We are unable to decode the file storing your credentials. Need help?!

[Aisling Jameson 1]

I am using the firestorm viewer.  I was in the middle of logging off when my computer unexpectly shut down on me.  I reboot it and upon relogging into sl the following message appeared:

We are unable to decode the file storing your credentials.  At this point saving or deleting your credentials will earse all those previously stored.  This may happen when you change your network setup.  Restarting the viewer with the previous network configuration may help recovering your saved login credentials.

 

I have tried uninstalling the viewer and restarting.  I have tried to look for any extra hidden files (even though I can't seem to locate certain parts like c:\user\name\library ... or c:\user\name\appdata.    I also can't seem to find where the xml files are located as another post has stated to try to delete.  

Please if someone can help me or walk me through this I would greatly appreciate it.

 

 

Update: 7/7/13

I followed the link as provided and did a clean uninstall and deleted all hidden files.  It is no longer stating the previous error message but now will not allow me to login.  I have double checked my user name and password and it should work.  I have even tried logging into Smith, Hippo Hallow and Hatton but it still says that I cannot login due to wrong username/password or caps lock on.  

Additional help is needed.  Thank you!

 

Update part 2

I tried a new password and that still didn't help.  I found that previously (before the new install) I was able to log into SL with my first/last name and no space between them.  After the new install there has to be a space between first/last name.  Everything is in working order now.

 

 

[Dresden Ceriano 116]

Here's the detailed instructions of how to do a clean reinstall... link.  Follow them and you should be alright.  Remember to set your hidden folders to show or you'll never be able to find the ones you're looking for.

...Dres

[Aisling Jameson 1]

Ok...got it all figured out! YAY! Did a clean uninstall and made sure to get rid of the chat files. But I cleaned at all files that I could find that belong to anything SL related. Then upon installing it I couldn't log back in. The password and user name were correct. I even went in and changed my password but it still didn't help. The simpliest thing....prior to the install my user name was my first/last name without any space. Upon the reinstall there has to be a space inbetween. *rolls eyes* So I am back into the world and happy once again (after 5 hours of freaking/stressing out). Thanks for the help. And I hope this post helps others.

[Rolig Loon 15,829]

Your account may have been compromised if:

• You can't access your account.
• You suddenly notice a reduced available balance on the payment source you have on file.

If this happens, contact us immediately!

Here's what to do:

1. Go to the Second LIfe Help page and log in if you can. If you can't access your account, use the Forgot your login information? link on the right to recover your username and reset your password. Then log in.
2. On the Second LIfe Help page page, click the Contact Support link on the right.
3. On the next page, click Submit a a Support Case form.
4. Under What type of problem are you having?, select Account Issue. A second dropdown appears.
5. Under Account Issue, select I believe my account has been compromised.
6. Fill in the rest of the fields as directed.
7. Click Submit.
8. Check your email for your case number.
9. Call our fraud number: 800-860-6990.

Once you do this, Linden Lab will place your account on hold and investigate the relevant transactions. This may take a few days. Once we have concluded the investigation, we'll send you an email explaining our conclusion and the action we will take. Note that all transactions involving Linden dollars are subject to Linden Lab's Terms of Service.

Tip: Even if you are able to log into your account, we recommend that you change your password immediately to something secure and unique.  Changing your password regularly is one good way to protect the safety of your account.  For information on how to change your password, see the How to change your password section of this article.

 

[Trip30 1]

all i know is this is annoying as Helll......i mean why isnt the file stored in some place that you can just deleate it i delated my settings and the damn thing STILL popped up, i never had this problem before i had disabled then reneabled my wifi adapter and apparently that litlte thing can cause it to f up.  gotta freaking LOVE second life., so now i gotta deleate the damn program. which of course takes FOREEEVER to uninstall and then since the uninstall doesnt actually remove the whole damn thing  gotta find the thread to actually do an actual "Clean" uninstall of the damn peice of crap THEN reinstall THEN change all my damn settings back to the way they were.  GOD gotta LOVE freaking second life. i NEVER had this problem with older viewers a year or so back i disabled, reneabled /changed my network adapters all the time and there was NO problem now "magically" you disable it ONCE and the stupid crap will screw up your stored login.

 

THanks OH so much Linden Lab for making Second Life the pinnical of quality programming.,

[Bifford Lightstone 0]

This thread to this point did not help my issue. After a couple of months of trying to figure this out I was pointed to my logs to see what was happening (I should have checked this a long time ago) I saw that my CA.pem (certificate) file could not be read.

