Login Helper

Gmail, which stands for Google Mail, is a very popular email service provided by Google. Users can access their Gmail accounts either via the official Gmail website or from a software program via email protocols such as POP3 or IMAP.

Gmail login problems are common and users who experience them will find a large variety of threads, articles and discussions during their searches.

Some of the most important information about Gmail are the following:

• Official Gmail login page: http://www.google.com/mail/
• Gmail username: usually in the form name@gmail.com
• Gmail password: selected by the user during setup of the email account

Identifying the login problem

The first step in resolving the login issue is to assess the situation. Where and when does the problem occur, questions that need to be asked and answered are

1. Is the Gmail website loading properly
2. Is it possible to enter the Gmail username and password
3. Are error messages displayed, if so which

Gmail Password Recovery

A very common problem is that the password cannot be remembered by the user. Gmail offers a password recovery form that can be used if the Gmail user knows the username of the account.

Google will ask for the username and display a captcha afterwards. This password recovery option can only be used if a secondary email account has been configured in Gmail.

The security questions can be used to recovery a Gmail login if no secondary email account has been set in the Gmail account. This is basically the same process as above except that the security question needs to be answered after filling in the captcha.

Your browser’s cookie functionality is turned off. Please turn it on:

This is another error message that can be displayed to Gmail users when trying to login to the service. Users who receive that message need to enable cookies in their web browser so that they can login into Gmail.

Certificate Error:

Certificate errors are usually caused by time or date differences. Make sure the right time and data are displayed in the operating system.

We’re sorry but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application

Potential causes include abuse of Google sites on your network, malicious software on your computer, or an issue with your browser.

Fill out the captcha if it is displayed. If no captcha is displayed either try to clear the temporary internet files of the web browser or use a different web browser to connect to the Gmail site. If issues remain scan you computer system with security software to make sure that it is not infected with a virus.

Temporary Error (502)

This usually refers to a temporary error that is resolved after a short time of waiting. It is always a good idea to clear the temporary Internet files before attempting to load the Gmail website again.

Some Gmail features failed to load

This is usually caused by network problems that result in data being transferred incorrectly. The issue is usually resolved after connecting again. If the message remains try clearing temporary Internet files and switching to other Gmail versions (e.g. the basic html mode).

My account has been locked

Accounts with abnormal behavior can be locked by Google for a period of 1 minute to 24 hours. Abnormal behavior includes sending large quantities of emails, undeliverable messages or software that is performing automatic Gmail logins.

In order to log in to Gmail, your browser must be set to allow JavaScript to set cookies

JavaScript is not enabled for the Gmail domain name. This needs to be changed in the web browser to be able to log into Gmail.

Oops…’ errors

Oops errors are usually displaying an error number. Google has a support page for several error numbers that can be displayed to Gmail users.

Links:

Gmail official website
I cannot access my Gmail account
I forgot my Gmail password
Gmail troubleshooting

Gmail Updates

February 10, 2011: Google has introduced a new feature, that they call 2-step verification. This basically improves the security of the account during log ins. 2-step verification adds another layer to the login which makes it harder for attackers to steal the login information. It works the following way. You need to enable 2-step verification first in the Account Settings of your Gmail or Google account page. Gmail users have the option to either install an app on their smartphone or to receive a code via SMS whenever they want to log into Gmail or other Google websites. The Gmail login page remains the same, but instead of displaying the inbox after a successful sign-in a intermediary page is displayed where the user needs to enter the code.

The new setting means that attackers need to have access to the Gmail login information and the smartphone of the user to get the code to complete the sign-in.