I'm sorry for copying this from vB.com's troubleshooting forum, but I am getting desparate. I also put in a ticket last night, but no response yet. I would gladly pay someone to finally fix this, but my recent disability has left me kinda broke.

I see a lot of discussions about login problems, which I am having. But all of them are instructed to change their cookie domain to blank by using the tools.php script. There are no instructions on how to change the domain to a domain name from "blank".

I am trying to set up my forums on a new server. I am doing it on a test domain instead of the actual domain. The differences are in the domain extension - actual is .com, test is .net - and the folder name on the new server - old server's folder is thefloorpro, new server's folder is tfpnet.

After uploading the latest backup of all the folders and files and then importing the latest database backup, I try to login to the adminCP. I get that endless login loop that drives everyone crazy.

The old server (still my current running forum) has the cookie domain set to .thefloorpro.com. It has been so long, I can't remember the reasons for changing it, but it works. Of course, the imported database into the new server has the same cookie domain, but it should be .thefloorpro.net, not .com.

Uploading the tools script allows me to change the cookie domain to "blank", but it doesn't allow me to change it to anything else. So, I still can't log in. I still get the endless loop of login screens. I don't know what else to do.

I have edited config.php to change the cookie prefix several times.
I added the forums path to the config.php.
I've edited the .htaccess files so that the only way you can get to the site is with the correct domain address.
I have used the upgrade script.
I tried to use the install script, but it tells me it's installed already.

Can anyone help me figure this out?

Jim
PS: new server address: www.thefloorpro.net/community Once it is set up, I will change the DNS, etc. to make it thefloorpro.com/community

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Always a work in progress:
The Floor Pro Community

Does it happen on the default template ?

For the cookie field I just have .vbulletinsetup.com

It shouldn't cause to much of an issue, the support team at vb.com should be able to get you setup correctly.

I've only used the tools.php file once, you have to be careful with it.

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Hi Brandon,

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by "default template." I uploaded and unpacked a complete backup of my domain from www.thefloorpro.com . I renamed the domain folder to tfpnet because that is the directory I have on my new server for thefloorpro.net, which is my dev/test site.

I edited the config.php file to reflect the new database (a complete backup of the live site) and changed the cookie prefix so it wouldn't conflict with the live site's cookies.

Since the database has the cookie domain set to .thefloorpro.com, it would be understandable that it wouldn't give me a clean login, so I used tools.php to set the cookie domain to "blank", the only option - you aren't given the opportunity to set it to .thefloorpro.net, which I think would probably let me log in.

I tried to run this situation through the vB ticket system a week ago, but kept being asked questions and given instructions I already answered and addressed. The last contact was to tell me to disable vBSEO, which I had already done. I let it go a week and am now trying it again, fresh. Same-ol', same-ol'.

Do you think it would help if I just set up a fresh copy of 3.6.4 (the version my live board is at, with patches) and be able to get a good login, then upload all my additional images and custom style and finally import my database into the existing one?

That's just a wild guess for me. I have no idea. Maybe there's a database query that I could use to edit the cookie domain. I've never done a database query or edited the database before.

Jim

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Always a work in progress:
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By default template, I ment the one that you see on vb.com

Are you trying to upgrade your site ?

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You can try forcing the change via the database on your test forum.

Open phpmyadmin > browse table <table prefix>_setting edit cookiepath, change the value to \

Make sure you do a full DB backup before hand.

Other than that I have a feeling you're getting bounced back to your .com because you didn't update the forum path in vBulletin options before you moved the database. You can also edit that via the database.

Make sure you clear all your browsers cookies before trying to log in again.

Lets us know how it works out.

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- Big Dan proprietor of DJ Talk

Oh, okay, you meant default style. There are hundreds of templates and I didn't know if one of them was "default".

On my live board, I use only one style, a custom one from forumtemplates.com that I have modified quite a bit (especially the navbar). I don't allow members to change the style and I don't use the default style either. My navigation wouldn't work with it anyway - I have 2 navbars instead of 1 (see my live site through the link in my sig). That is all embedded in the database, so there wouldn't be a way to change that without getting into the adminCP, which I can't do yet.

