Login and Registration Issues
Why can’t I login?
Why do I need to register at all?
Why do I get logged off automatically?
How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
I’ve lost my password!
I registered but cannot login!
I registered in the past but cannot login any more?! <#f0r6>
What is COPPA?
Why can’t I register?
What does the “Delete all board cookies” do?
User Preferences and settings
How do I change my settings?
The times are not correct!
I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
My language is not in the list! <#f1r3>
How do I show an image along with my username?
What is my rank and how do I change it?
When I click the e-mail link for a user it asks me to login?
Posting Issues
How do I post a topic in a forum? <#f2r0>
How do I edit or delete a post? <#f2r1>
How do I add a signature to my post? <#f2r2>
How do I create a poll? <#f2r3>
Why can’t I add more poll options? <#f2r4>
How do I edit or delete a poll? <#f2r5>
Why can’t I access a forum? <#f2r6>
Why can’t I add attachments? <#f2r7>
Why did I receive a warning? <#f2r8>
How can I report posts to a moderator? <#f2r9>
What is the “Save” button for in topic posting? <#f2r10>
Why does my post need to be approved? <#f2r11>
How do I bump my topic? <#f2r12>
Formatting and Topic Types
What is BBCode? <#f3r0>
Can I use HTML? <#f3r1>
What are Smilies? <#f3r2>
Can I post images? <#f3r3>
What are global announcements? <#f3r4>
What are announcements? <#f3r5>
What are sticky topics? <#f3r6>
What are locked topics? <#f3r7>
What are topic icons? <#f3r8>
User Levels and Groups
What are Administrators? <#f4r0>
What are Moderators? <#f4r1>
What are usergroups? <#f4r2>
Where are the usergroups and how do I join one? <#f4r3>
How do I become a usergroup leader? <#f4r4>
Why do some usergroups appear in a different color? <#f4r5>
What is a “Default usergroup”? <#f4r6>
What is “The team” link? <#f4r7>
Private Messaging
I cannot send private messages! <#f5r0>
I keep getting unwanted private messages! <#f5r1>
I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on this
board! <#f5r2>
Friends and Foes
What are my Friends and Foes lists? <#f6r0>
How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list? <#f6r1>
Searching the Forums
How can I search a forum or forums? <#f7r0>
Why does my search return no results? <#f7r1>
Why does my search return a blank page!? <#f7r2>
How do I search for members? <#f7r3>
How can I find my own posts and topics? <#f7r4>
Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks
What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing? <#f8r0>
How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics? <#f8r1>
How do I remove my subscriptions? <#f8r2>
Attachments
What attachments are allowed on this board? <#f9r0>
How do I find all my attachments? <#f9r1>
phpBB 3 Issues
Who wrote this bulletin board? <#f10r0>
Why isn’t X feature available? <#f10r1>
Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this
board? <#f10r2>
Login and Registration Issues
Why can’t I login?
There are several reasons why this could occur. First, ensure your
username and password are correct. If they are, contact the board
owner to make sure you haven’t been banned. It is also possible the
website owner has a configuration error on their end, and they would
need to fix it.
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Why do I need to register at all?
You may not have to, it is up to the administrator of the board as
to whether you need to register in order to post messages. However;
registration will give you access to additional features not
available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private
messaging, emailing of fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It
only takes a few moments 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
login, 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 computer lab, etc. If you do not see this checkbox,
it means the board administrator has disabled this feature.
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How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
Within your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”, you will
find the option /Hide your online status/. Enable this option with
Yes and you will only appear to the administrators, moderators and
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 easily
be reset. Visit the login page and click /I’ve forgotten my
password/. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in
again shortly.
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I registered but cannot login!
First, check your username and password. If they are correct, then
one of two things may have happened. If COPPA support is enabled and
you specified being under 13 years old during registration, you will
have to follow the instructions you received. Some boards will also
require new registrations to be activated, either by yourself or by
an administrator before you can logon; this information was present
during registration. If you were sent an e-mail, follow the
instructions. If you did not receive an e-mail, you may have
provided an incorrect e-mail address or the e-mail may have been
picked up by a spam filer. If you are sure the e-mail address you
provided is correct, try contacting an administrator.
