AOL Help-"Invalid Password" with AOL® Mail

The following article may also be found in our Online Help area.

When you sign on to the AOL® Mail on the Web, you may receive a message: "Invalid password," for any one of several reasons. After trying the first solution, check to see if you can sign on to the Web site. If you still receive the message, continue using the suggested solutions until the problem is fixed.

Note: If you have simply forgotten your password, you can click the I forgot my password or Forgot Password? link on the Sign In screen and follow the onscreen instructions.

You may wish to print or save a copy of these instructions as this page may not remain visible as you go through the suggested steps.

Information You Need

You will need to know what version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system is installed on your computer. If you do not know how to find this information, follow the instructions in the online help article entitled How to Determine Which Version of Windows® I Have.

Solutions

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Clear the Cache, Cookies and History
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Check Your Keyboard Connection, Then Restart Your Computer
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Test Your Keyboard With Another Program
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Restart Your PC, Then Close Other Programs

For Additional Support

Clear the Cache, Cookies and History

Whenever you visit certain Web sites, they will store what is known as temporary Internet files and cookies on your computer to identify that Web site. Sometimes these temporary Internet files and cookies can cause the issue you are experiencing. Similarly your History list can also be a concern. The more days you have specified for pages to be saved on your history list, the more disk space is used on your computer. You can free up disk space by clearing this list.

To clear cache, cookies and history for Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0:
1. Close any Internet browser windows that may be open on your computer.
2. Click the Start button, select All Programs, then click Internet Explorer.
3. In the upper right, click the Tools menu, then click Internet Options.
4. On the General tab, under the Browsing history section, click the Delete... button.
5. Under the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete files... button to clear the cache.
6. Click the Yes button to confirm.
7. Under the Cookies section, click the Delete cookies... button, to clear cookies.
8. Click the Yes button to confirm.
9. Under the History section, click the Delete history... button to clear history.
10. Click the Yes button to confirm.
11. In the lower right, click the Close button to close the Delete Browsing History window.
12. Click the X button in the upper right to close the Internet Options window.

To clear cache, cookies and history for Internet Explorer 6.0:
1. Close any Internet browser windows that may be open on your computer.
2. Click the Start button, select Programs or All Programs, then click Internet Explorer.
3. Click the Tools menu, then click Internet Options....
4. On the General tab, under the Temporary Internet files section, click the Delete Files... button to clear cache.
5. Click the OK button for confirmation.
6. Under the Temporary Internet files section, click the Delete Cookies... button to clear cookies.
7. Click the OK button to confirm.
8. Under the History section, click the Clear History button to clear history.
9. Click the Yes button for confirmation.
10. Click the OK button to close the Internet Options window.

To clear the Mozilla® Firefox® cookies and cache:
1. Click the Start button, select Programs or All Programs, select Mozilla Firefox, then click the Mozilla Firefox icon.
2. In the toolbar, click the Tools menu, then click Clear Private Data....
3. Click the boxes to the left of Cache and Cookies to place a check mark in them, ensure the other boxes do not have check marks in them, then click the Clear Private Data Now button.
4. Click the File menu, then click Exit.

To clear the Netscape® browser cookies and cache:
1. Click the Tools menu, then click Options....
2. Click the Privacy icon.
3. Click the Cookies tab, then click the Clear Cookies Now button.
4. Click the Cache tab, then click the Clear Cache Now button.
5. Click the OK button.
6. Click the File menu, then click Exit.

Check Your Keyboard Connection, Then Restart Your Computer

Checking the connections and restarting the computer will make sure the keyboard is plugged in properly and the computer is correctly recognizing the keyboard.

To check the keyboard connection and restart the computer:
1. Shut down your computer:

If using Windows® 98 or Windows® Me, click the Start button, then click Shut Down. In the What do you want the computer to do? section, choose the Shut Down option by clicking it, then click the OK button.
If using Windows® XP or Windows® 2000, click the Start button, then click Shut Down. Click the What do you want the computer to do? drop-down menu to open it, choose the Shut Down option from the list, click it, then click the OK button.

2. Follow the cord from the keyboard to where it plugs into the computer.
3. Unplug the keyboard cord.
4. Wait for about 30 seconds.
5. Plug in the keyboard cord.
6. Turn on your computer.

Test Your Keyboard With Another Program

Typing with the keyboard in another program will verify it is working properly.

To test the keyboard with another program:
1. Click the Start button, select Programs or All Programs, select Accessories, then click Notepad.
2. Type your password.
3. Verify all the letters and numbers display correctly.

Note: If no text or incorrect text appears, try another keyboard, if available, then contact the computer manufacturer for further assistance. Please refer to the documentation that came with your hardware for contact information.

4. Click the File menu, then click Exit.
5. Click the No button.

Restart Your PC, Then Close Other Programs

This simple procedure can help resolve many issues by restoring system settings.

To restart your computer using Windows® XP:
1. Click the Start button.
2. Click Shut Down.
3. Click the What do you want the computer to do? drop-down menu to open it, choose Shut down from the list, then click it.
4. Click the OK button.
5. Wait for about 30 seconds after the computer is completely powered down, then restart the computer.

Note: Other programs running on your computer could prevent the AOL® software from opening a downloaded file. By closing unnecessary programs, you can determine program conflicts and restore system resources.

To close other programs using Windows® XP or Windows® 2000:
1. Right-click the Windows® taskbar, then click Task Manager.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. If any program is listed here, click to highlight it, then click the End Task button. Repeat this step until all programs are ended.

Note: If you receive an End Program message, click the End Now button.

4. Click the Processes tab, then click Image Name. This will sort the processes in alphabetical order.

Note: For Windows XP users, at the bottom of the Windows Task Manager window, click the Show processes from all users box to place a check mark in it.

5. Click a process other than the ones listed below to highlight it, click the End Process button, then click the Yes button when prompted.

Required Processes (do not end):
explorer.exe
services.exe
spoolsv.exe
svchost.exe
system
taskmgr.exe
winlogon.exe

6. Repeat step 5 until all unnecessary processes are ended.
7. On the top right of the Task Manager window, click the X button to close it.

To close other programs using Windows® 95, Windows® 98 or Windows® Me:
1. On your keyboard, hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys, then tap the Delete key once.

Warning: Pressing these keys twice consecutively can restart your computer.

2. In the Close Program window, click a program other than Explorer or Systray, then click the End Task button.

Note: This will automatically close the window. If you receive an End Program message, click the End Task button.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all programs other than Explorer and Systray are closed.