the forum engine. It can more than double the amount of read and writes on the database for many popular pages. ------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: Nightrocker
Date Posted: 19 July 2009 at 10:43pm
| I have the same problem and I wonder if a solution was found? |
Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 20 July 2009 at 1:15pm
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If you read through this and many other topics on the issue of ASP sessions you will find your answer.
------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: VTBO
Date Posted: 20 July 2009 at 3:27pm
| I am still using server sessions and not the database sessions and things seem to be working ok. If this was a high traffic forum I would proabably be in trouble, but since it is low use I can get away with using server sessions. |
Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 20 July 2009 at 3:29pm
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You want to use server sessions on a high use forum, not database sessions. It's much faster and less resource intensive to store sessions in the web servers memory rather than to a database.
------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |
Posted By: Nightrocker
Date Posted: 20 July 2009 at 3:46pm
I read and read and read and read and obviously I don't know what to read  I tried this one:
And also told my provider about these ones:
and
I also saw that:
but didn't found any captcha code field in tblsession table. |
WebWiz-Bruce wrote:Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 20 July 2009 at 5:10pm
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What you need to do then rather than jumping in on someone else topic you have a similar but different issue. You should start a new topic giving as much details as possible, including steps to replicate, any error messages that you receive, version number, database type, server OS, etc. It maybe that your host does not fully support our software as some hosts like GoDaddy and 1&1 won't properly run our software. In which case you may want to look at one of our hosted solutions, from 4.99 per month. ------------- https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting |