Customer can't login with valid email & password

This is becoming a growing problem for me and I'm losing customers because of it. I've reported this problem before about 2 years ago and got no real answer: http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?170334-Returning-Customer-getting-Invalid-Login

Situation: The customer has previously created an account and has been able to login successfully before at least once. However, when they go to login again, the system tells them either their email or password is incorrect. I can verify that they do have an account and the email matches. (Some also report requesting a new password and never getting it but that's not my worry.)

However, when some have inadvertently replied back on the new password email, I can successfully log into their account. Every month I get a dozen or more of these problems and some get quite angry that I am "preventing" them from accessing their products.

What can I do to resolve this issue? Or is it something on their computer that is blocking it? If so, what do I tell them? Some of them are quite sophisticated but most are not.

I've looked at the upgrade process to the current version and frankly it scares me and after spending a week messing with it, I gave up.

Site is: lindeegembroidery.com/shop

TIA for any useful tips.

Lindee

• What version of PHP and MySQL is your server using? (See Admin->Tools->Server Info)
• In what ways is your site customized or different from a brand new uncustomized install?
• What plugins/addons have you installed? When? What payment module(s) are you using? Which shipping module(s) are you using?
• Any errors recorded in your myDebug-xxxx.log files in your /cache/ folder?

Thanks for your quick response.

[*]What version of PHP and MySQL is your server using? (See Admin->Tools->Server Info)
PHP Version: 5.2.17
MySQL 5.0.96-log

[*]In what ways is your site customized or different from a brand new uncustomized install?
Custom template (purchased) applied (8/2010)
Modified product counts to work with downloadable products (4/2013)
Custom work done to create a new product template (12/2011)
changed internal configurations through the admin options

[*]What plugins/addons have you installed? When? What payment module(s) are you using? Which shipping module(s) are you using?
EasyPopulate (12/2011)
QuickBooks download (2011)
Email Address Exporter (2011)
(Problem was occurring within a month of setting up system in 8/2010)

[*]Any errors recorded in your myDebug-xxxx.log files in your /cache/ folder?
None.

Lindee

Still with GoneDaddy? Still getting the occasional 500 error?

Still with GoDaddy.Don't see any 500 errors.

Is this a problem with GoDaddy? If so, is there a way around it other than switch? If switch, what are some recommendations?

Lindee

LindeeG:

Is this a problem with GoDaddy?
Highly unlikely.
But if switching is something you want to do, see the "Services" tab at the top of this page.

No, I'd prefer not to switch. I just want to correct the problem so people can login without Zen Cart telling them they don't exist.

Lindee

This login situation is unusual. It doesn't exist in sites installed with fresh ZC code and no alterations, and where the server is properly configured for sessions and cookies.

Some things to check:

• in your /includes/configure.php file, you have an HTTP_SERVER and HTTPS_SERVER value set. If one is using a "www." and the other is not, then you should make sure both are set to whatever your SSL certificate is designed for. So, if your SSL certificate is registered to the "www." version of your domain, then make sure both your HTTP_SERVER and HTTPS_SERVER both have the "www." in them.

• find out what browser your customers are using when this happens, and keep a log

• get them to clear their browser cookies before trying again

• find out all the ways in which your site is different from official original ZC code: http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Troubleshoot_-_Diagnosing_Obscure_Issues

• upgrade to the latest version, which contains all kinds of fixes and updates to keep up with contemporary browsers and customer behaviors

Thanks, Dr. Byte. This will certainly give me something to start on.

Lindee

OK, Dr. Byte,

I wasn't sure where you wanted me to repost this and since it is a continuation of solving of the login problem, here it is.

My HTTP_SERVER and HTTPS_SERVER values were correctly set.

The browsers used are mostly IE 8 but also included Chrome, Firefox, and Safari; some older, some newest. Most of my customers are Windows users, very few Mac. I use a Mac. I hate to call them "little old ladies" because for the most part they are the same age I am. They are easily frustrated when things aren't simple.

I've spent the last 4 days doing the compare and have sorted everything out there and created a working test version.

I installed 1.5.1 in a demo folder and created a new db. Installed the new mods, updated & tested everything with the test data and all was going well until I restored a backup of my live db into the test db. At that point, I got the following message when trying to log into admin:

 database upgrade required. please run the 1.3.9-to-1.5.0 upgrade via zc_install

However, when I run that, I only get the option to install, not upgrade the file although I see the upgrade files within the zc_install folder.

I searched the forums and found where you had advised to change the configure files to match the password and username of the the old/restored from file. I did that but now when I try to log into admin I get:

 WARNING: An Error occurred, please refresh the page and try again.

Refreshing just regenerates the error page. Am I missing something else? Any other tips? I'm rather at an impasse here. I've messed with this last step all day and I'm feeling like those little old ladies who can't log in.

Thanks for any advice,

Lindee

LindeeG:

WARNING: An Error occurred, please refresh the page and try again.

Refreshing just regenerates the error page. Am I missing something else? Any other tips? I'm rather at an impasse here. I've messed with this last step all day and I'm feeling like those little old ladies who can't log in.

Thanks for any advice,

Lindee

Can you post the error message(s)?

You find them in your /cache folder (prior to 1.5.1) or your /logs folder (for 1.5.1)

In your other post you said you were getting messages about mismatched versions and needing to upgrade.

That tells me that your PHP files are for Version A, but your database is for version B (or vice-versa)

So, either your "restore" didn't bring back both the database and the files, or you've got your configure.php DB_XXXXX settings pointing to the wrong database or wrong prefix.

Oh and when I install a virgin version of 1.39d in another folder, it can see the restored new db just fine.

Lindee

You lost me there.

When I do the install with 1.5.1, create a database, then restore from a copy of the working version from my active 1.3.9d store, I get the message I need to update (which there is no option for) but when I install a virgin 1.3.9d version, create a new database, do the restore from the same file, it works perfectly. Both happen when I do not change the config file on either version. If I change the config file for 1.5.1 so the username matches the file I restored from (as you advised in another post), then it doesn't recognize the database.

If it's a PHP A/B thing, how do I fix that? How do I know that's what it is?

Lindee

LindeeG:

...
When I do the install with 1.5.1, create a database, then restore from a copy of the working version from my active 1.3.9d store, I get the message I need to update (which there is no option for)...
If you replace the Zen Cart 1.5.1 database ("demo" store) with the database from Zen Cart 1.3.9d ("live" store)... You need to run "zc_install" again (from the "demo" 1.5.1 store) to upgrade the database. You will get an option to "upgrade" the database as long as your database "prefix" is the same in both the "live" and "demo" stores. After upgrading the database, you will also want to check / update any Store Settings (in the admin). You may also need to re-install any plugins which alter the database.

P.S. One should not try to selectively drop / add different tables between versions either... 99% of the time it is safer to just say goodbye to the settings and data in your test 1.5.1 store... Replace the database with the older version... And run zc_install to "upgrade" the database to the correct version.