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I registered in the past but cannot login any more?!
Attempt to locate the e-mail sent to you when you first registered,
check your username and password and try again. It is possible an
administrator has deactivated or deleted your account for some
reason. Also, many boards periodically remove users who have not
posted for a long time to reduce the size of the database. If this
has happened, try registering again and being more involved in
discussions.
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What is COPPA?
COPPA, or the Child Online Privacy and Protection Act of 1998, is a
law in the United States requiring websites which can potentially
collect information from minors under the age of 13 to have written
parental consent or some other method of legal guardian
acknowledgment, allowing the collection of personally identifiable
information from a minor under the age of 13. If you are unsure if
this applies to you as someone trying to register or to the website
you are trying to register on, contact legal counsel for assistance.
Please note that the phpBB Group cannot provide legal advice and is
not a point of contact for legal concerns of any kind, except as
outlined below.
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Why can’t I register?
It is possible the website owner has banned your IP address or
disallowed the username you are attempting to register. The website
owner could have also disabled registration to prevent new visitors
from signing up. Contact a board administrator for assistance.
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What does the “Delete all board cookies” do?
“Delete all board cookies” deletes the cookies created by phpBB
which keep you authenticated and logged into the board. It also
provides functions such as read tracking if they have been enabled
by the board owner. If you are having login or logout problems,
deleting board cookies may help.
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User Preferences and settings
How do I change my settings?
If you are a registered user, all your settings are stored in the
board database. To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link
can usually be found at the top of board pages. This system will
allow you to change all your settings and preferences.
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The times are not correct!
It is possible the time displayed is from a timezone different from
the one you are in. If this is the case, visit your User Control
Panel and change your 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 not registered, this is a good time to do so.
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I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
If you are sure you have set the timezone and Summer Time/DST
correctly and the time is still incorrect, then the time stored on
the server clock is incorrect. Please notify an administrator to
correct the problem.
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My language is not in the list!
Either the administrator has not installed your language or nobody
has translated this board into your language. Try asking the board
administrator if they can install the language pack you need. If the
language pack does not exist, feel free to create a new translation.
More information can be found at the phpBB website (see link at the
bottom of board pages).
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How do I show an image along with my username?
There are two images which may appear along with a username when
viewing posts. One of them may be an image associated with your
rank, generally in the form of stars, blocks or dots, indicating how
many posts you have made or your status on the board. Another,
usually a larger image, is known as an avatar and is generally
unique or personal to each user. It is up to the board administrator
to enable avatars and to choose the way in which avatars can be made
available. If you are unable to use avatars, contact a board
administrator and ask them for their reasons.
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What is my rank and how do I change it?
Ranks, which appear below your username, indicate the number of
posts you have made or identify certain users, e.g. moderators and
administrators. In general, you cannot directly change the wording
of any board ranks as they are set by the board administrator.
Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to
increase your rank. Most boards will not tolerate this and the
moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.
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When I click the e-mail link for a user it asks me to login?
Only registered users can send e-mail to other users via the
built-in e-mail form, and only if the administrator has enabled this
feature. This is to prevent malicious use of the e-mail system by
anonymous users.
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Posting Issues
How do I post a topic in a forum?
To post a new topic in a forum, click the relevant button on either
the forum or topic screens. You may need to register before you can
post a message. A list of your permissions in each forum is
available at the bottom of the forum and topic screens. Example: You
can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc.
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How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are a board administrator or moderator, you can only edit
or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit
button for the relevant post, sometimes for only a limited time
after the post was made. 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 which lists the number of times you edited it
along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has
made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator
edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they’ve
edited the post at their own discretion. 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 via your User
Control Panel. Once created, you can check the /Attach a 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 button in your profile. If you do so, you can still prevent a
signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add
signature box within the posting form.
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How do I create a poll?
When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click
the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form; if you cannot
see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls.
Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields,
making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You
can also set the number of options users may select during voting
under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for
infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend
their votes.
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Why can’t I add more poll options?
The limit for poll options is set by the board administrator. If you
feel you need to add more options to your poll then the allowed
amount, contact 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 an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the
first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with
it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any
poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only
moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents
the poll’s options from being changed 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 or perform another action you may need special
permissions. Contact a moderator or board administrator to grant you
access.
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Why can’t I add attachments?
Attachment permissions are granted on a per forum, per group, or per
user basis. The board administrator may not have allowed attachments
to be added for the specific forum you are posting in, or perhaps
only certain groups can post attachments. Contact the board
administrator if you are unsure about why you are unable to add
attachments.
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Why did I receive a warning?
Each board administrator has their own set of rules for their site.
If you have broken a rule, you may be issued a warning. Please note
that this is the board administrator’s decision, and the phpBB Group
has nothing to do with the warnings on the given site. Contact the
board administrator if you are unsure about why you were issued a
warning.
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How can I report posts to a moderator?
If the board administrator has allowed it, you should see a button
for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report. Clicking
this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.
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What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?
This allows you to save passages to be completed and submitted at a
later date. To reload a saved passage, visit the User Control Panel.
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Why does my post need to be approved?
The board administrator may have decided that posts in the forum you
are posting to require review before submission. It is also possible
that the administrator has placed you in a group of users whose
posts require review before submission. Please contact the board
administrator for further details.
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How do I bump my topic?
By clicking the “Bump topic” link when you are viewing it, you can
“bump” the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However,
if you do not see this, then topic bumping may be disabled or the
time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also
possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, be
sure to follow the board rules when doing so.
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Formatting and Topic Types
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great
formatting control on particular objects in a post. The use of
BBCode is granted by the administrator, but it can also be disabled
on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar
in style to HTML, but tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ]
rather than < and >. For more information on BBCode see the guide
which can be accessed from the posting page.
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Can I use HTML?
No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it
rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried out using
HTML can be applied using BBCode instead.
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What are Smilies?
Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express
a feeling using a short code, e.g. 
denotes happy, while 
denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting
form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly
render a post unreadable and a moderator may edit them out or remove
the post altogether. The board administrator may also have set a
limit to the number of smilies you may use within a post.
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Can I post images?
Yes, images can be shown in your posts. If the administrator has
allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the
board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly
accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif
.
You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a
publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication
mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected
sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode img tag.
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What are global announcements?
Global announcements contain important information and you should
read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every
forum and within your User Control Panel. Global announcement
permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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What are announcements?
Announcements often contain important information for the forum you
are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible.
Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which
they are posted. As with global announcements, announcement
permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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What are sticky topics?
Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only
on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read
them whenever possible. As with announcements and global
announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the board
administrator.
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What are locked topics?
Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any
poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for
many reasons and were set this way by either the forum moderator or
board administrator. You may also be able to lock your own topics
depending on the permissions you are granted by the board administrator.
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What are topic icons?
Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to
indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on
the permissions set by the board administrator.
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User Levels and Groups
What are Administrators?
Administrators are members assigned with the highest level of
control over the entire board. These members can control all facets
of board operation, including setting permissions, banning users,
creating usergroups or moderators, etc., dependent upon the board
founder and what permissions he or she has given the other
administrators. They may also have full moderator capabilities in
all forums, depending on the settings put forth by the board founder.
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What are Moderators?
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) who look after
the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or
delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the
forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to prevent
users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
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What are usergroups?
Usergroups are groups of users that divide the community into
manageable sections board administrators can work with. Each user
can belong to several groups and each group can be assigned
individual permissions. This provides an easy way for administrators
to change permissions for many users at once, such as changing
moderator permissions or granting users access to a private forum.
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Where are the usergroups and how do I join one?
