Help with Sign-In

Frequently asked questions about signing in.


This is the first time I’m signing in. What do I do?

First, make sure you have a User ID and password. Your site administrator will provide you with these. Once you know your User ID and password, do the following:

  1. Type your User ID into the text box containing the words User  ID
  2. Type your password into the text box containing the word password
  3. Click on the Enter button (you can also just hit the Enter key on your keyboard).
  4. If your User ID and password are valid and this is the first time you are signing into this site, you will begin the Setup Wizard. The setup wizard will take you through a number of simple steps required for you to join this online community. For example, you will confirm the time zone you are in (so that dates and times will always be displayed in your local time), you may be asked to change your password, fill in some contact information, etc. Just follow the instructions on each page of the wizard and click the Continue or Submit buttons at the top of each page until you enter your site.

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I don’t remember my password.

Below the password field is a link that says Forget your User ID or password? Click that link to request that your User ID and/or password be sent to your email address on record in your site.

If you have never signed in before or if your email address has changed, a request for a new User ID and password will be sent to your site administrator who will contact you directly.

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I don’t remember my User ID.

Below the Enter button is a link that says Forget your User ID or password? Click that link to request that your User ID and/or password be sent to your email address on record in your site.

If you have never signed in before or if your email address has changed, a request for a new User ID and password will be sent to your site administrator who will contact you directly.

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I think I have the right User ID and password, but I keep getting an Invalid user ID or Password message.

This can happen because of a number of reasons.

  1. Check to make sure that you did not inadvertently mistype your User ID.
  2. The password for your site may be case-sensitive. If so, make sure your Caps-Lock button is not turned on and that you typed your password with the correct upper and lower case characters.
  3. If you have verified that your User ID is typed correctly and your password is correct, then it is likely that your membership in the site has become inactive. This can happen if the security settings in your site automatically make someone inactive who has not logged in within a certain number of days. See below for directions on what to do if you think you cannot sign in because your membership has become inactive.
  4. For security reasons, some sites enforce a security setting that locks out anyone whose sign in fails more than 3 times in a row (because of an incorrect password). This thwarts hackers who try to break into sites using automated techniques that repeatedly enter different passwords. If you have typed your password incorrectly three or more times in a row, you may be temporarily locked out even when you enter your correct User ID and password. If that happens, the lock will automatically be released after a certain number of minutes depending upon the security requirements of your site. (This might be as little as 5 minutes or as long as 60 minutes). You can either wait for the lock to expire, or you can contact your site administrator.

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What do I do if I can’t sign in because my membership has become inactive?

If your membership in your site has become inactive, you must ask your site administrator to reactivate your membership. You can do that by contacting your site administrator directly or by filling out the online form to request your User ID and password. To fill out the online form click on the link below the Enter button that says Forget your User ID or password?. If you fill out that request form and your membership is inactive, your site administrator will be notified that you are ready to lign in. (There will, of course, be a delay before the administrator receives your request, reactivates your membership and sends you a confirmation that you can sign into the site.)

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I use a Mac. Is there anything special I need to know?

On Mac 10.X and above platforms iCohere works with both Safari, Firefox and Chrome web browsers. On older 9.x Macs, Netscape 6.2 and 7.0 are supported. Internet Explorer for the Mac is not supported.

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I use Linux. Is there anything special I need to know?

iCohere works on many Linux kernel 2.6 distributions with the Firefox web browser, but is not systematically tested on all Linux distributions. If you use Linux and encounter any problems, please let us know at support@iCohere.com

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What versions of Chrome are supported by iCohere?

All versions of Chrome are supported for iCohere. For the best performance and security it is recommended that you update to the latest version of Chrome.

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What versions of Firefox are supported by iCohere?

All versions of Firefox are supported for iCohere. For the best performance and security it is recommended that you update to the latest version of Firefox.

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What versions of Internet Explorer (IE) are supported by iCohere?

IE version 6.0 and above work with iCohere on Windows. Because of compatibility differences between IE on the PC and IE on the Mac, IE is not currently support IE on the Mac.

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I use a less known browser. Is it supported by iCohere?

Because different browsers tend to handle advanced Javascript and dynamic HTML code differently, iCohere only supports browsers which we have systematically tested for compatibility. For details, see the answers above for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome browsers, and additional Mac and Linux information.

Because we do not have the resources to systematically test every variety of available browser, we apologize if we do not currently support your favorite one.

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I have the right User ID and password, but each time I try to sign in, I just see a page that says Click to Return to iCohere. What’s wrong?

If you start to sign in successfully, but then are returned to our launch page, you are probably using software that is known as popup defenders or ad blockers. Such software prevents web pages from opening as popups in your browser and are intended to protect you from the barrage of popup ads that so often interfere with productive work on the web.

Because iCohere opens in a popup and uses popups to provide smooth and effective navigation within your site, your popup blocker will initially prevent you from logging into to your community.

If you can’t sign in to your site and think it might be due to your popup blocker, please read the section below on adding iCohere to the exceptions list in your popup blocker or browser.

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Does iCohere work with popup defenders or ad blockers?

Yes, iCohere now works automatically with most popup defenders and ad blockers. However, if you have a popup defender or ad blocker running, and you also have your web browser set to automatically remember your User ID and password, you must click the click the Enter button on the Sign In page to sign in to iCohere.

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