I am only trying to get the site to the state it is at currently on my live site. After I get there and everything is working, then yes, I do want to upgrade all the software - and add more. I will upgrade to 3.6.8, as well as upgrade CMPS, vBSEO, vB Gallery, and vB Google Map ME. I want to keep vBlogetin unavailable, but still installed so that I can convert the data to either vBlog or vB Dynamics when they are ready. I will also be installing a directory script.

But none of that is even a possibility until I can get the site restored in the test environment to its current live state.

There is no problem doing that with the tools.php script. It isn't changing the path that is the problem. It's already set the same on both boards. It's the cookie domain that is the problem. On the live board it is set to .thefloorpro.com. On the test board, it should be set to .thefloorpro.net, but there doesn't seem to be a way to do that that I know of. You can only use tools.php to change the cookie domain to "blank" from whatever else it is. I have tried logging into the adminCP with it set to .thefloorpro.com and blank, with no joy at all.

I won't do any test database backups until I can get the dang site running on the test domain. It's just as easy to get a live site database backup and keep things current.

Please keep in mind that I haven't moved anything. The live site is still alive and well at thefloorpro.com. If I change something like the cookie domain on the live site, I'll never be able to log back into my live site, right? I edited the config.php file on the test site and added the proper forum path.

Again, I have never edited a database before. I would never even attempt it without complete and detailed instructions. I follow directions very well and ain't afraid to try just about anything with the right directions. There's no way I would wander into that dark cave without them.

Please don't think I am trying to be a smart-ass here, but this "clear all cookies" thing seems like just so much blanket statement. If the cookie name I use at my test site is different than any other cookie name on my computer, why would clearing all my cookies help? I honestly don't understand that. Is the cookie name being over-ridden by something? I woulda thought the only good reason to do that is if there were more than one site with the same cookie name.

I have that problem on another site (owned by someone else). They didn't use a unique name for their cookie and it's the same cookie name as the forum software vendor, so now I have to log into both sites every time I visit one of them since the last time I visited the other one. The forum owner doesn't think there's a problem because he never visits the forum software vendor's site and none of his members do either, so they stay logged in all the time.

Anyway, sorry for getting side-tracked. I am very frustrated with this. I am not a novice, but this has baffled me. I know people set up test domains all the time. I know that forums get moved from one server to another all the time. So I have no idea why this has been the trouble it has.

Let me ask again: Would it help to install a new version of 3.6.4 on the test site, get it running, upload all my extra files and install the rest of my software in the versions that are running on the live site, then merge the database backup with the running database on the test site. Or would merging the 2 databases cause me the same login problem as before?

Maybe I should do an ImpEx installation. I did that for a guy running an old UBB Threads board just recently and it was a pretty smooth deal. Maybe I should install vB 3.6.8, the latest CMPS, vB Gallery and vB Google Map ME, plus the style and other hacks I have and then do an import conversion.

I'm grasping at straws now.

Jim

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Always a work in progress:
The Floor Pro Community

Oh, well to me a template, style and skin are the same thing

Anyways, yes, the default style is what I was referring to..

Check to see if you have the same cookies issues with the default style, if not then it might be bad coding.

You can easily add a new style and check if it happens on the default style.

good luck
-Brandon

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Brandon, Brandon, Brandon...

How can I change to the default style if I can't log into the adminCP?

Jim

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can you pm me the url, user and pass ?
I don't really see why you're having the issues, you've cleared your cookies or even switched browsers ?

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Yes, even though I don't think it does any good, I cleared my cookies. No change. I have used every browser in my arsenal and still can't do a successful login.

I edited the tools.php script so that it would change the cookie domain to ".thefloorpro.net" but it didn't change anything either. I changed it back to blank, just in case vBulletin support finally makes it in to check things out.

Frustrating, just frustrating. Sent you a PM.

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Always a work in progress:
The Floor Pro Community