| Login and Registration Issues |
Why can't I log in?
Have you registered yet? You must register in order to log in. Have you been banned from the board? (A message will be displayed if you have.) If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your username and password. This is almost always the problem.
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Why do I need to register at all?
You don't need to register to read the forums. However, registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as the ability to post, track new topics, have your own definable avatar image, use private messaging, email to fellow users, join usergroups etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so.
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Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc.
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How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings?
In your profile you will find an option Hide your online status; if you switch this on you'll only appear to board administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
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I've lost my password!
Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I've forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time.
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I registered but cannot log in!
First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then one of two things may have happened: if COPPA support is enabled and you clicked the I am under 13 years old link while registering then you will have to follow the instructions you received. If this is not the case then maybe your account needs activating. We require all new registrations be activated before you can log on. When you registered, you were sent an email containing an activation link inside. Follow the instructions in that email. If you did not receive the email then you either entered the wrong email address or your email system tagged it as "junk", "spam", or "bulk" email. Check for the message in those folders and be sure to allow email from "talk@myarmoury.com". Once you've made sure you're receiving email properly, you can go back to the login screen and select I need to activate my account to have the activation email re-sent to you.
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I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!
The most likely reasons for this are: you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the latter case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for boards to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. If your account no longer exists, you may try registering again and increasing your participation.
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I still need help!
If all else fails and you feel as though you've done your best to follow directions and solve the problem, please direct your questions to the site administrator.
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I get "Sorry, but this e-mail address cannot be verified" when I try to register or change my email address
The email address you enter is validated live over the Internet. If this does not succeed, you get this message. Usual reasons: you have misspelled the address, the user account does not exist, the mail server is over quota (mailbox full) or otherwise not responding properly.
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I get "Could not connect to the mail server" when I try to register/change my email address
There could be several reasons why you get this message: possibly there is a DNS failure (cannot get the IP address of the mail server from the hostname), or the host doesn't exist or is offline.
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Why is my email address or IP number banned?
We subscribe to several anti-spam databases that include email addresses and IP numbers that are on ban lists. We do this to protect our site from spammers. If your email address or IP address is listed in these places, you will have to do the due diligence to get them removed. Your first stop should be at http://www.stopforumspam.com.
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| User Preferences and settings |
How do I change my settings?
All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the Profile link shown at the top of the page and select Edit Profile to make changes.
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The times are not correct!
The times are almost certainly correct; however, what you may be seeing are times displayed in a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, you should change your profile setting for the timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still different, the most likely answer is daylight savings time (or summer time as it is known in the UK and other places). The time may be an hour different from the real local time. You might need to compensate for this difference in your profile settings.
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How do I show an image below my username?
You may see an image below a username when viewing posts. This is known as an avatar and is generally unique or personal to each member. You can add or change your own avatar image by editing your profile.
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When I click the email link for a user it asks me to log in.
Sorry, but only registered users can send email to people via the built-in email form (if the admin has enabled this feature). This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.
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Why can't I change my registered name?
Members cannot change their own name. This can be done by an admin should it be absolutely necessary. Please note that there are problems with this. If you've posted, your original name will still appear in any posts that others have quoted. Also keep in mind that search engines have archived our pages with your original name in there and this will never go away.
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| Posting Issues |
How do I post a topic in a forum?
Only registered members who are logged in can post to the forums. Simply go to the forum and click the button that says New Topic at the top of the list of topics. To post a reply to a topic, click the New Reply or Quote buttons while viewing that topic. The options available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list)
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How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are the board admin or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit ("E") button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic that lists the number of times you edited it. This will only appear if no one has replied; it also will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post (they often leave a message saying what they altered and why). Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
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How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one; this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form.
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How do I create a poll?
Creating a poll is easy -- when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add Poll form below the main posting box. If you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to create polls. You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options -- to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being an infinite amount. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, which is set by the board administrator
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How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or board administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll
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Why can't I access a forum?
Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization which only the forum moderator and board administrator can grant, so you should contact them.
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Why can't I vote in polls?
Only registered users can vote in polls so as to prevent spoofing of results. If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights.
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How do I attach images to my post?
Please see our attachment guide to learn how to upload images to the forum. If the image you want to post is already hosted on the Internet, please see our BBCode Guide for help.
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| Formatting and Topic Types |
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. Whether you can use BBCode is determined by the administrator. You can also disable it on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
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Can I use HTML?
We do not allow the use of HTML codes in posts. Please use BBCode instead.
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What are Smileys?
Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether.
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Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. You can link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode [img] tag or appropriate HTML (if allowed). If you do not have your image hosted on a Web server already, you can use the Add an Attachment option. Please refer to the Attachments section of this document for help. For image hosting, we suggest ImageShack due to its ease of use.
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What are "Announcements"?
Announcements often contain important information worth reading as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted.
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What are "Note" topics?
Topics tagged with the word "Note" appear below any announcements in the forum list and only on the first page. They are often quite important so please read them.
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What are "Spotlight" topics?
These are topics that we deem important enough to be bookmarked for easy access. Sometimes these topics are full of good reference materials and other times they're just particularly interesting discussions.
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What are Locked topics?
Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.
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| User Levels and Groups |
What are Administrators?
Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire board. These people can control all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.
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What are Moderators?
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the forums from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to prevent people going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
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What are Usergroups?
Usergroups are special groups that members are allowed to join in order to gain unique features or access to special areas of the site. Each member can belong to several groups and each group can be assigned individual access rights. Some groups are subscripton-based, others are free, and others private and invite-only.
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How do I join a Usergroup?
To join a usergroup click the usergroup link on the page header (dependent on template design) and you can then view all usergroups. Not all groups are open access -- some are closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the board is open then you can request to join it by clicking the appropriate button. The user group moderator will need to approve your request; they may ask why you want to join the group. Please do not pester a group moderator if they turn your request down -- they will have their reasons.
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Information / FAQ Categories