You can view all usergroups via the “Usergroups” link within your
User Control Panel. If you would like to join one, proceed by
clicking the appropriate button. Not all groups have open access,
however. Some may require approval to join, some may be closed and
some may even have hidden memberships. If the group is open, you can
join it by clicking the appropriate button. If a group requires
approval to join you may request to join by clicking the appropriate
button. The user group leader will need to approve your request and
may ask why you want to join the group. Please do not harass a group
leader if they reject your request; they will have their reasons.
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How do I become a usergroup leader?
A usergroup leader is usually assigned when usergroups are initially
created by a board administrator. If you are interested in creating
a usergroup, your first point of contact should be an administrator;
try sending a private message.
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Why do some usergroups appear in a different color?
It is possible for the board administrator to assign a color to the
members of a usergroup to make it easy to identify the members of
this group.
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What is a “Default usergroup”?
If you are a member of more than one usergroup, your default is used
to determine which group color and group rank should be shown for
you by default. The board administrator may grant you permission to
change your default usergroup via your User Control Panel.
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What is “The team” link?
This page provides you with a list of board staff, including board
administrators and moderators and other details such as the forums
they moderate.
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Private Messaging
I cannot send private messages!
There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not
logged on, the board administrator has disabled private messaging
for the entire board, or the board administrator has prevented you
from sending messages. Contact a board administrator for more
information.
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I keep getting unwanted private messages!
You can block a user from sending you private messages by using
message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving
abusive private messages from a particular user, inform a board
administrator; they have the power to prevent a user from sending
private messages.
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I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on this board!
We are sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board
includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so
e-mail the board administrator with a full copy of the e-mail you
received. It is very important that this includes the headers that
contain the details of the user that sent the e-mail. The board
administrator can then take action.
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Friends and Foes
What are my Friends and Foes lists?
You can use these lists to organize other members of the board.
Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User
Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to
send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from
these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes
list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.
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How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?
You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s
profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe
list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly
add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users
from your list using the same page.
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Searching the Forums
How can I search a forum or forums?
Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or
topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the
“Advance Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum.
How to access the search may depend on the style used.
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Why does my search return no results?
Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms
which are not indexed by phpBB3. Be more specific and use the
options available within Advanced search.
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Why does my search return a blank page!?
Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle.
Use “Advanced search” and be more specific in the terms used and
forums that are to be searched.
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How do I search for members?
Visit to the “Members” page and click the “Find a member” link.
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How can I find my own posts and topics?
Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Search
user’s posts” within the User Control Panel or via your own profile
page. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and
fill in the various options appropriately.
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Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks
What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?
Bookmarking in phpBB3 is much like bookmarking in your web browser.
You aren’t alerted when there’s an update, but you can come back to
the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is
an update to the topic or forum on the board via your preferred
method or methods.
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How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?
To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link
upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic
with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the “Subscribe topic”
link within the topic itself.
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How do I remove my subscriptions?
To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and
follow the links to your subscriptions.
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Attachments
What attachments are allowed on this board?
Each board administrator can allow or disallow certain attachment
types. If you are unsure what is allowed to be uploaded, contact the
board administrator for assistance.
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How do I find all my attachments?
To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your
User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section.
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phpBB 3 Issues
Who wrote this bulletin board?
This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is
copyright phpBB Group <http://www.phpbb.com/
>. It is made available
under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed.
See the link for more details.
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Why isn’t X feature available?
This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Group. If
you believe a feature needs to be added, please visit the phpbb.com
website and see what phpBB Group have to say. Please do not post
feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, the group uses
SourceForge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through
the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for a
feature and then follow the procedure given there.
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Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
Any of the administrators listed on the “The team” page should be an
appropriate point of contact for your complaints. If this still gets
no response then you should contact the owner of the domain (do a
whois lookup <http://www.google.com/search?q=whois>) or, if this is
running on a free service (e.g. Yahoo!, free.fr, f2s.com, etc.), the
management or abuse department of that service. Please note that the
phpBB Group has absolutely no jurisdiction and cannot in any way
be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. Do not
contact the phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease and desist,
libel, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to
the phpBB.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If
you do e-mail phpBB Group about any third party use of this
software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all.
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