I fixed it.  The issue was with my root certs not being up to date. I went to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931125 to get the update necessary for my computer and installed the update. I then did a clean install and everything works perfectly now.

 

I hope this helps one of you guys having this issue.

[augmeta 4]

Sorry for the necro bump but I thought I would leave this here to help anyone who has this issue in future. I have just had this problem in Firestorm after recieving a new router from my ISP. I solved it for myself without uninstalling or going through a long process.

1. Close all processes of Firestorm

2. Browse to C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Firestorm_x64\user_settings\

3. Delete bin_conf.dat (click yes for admin rights)

4. Reopen Firestorm.

Hopefully you should now be able to login as normal. I hope this helps you.

[angelpatty 38]

This isn't (I think, anyway) a real "necro bump" - I've had the exact issue the OP complained of, opening Firestorm to discover my username and password fields blanked and 

this message box appearing every time Microsoft applies a "major system update" to Windows 10:

It just happened again because Microsoft decided to annoy me with more "improved" system apps I'll never use such as "3D Print".

The procedure augmeta describes, 

"1. Close all processes of Firestorm

2. Browse to C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Firestorm_x64\user_settings\

3. Delete bin_conf.dat (click yes for admin rights)

4. Reopen Firestorm."

Kills the message BUT, unfortunately, does NOT restore my username/password list. Just to warn you.

Patty (angelpatty resident)

[LittleMe Jewell 9,095]

Oh goody, something else to look forward to when I upgrade to Windows 10.  

[angelpatty 38]

My advice?  Strongly consider any other choice of an OS.

[LittleMe Jewell 9,095]

I think I'll stay on Windows 7 for as long as I can.

[Whirly Fizzle 2,262]

1 hour ago, angelpatty Resident said:

This isn't (I think, anyway) a real "necro bump" - I've had the exact issue the OP complained of, opening Firestorm to discover my username and password fields blanked and 

this message box appearing every time Microsoft applies a "major system update" to Windows 10:

 

This is unfortunately expected behaviour with the way login credentials are stored.
The login credentials are hashed using the machine ID. Larger Windows 10 updates often issue a new machine ID - hence the saved login credentials can't be decoded.

[Lindal Kidd 6,432]

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.  I've gotten this message a time or two when I updated my Firestorm viewer (including with a clean install), and at least once when Windows 10 did updates.

Just manually type in your username and your password.  Problem solved.

The only time this might become a problem is if you forgot your password, and were relying on the "Remember my Password" option on the login screen.  This is very poor security practice, and you should not do it.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Lindal Kidd

[Alwin Alcott 3,998]

6 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

I think I'll stay on Windows 7 for as long as I can.

i only had this happening when i copied large parts of my roaming folder to a new machine.

See the explanation of Whirly : The login credentials are hashed using the machine ID. .. new machine so Firestorm didn't like those old files 

As Lindal says... just retype your login info. and if you really need... check the store function.

 

[angelpatty 38]

On 4/13/2017 at 8:27 PM, Whirly Fizzle said:

This is unfortunately expected behaviour with the way login credentials are stored.
The login credentials are hashed using the machine ID. Larger Windows 10 updates often issue a new machine ID - hence the saved login credentials can't be decoded.

Thanks, Whirly!   I wondered if it was perversity, but actually it's a reasonable precaution to keep SL residents' login information private!  And your explanation makes it clear that Microsoft is (as I suspected) entirely responsible for this.  I just wish my banking information were this secure.

Edited April 30, 2017 by angelpatty

[angelpatty 38]

On 4/13/2017 at 10:08 PM, Lindal Kidd said:

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.  I've gotten this message a time or two when I updated my Firestorm viewer (including with a clean install), and at least once when Windows 10 did updates.

Just manually type in your username and your password.  Problem solved.

The only time this might become a problem is if you forgot your password, and were relying on the "Remember my Password" option on the login screen.  This is very poor security practice, and you should not do it.

I have more than one alt.  In the interest of enhanced security, I use a different password on each.  Moreover, I just use one computer, my laptop, for Second Life.  But it's an inconvenience, not a tragedy.  One that I could easily avoid by purchasing a purse-size notebook and entering each password and username into it, perhaps in the Cyrillic alphabet so casual violations of my privacy are difficult.

Moreover, Whirly answered my question - this is a "feature", not a "bug" and its purpose is to bind easy access to our SL accounts to the specific computers we use to access Second Life, which works for me.  If I'd been aware that's how Firestorm worked, I wouldn't even have brought the question here.

