|
Thanks very much for reading my rant and letting me know that I'm not alone in this.
I really appreciate it. 
|
|
|
|
|
There's few things I quickly lose patience with these days as password resets. Of course, I have countless friends/family who come to me when they need to do so, and I always ask them - what have you tried so far? And the answer is always, oh, I didn't even dare touch it.
Gee, thanks, in other words, you come to me potentially wasting my time doing something you probably should have been able to do yourself. If you can't figure it out, that's one thing, I'll be happy to help then, but if you can't even bother to try first...?
I have a relative, specifically, who somehow kept "losing" his Facebook password--repeatedly. At one point I just told him it's unrecoverable, you'll have to create a new account from scratch.
I think he was up to account #7 before he gave up Facebook. (So, a win, for himself and the rest of humanity?)
|
|
|
|
|
dandy72 wrote: At one point I just told him it's unrecoverable, you'll have to create a new account from scratch.
My situation is getting worse.
I can sign into her account but the only way it works is that when I attempt to sign in it sends me a code to her backup mail. Next I put the code in and I'm signed into the account.
However, when I try to reset the password it says, "Oh, I've already sent you too many codes and you'll have to wait til tomorrow." Even though it is now another day and it only sent me one code today.
I'm thinking that is just a "put off" answer and it is never going to send me a code to reset the password. I just can't tell. It's absolutely crazy.
but once you give up, apathy kicks in and you don't care any more anyways. So I'm just waiting for apathy. 
|
|
|
|
|
Commiserating 1 2 3. Beer is the answer! To every question 😀
>64
It’s weird being the same age as old people. Live every day like it is your last; one day, it will be.
|
|
|
|
|
Beer... the cause of and the solution to all our problems.
-- Homer Simpson
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
|
|
|
|
|
Gives me an excuse to order a pizza.
(I make my own beer, latest batch is stout).
>64
It’s weird being the same age as old people. Live every day like it is your last; one day, it will be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
It is a pity that it is only avbailable in spanish... but your letter reminded me: Carta de un albañil gallego - YouTube[^]
I really hope the youtube translation to english is good enough to have a good understanding of the letter (and a lot of laughs)... (btw, it is supposed to be a real case)
EDIT: bold added
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
modified 11-Mar-24 12:43pm.
|
|
|
|
|
Ahah - You have obviously never been in the position of trying to retrieve a lost Apple password, because what you went through does not get near - and it was a PITA already. Apple made that so silly that you need another Apple device  to be able to. So it is if you want to locate an Apple device you lost ( try and loose your iPhone while skiing ). So please loose your thing during Apple store opening hours, otherwise you will have to wait to get your account back. 
|
|
|
|
|
Oh my gosh!! That sounds terrible. I appreciate you commiserating with me.
Today, things are worse, I guess, because it still won't send me a code to reset the password.
But, as I said to someone else here, soon apathy will kick in and I just won't care any more.
So, I'm just waiting for apathy to fully kick in so I no longer care.
|
|
|
|
|
I suppose that's unpleasant, but password managers exist to avoid this scenario. Some are even free!
|
|
|
|
|
My condolences sent! On my end, I'm getting 30 - 40 helpful emails from Microsoft each day which provide me with my one-time code to reset my password! Obviously this is a stream of hackers who know my email address, trying to take over the account, and the process appears to be working. But if I should ever actually want to change my password, how will I know that the email is a real one, not just the next hacking attempt?
Will Rogers never met me.
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Wright wrote: how will I know that the email is a real one, not just the next hacking attempt?
Wow! That is a very salient point!
I seem to be in a stalemate with the automated process.
I went to her computer and thought, "Ok, let's see if we can reset the password from there."
Nope! I can't even find a place where I can attempt to change the password anywhere on the machine.
I'm completely flabbergasted with this entire process.
Keep in mind if I want to sign in using her credentials then I type in her main email address, then the thing says, "Sending you a code to your backup email" then I type the code in and I'm logged in.
However, I'm trying to add her account to a new computer and it wants me to type in a password which I don't know and cannot reset.
I have no idea what I'm doing. But since I've only used computers for 35 years now, I guess that makes sense.
|
|
|
|
|
I too have encountered the very same with Microsoft and codes sent via email. Even worse is their "Authenticator" app, it's a complete fiasco!
|
|
|
|
|
Private Dobbs wrote: Even worse is their "Authenticator" app, it's a complete fiasco!
Oh, wow! Good to know that. I almost switched to that to see if I could get things reset, but fortunately I didn't.
I finally waited until today (36 hours later) and I finally got the reset code and was able to get the password reset. I can't believe this craziness is over. Phew...
|
|
|
|
|
it's not just MS.
ALL of them are just as bad in some way or another.
About 5 years ago now, my Brother in Law passed suddenly. As I was the only one in the immediate family with any tech skills I was given the task of getting all of his various social media stuff shut down.
