I have a desktop as my main computer but also keep a laptop in case I
am whipped off to hospital, want to take important stuff with me, that
means usenet amongst other things!

I tried everything to get it to work (Agent 8) on the laptop, when I
click for headers it always shows a box saying username not
recognised. I have carefully gone through making sure everything
agrees with the settings on the desktop which work, but it still
doesn't.

This afternoon I had a brilliant idea. Uninstalled Agent off the
laptop and re-installed it, having given them a credit card number for
when my free trial runs out. It came up with all my groups on it but
I put in the new info and lo and behold, nothing has changed, still
can't get headers or posts. All this after I was prepared to pay two
subscriptions :-©

Anyone any suggestions, put not too technically!

On Fri, 07 Apr 2023 15:03:52 -0300, lucretia@florence.it wrote:

> I have a desktop as my main computer but also keep a laptop in case I
> am whipped off to hospital, want to take important stuff with me, that
> means usenet amongst other things!
>
> I tried everything to get it to work (Agent 8) on the laptop, when I
> click for headers it always shows a box saying username not
> recognised. I have carefully gone through making sure everything
> agrees with the settings on the desktop which work, but it still
> doesn't.

Q.1 Is "username not recognised" the actual error message you get?

Q.2 Is the laptop using the same news server you are using now ?
That is, news.forteinc.com ?

> This afternoon I had a brilliant idea. Uninstalled Agent off the
> laptop and re-installed it, having given them a credit card number for
> when my free trial runs out. It came up with all my groups on it but
> I put in the new info and lo and behold, nothing has changed, still
> can't get headers or posts. All this after I was prepared to pay two
> subscriptions :-©
>
> Anyone any suggestions, put not too technically!

FYI, "username not recognised" (or "username not recognized") is
neither an Agent error nor a news.forteinc.com error. If that is the
actual error message when using news.forteinc.com, then those words
are coming from something else.

Check if your AV on the laptop is intercepting the connection between
Agent and the news server. If it is, try disabling that. How to do
that will depend on the AV (whichever it is). Perhaps someone with
the same AV can help.

I have had no problem getting Agent to work on another computer,
simply by copying the AGENT.INI section with news server settings from
one computer to another.

--
Kind regards
Ralph

προσέχειν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς· πρῶτοι γὰρ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αἰσθάνονται.
-- Antisthenes

On Sat, 08 Apr 2023 07:05:58 +1200, Ralph Fox <-rf-nz-@-.invalid>
wrote:

>On Fri, 07 Apr 2023 15:03:52 -0300, lucretia@florence.it wrote:
>
>> I have a desktop as my main computer but also keep a laptop in case I
>> am whipped off to hospital, want to take important stuff with me, that
>> means usenet amongst other things!
>>
>> I tried everything to get it to work (Agent 8) on the laptop, when I
>> click for headers it always shows a box saying username not
>> recognised. I have carefully gone through making sure everything
>> agrees with the settings on the desktop which work, but it still
>> doesn't.
>
> Q.1 Is "username not recognised" the actual error message you get?

Sorry it actually says 'rejected username and password'
'Authentification failed'
>
> Q.2 Is the laptop using the same news server you are using now ?
> That is, news.forteinc.com ?
Yes, and now it is weirder than ever. I turned the laptop on, went to
Agent and lo and behold it works. I was going to go from there to
tell you but everytime I try to use this group it changes the name to
a.u.o.readermodified (on the laptop) I went to newsgroup directory
and put in this group again, as soon as I try to use (on the laptop)
it chops the name up putting in the modified.

So I don't know Ralph, perhaps I kill things??? Anyway, at this point
the laptop is working and on the same service as this desktop, I'm
using Win11 on both and again, don't know what to tell you.

Now I have to figure out how to kill the new free months sub I took
out. Have I ever said how much I hate computers??? I have printed
off your suggestions so that if it happens again, I have them to hand.

Thank you very much.

On Sat, 08 Apr 2023 13:30:46 -0300, lucretia@florence.it wrote:

> Sorry it actually says 'rejected username and password'
> 'Authentification failed'

I see that error every second day. It is not a fatal error. Agent
automatically retries after 10 seconds, and that time it works.

I am using the default settings for retrying, at
Tools >> Options >> Online Operation >> Task Settings

> I was going to go from there to
> tell you but everytime I try to use this group it changes the name to
> a.u.o.readermodified (on the laptop) I went to newsgroup directory
> and put in this group again, as soon as I try to use (on the laptop)
> it chops the name up putting in the modified.
>
> So I don't know Ralph, perhaps I kill things??? Anyway, at this point
> the laptop is working and on the same service as this desktop, I'm
> using Win11 on both and again, don't know what to tell you.

I am wondering if that is related to three things in Agent

1) It is possible for the folder name to be different to the
actual newsgroup name.

* The folder name is the name you see in the desks and folders pane.

* The actual newsgroup name is the name at
(select folder) >> Folder >> Properties >> News Access Plan >> Newsgroup

2) In a folder's posting properties, there could be a custom header which
changes the newsgroup name which you are posting to.

See (select folder) >> Folder >> Properties >> Posting Messages >> Custom Fields

This custom header could also be set in a persona.

3) If Agent has two folders subscribed to the same actual newsgroup,
then funny things can happen to reply messages.

Reply messages sometimes use the properties from the other folder,
not the properties of the folder you are in.

> Now I have to figure out how to kill the new free months sub I took
> out.

"How do I cancel my account?"
<https://www.forteinc.com/apn/faq.php#C0149E9D60D4F32188256D6400630706>

> Have I ever said how much I hate computers??? I have printed
> off your suggestions so that if it happens again, I have them to hand.
>
> Thank you very much.

--
Kind regards
Ralph

Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς
AVT CVM SCVTO AVT IN SCVTO