Browsers Forgetting Passwords?

[DreadZer0]

All my browsers have forgotten my passwords. So when i try to automatically log in to a website like facebook or MWO, i have to type the password in myself, and then click remember. And 5 minutes later, it's forgotten the password.

Firefox, IE7, Opera, all the same problem.

What's going on?

[roadweasel]

double click or highlight your log-in name then click in the password box - most of the time my browser will then remember my pw. Have you recently upgraded your browsers or did you do a scandisk or defrag and clean out all your passwords? Ran your av proggie lately? Checked for hijack attempts? I don't have a clue what's wrong but those are a few things I check when things go funky.

[gcountach]

There could also be software out there that's keeping your computer from making changes to HD, especially in certain folders. Not sure what though... And as RoadWeasel said, some websites require you to click on the login-name area before it'll autofills... just one of those things. Also, at least for firefox, website has to fully load before it'll autofill. Baring those things, read on...

If it was just one browser, I'd say a corrupted database for the passwords. The fact its happening to all your browsers though is strange. Did they all happen at once or did all of them mess up over time? If it's over time, still could be corrupted files. Could also be some overbearing software you have installed.

Lets do some normal maintenance first. I'd run Chkdisk on all hard drives. Go to My Computer and right click on each drive and hit properties. Then click over to Tools tab and click the Check Now... button under error-checking. If the drive has programs on it that are running, or is the partition that Windows is on, it'll make you reboot to check it. If you have the time, I'd go ahead and do the surface scan too, just incase the problem is files being written to bad sectors. I'd update anti-virus and run it. I'd also update (or download if you don't have it) Spybot Search & Destroy and have it run to see if it catches anything. You can also update/download Ad-Aware if you feel exceptionally paranoid that something's afoul.

If you're having other issues with files saving/not opening/etc, it may be worth doing a check of your Hard Drive itself, as it may be a sign of it going out. If you can find out what hard drive manufacturer you have, you can download a boot-disc that'll run tests at the hardware level for a hard drive.

Either way, I'd clear out all passwords saved on all your browsers after doing chkdsk. If its a problem with the database not being able to store a password properly, then you should let it start from scratch. In firefox, hit CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE and check all and hit "Clear Private Data Now". On IE7, hit Tools in the top right, click "Delete Browsing History", and click "Delete All". I don't use Opera, so you're on your own there. Yes, you're deleting more than just the passwords, but might as well start from a clean slate to reduce the amount of variables involved.

So that's where I'd start. If that doesn't do it, perhaps more information is needed. operating system, user's level (admin/power user/etc.), and anything else you may find worth mentioning.