I'm still using XP, but I gave my wife a copy of Linux Mint. She didn't like getting blocked out of her gmail account and some other sites. She had to start all over again because they said WHO ARE YOU ?

How can I avoid this problem ? ....... Please don't assume I'm going to choose Linux Mint. I'm going to look for DummiesXpeeLinux first. Getting too old to be bothered Learning Learning Learning.

This is a shot in the dark, but was she connecting to those sites without having to enter a username or password because she clicked "Remember Me" the last time she logged in?

The "Remember Me" causes the site to drop a cookie that shows her as logged in. If that cookie is not present, she will not be recognized. Has she tried logging in with her credentials? If she does, the "Remember Me" should work, at least until she clears her cookies. If she's connecting with Mint when having previously connected with XP, Mint will not have that cookie in the browser cache (if she's using a Live CD, the cookies will be deleted at the end of the live session).

I have my browser clear cookies whenever I shut it down--it's my little effort to annoy sites that drop tracking cookies. And, as a matter of principle, I never check the "Remember Me."

Re: Post #2 frankbell

Thanks for the reply. It was a used computer with Windows 7 that wasn't behaving right (browsing with Firefox). I think Win 7 was corrupted, so we put in the Linux Mint disk and installed it. She had all her all her usernames and passwords written down in a notebook. She opened Firefox from Mint and typed in her ID stuff when Gmail opened. Gmail said nope - don't know you so she made a new account. Then she had to tell eBay and others. Big nuisance. :-(
The tricky part: Is there some way to save cookies (USB flash drive?) and install them to a new Linux setup ? I would be using Firefox as I am now, if that makes any difference. Do the cookies belong in Firefox or ?

I don't know whether there's some way to save cookies, but I can recommend KeepassX for a password vault.

A web search for "copy cookies between computers" turned up a number of links.

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Passwords are not stored in cookies, but in an encrypted file. If you search online for "firefox password storage location" you can find where they go.

Perhaps I have read this wrong but are you saying that when she attempts to log in with the correct username and password it will not let her?
Or does it say something like "this is a new computer, you must verify it is you"?
The first means she likely wrote her details down wrong or the browser is not working properly. The second, I am afraid, may be something one has to live with when using a new device.

Hello to friends in the UK (posts 5&6)

David - Yes I think the password file is called sqlite. If that's incorrect let me know what it is.

273 you said - "this is a new computer, you must verify it is you"? .... Computers and the internet are never that polite. All you get is: Incorrect password or username. Her username and password Were correct.
Also "may be something one has to live with when using a new device." .... I think that about sums it up. Give us your name, rank and serial number and we'll let you back in. Guess that's why it's called the web. It's a trap. :-(

You contradict yourself. Is it telling you that the username and password are incorrect or is it telling you that this is a new device?
This matters a lot.

It's been a few months since she installed Mint. Neither of us can exactly remember. We're not as sharp as we used to be. I know that's not much help. Surely there must be an article out there somewhere that covers this problem.

I think it's important you understand this is not a "linux" (i.e. Mint) issue. Anytime you use a new browser, a site is not going to recognize you. If she entered the passwords and it still didn't work, most likely she had the wrong passwords or username or the site just messed up somehow. It's unfortunate she had to start new accounts.

No she had everything hand written in a notebook. Google messed up

As I stated it is important to let us know exactly what is happening when you try to log in. If it is telling you that this is a new unrecognised device then there is no answer but to go through the questions or procedures presented -- that's what some sites do with a new machine and as has been pointed out above it has nothing to do with Linux and happens with any new machine (a friend had it with facebook on her new Windows laptop, for example).
If the sites are telling you the username and/or password are incorrect you should double check you have them written down correctly in the right pairings and with attention paid to upper or lower case. If it is every site you have passwords for which fails to recognise them then I think you may have problems with your install.
There are also usually procedures on the sites you visit for changing "forgotten" passwords.
There is an outside chance that if you are using the same web browser under Linux as Windows (Firefox for example) you could copy across the profile folder where the cookies are installed but that may just result in more problems.

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Indeed that would be the very first thing to try...

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Partial quote from 273 (post#12)

"There are also usually procedures on the sites you visit for changing forgotten" passwords. There is an outside chance that if you are using the same web browser under Linux as Windows (Firefox for example) you could copy across the profile folder where the cookies are installed but that may just result in more problems."

Everyone had good answers. One had some good links. Now that I have the phrase "profile folder" in my head, perhaps I should sign up at the site for Firefox discussions because that's what I use now and will continue to use with my Linux install on a newer computer. After I start using Linux I'll read the instructions that usually come with it. If I have a problem I can't solve, I'll come back. Let's consider this one as solved, but I will return if I have some experiences to share.

BIG thanks to everyone for being so helpful ..... Alan :-)