[Tarina Sewell 36]

On 4/13/2017 at 8:29 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

Oh goody, something else to look forward to when I upgrade to Windows 10.  

 I am on a MAC and I constantly have this issue even when no OS upgrade is preformed.  It happened twice to me today.  

[garaouelle Giha 0]

u found noine of the advice had any relation tpo the issue.
whether updation or clean instal YOU STILL GET SAME ERROR!
 

how i solved it was this way:
originally my avatar/user name was garaouelle Giha, and i got the error when using this user namje.
as soon as i made the firt name, garaouelle, with first letter as upper-case to Garaouelle, then it now let's me in.

WHY COULDN'T SL HAVE USED A MORE RELEVANT AND INFORMATIVE ERROR MESSGE THAT HAD ANY BEARING UPON THE REALITY OF THE SIT6UATION.

i'm getting  very tired of SL now as i can run other open worlds on my android phone much better than SL has ever worked on a PC.

[Love Zhaoying 3,570]

14 minutes ago, garaouelle Giha said:

as soon as i made the firt name, garaouelle, with first letter as upper-case to Garaouelle, then it now let's me in.

Easy fix - remember that your user name is "case-sensitive". SOLVED!

[Joceus 0]

Yes, confirming this worked for me .... and boy ... I am glad I write my credentials on paper sheet

Locate and delete the file called bin_conf.dat.

 

[HomerWilson 0]

deleting the log in credentials sees to it that if you do not have your passwords all written down in an "Avatar Bible" that kids do not use as a coloring book. you will lose Avatars. if you do not back up your information some how, have fun trying to recover your avatars..... Linden Labs and Windows people need to have a sit down and talk about how to fix this issue. because some people do not save pass words with pen and paper, for fear of kids logging in on their account, or a spouse logging in to see who they been "cybering" with on sl.

Homar Wilson

Avid SL Addict.

thinks about starting an SL anonymous Group

[Lindal Kidd 6,432]

You should never leave "remember my password" checked on the login screen.  Second Life has only a single level of security...your password.  If you leave that box checked, you have just given everyone who can physically access your computer access to your SL account.

Use a password vault/manager like Dashlane, and write down all your important account information (for all your online accounts, not just SL) and keep it somewhere safe.

[Callum Meriman 3,085]

18 hours ago, HomerWilson said:

Linden Labs and Windows people need to have a sit down and talk about how to fix this issue. because some people do not save pass words with pen and paper, for fear of kids logging in on their account, or a spouse logging in to see who they been "cybering" with on sl.

This is not an issue or fault, it's by clear design. The passwords are encrypted with your network card's MAC address for safety. Why? To stop your spouse or anyone taking the file, installing it on their computer, and then logging in as you to see who you have been with.

If you don't want to write down your avatars on paper, then go to https://keep.google.com and create a note there. Write the password backwards if you like. Another solution is to use a password manager, like https://lastpass.com or any number of others - which is a good idea for all your passwords anyway.

[Chaz Longstaff 2]

I have two physical drives in my desktop. C and D, they are actually separate physical drives.  Windows and programmes are installed on C. D is for data.

Someone has suggested that if I installed Firestorm on drive D, the non-system disk, that this problem would go away. Any idea if this is so?

This constant loss of password is a real pain in the butt for me as I need many alts for my biz / work in SL.  I understand the reasoning from reading above but that doesn't mean I have to like it . I have a million other pieces of software I use on a daily basis, and this is the only one that loses all passwords when a Windows update occurs. Heck, my Chrome browser remembers and retains all my SL passwords for the secondlife.com site, which have even travelled with me cached in the browser to a new computer when I've upgraded to new computers.

Edited Tuesday at 02:13 AM by Chaz Longstaff

[Lindal Kidd 6,432]

Chaz,

Even if that dodge works, I have to say that, in my opinion, you are Doing It Wrong if you check the "remember my password" box on the login screen.  ALWAYS enter your password manually, every time you log in.  This has two benefits:

1. You will be almost certain to remember your password, since you are using it often enough that it will lodge in your memory.
2. Access to your account will be more secure.  Second Life has, sadly, only a single level of security, your password.  You should never give that up by letting the login screen do it for you.

[Callum Meriman 3,085]

4 hours ago, Chaz Longstaff said:

Someone has suggested that if I installed Firestorm on drive D, the non-system disk, that this problem would go away. Any idea if this is so?

Not really, it happens when a major part of your computer has changed.

This time around though it's that the last major update to Windows 10 did something that changed a critical value used in the encryption of the passwords. If I recall, the last major update before this one did it too.