NOTE: I said shut down, not even accessed, just closed... gone... no longer needed.
At the time, (Hard to believe now) MS was actually the easiest. Didn't need to get in, but I did, got into One drive backed everything up, requested the account be closed. Job done.
Apple, hard initially, but after a trip to the local Apple store and physical production of the Death Certificate, followed by a call to the support team in Dublin, everything was done for me. They backed up the account, sent us a link to download the backups then closed the accounts.
Google was easy, no involvement needed, it turns out I was easily able to guess the security questions etc, and the back up email was his MS one which I still had access too. so all good...
Facebook..... Holy Heck, was that one something else.
Staff consistently unhelpful, Automated bot processes that didn't work properly, Accusations posted in email directly at myself and the family actively accusing us of attempted fraud.
5 years on, his account is still active, routinely get's flagged by spam bots and everything else, and every time I try to even get in touch with a human operator, I get the exact same message.
"This account has been flagged, you can only make requests to this account via a human operator, before we will assign anyone to the case, you must send us a copy of your death certificate and current ID to prove you have died, we will ONLY discuss matters on this account with the named account holder, including requests to close the account"
Straight up... they are asking my brother to provide his own ID, and his death certificate to prove he died.
We have tried several times over the past years to point out to them "he's dead" what part of "him presenting his own death certificate, doesn't make sense to you", but it just falls on deaf ears.
That and the amount of email his google accounts still receive from social & shopping sites that where told 5 years ago he'd passed and where asked to remove his details, but never did.
I understand wanting to protect folks social media accounts against hackers, but some of the policy's and the ways things are done is just beyond belief.
All we want is the account closed and removed from the internet, his mother particularly wants FB to stop sending her notifications on what's happening on his account, but it all falls on deaf ears.
|
|
|
|
|
Wow, I'm truly sorry that you went through that.
I was thinking the same kinds of things, "how does a hacker ever hack this stuff when I have the actual credentials and can't even get it working?"
I too was worried that they were going to think I was hacking the account and they would lock it entirely or something.
Peter Shaw wrote: I understand wanting to protect folks social media accounts against hackers, but some of the policy's and the ways things are done is just beyond belief.
These were my same thoughts while going through this.
If you've never been through trying to get things reset you will be blissfully ignorant. But once your eyes open you will see it for all the terrible things it holds.
Very sorry that FB has made that process so terrible and difficult.
Thanks for sharing your story.
|
|
|
|
|
100% commiseration. A client called me with the same problem recently; he thought he was doing something wrong. I remoted to his PC and I was equally stymied by confusing prompts, and links leading to paths which only looped back to the original page.
He contacted Microsoft and waited 6 days for a call back. After another 3 days to and fro with them, he finally got his password reset.
I understand Microsoft's advice was to set up multiples of all the MFA methods the account allows.
On the bright side, we both learned something. And, maybe this will reduce the number of people who barrage IT for help with thier hacked and hijacked personal Outlook and Hotmail accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
I commiserate with you 
Went through this when my client provided a new 'work' phone. My experience is very similar, except I chose the text message route and my MS accounts are linked.
No message, wait the required time, and resend. Voila! text message. "You've entered the wrong code". Umm, no, I didn't. A while later another code shows up in a text message, but it had expired. Rinse and repeat. Got smarter, waited a while and got lucky it came in time. Which then generates another we sent you a code message.
This time, nada. Turns out it went to my other phone, lol.
The instructions were unclear, to say the least!
|
|
|
|
|
Good luck waiting!
Had that kind of issue with a client/neighbor of mine. Couldn't log into OneDrive as she didn't know the password to her Microsoft Live account. Didn't even know she had one, as her daughter set up the laptop a couple of years ago, didn't take note of it and doesn't remember.
Went through all those trials and tribulations for two days, including trying to prove that she was really the person she said to be. After two weeks she gets an email from Microsoft that they can verify her identity and thus can't reset the password...
That's why I always set up new computers with a local password, or use a dummy email account account and immediately uninstall OneDrive once I get to the desktop (and set up a local user next, and/or enable the local administrator account and take good note of that password).
|
|
|
|
|
Ralf Quint wrote: After two weeks she gets an email from Microsoft that they can verify her identity and thus can't reset the password...
I was worried about that so I just kept waiting until I could finally get a reset code successfully sent to me.
I finally did get a reset code and was able to set the password again.
It's a crazy process!
Ralf Quint wrote: That's why I always set up new computers with a local password,
That's a solid idea. 
|
|
|
|
|
Somebody put some considerable time into this: Scale of the Universe[^]
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
I already knew it, but I forgot about it.
Thanks for reminding me of it
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
From the same author... interesting simulation: Three-Body Problem: A Precise Simulation - YouTube[^]
And unexpected end (for me at least)
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
|
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
