Problems with members registering

Is there any reason why some people should experience problems registering on a forum? For example, this is one message I had from someone (who I've now got on to the forum by alternative means using an email I set up for them) who tried to register but couldn't:

"When you originally mentioned it I tried to join but it wouldn't let me. When I tried again this evening it said my user name was already taken. Tried to log in using what I had set up previously and no luck."


I had a phone call one afternoon from another member of our group who tried to register on the forum and couldn't. I then got a message from another member of our group, who sent this to me by email:


"Can't log on, it lets me "open file" but will not take me to the next stage, step 2. Keeps coming up that there is an unwanted program and it will not let me continue, help!"

I am also aware that there is another chap wanting to register but is also having problems and there may be others.

This is what I currently have under the Users Options setting, is there something else I need to do here?

Default automatic login status : Yes No  New accounts activation : No activation User Admin  Confirmation code : Yes No Send notify e-mail on new user registrations : None Moderator Admin  Allow new members : Yes No Allow members to unsubscribe : Yes No  Time in minutes before a member is considered "Offline" : Limit = 60 Allow guests to vote : Yes No  Colorize usernames : Yes No No Groups All members Allow users to change their username : Yes No Allow users to change their e-mail address : Yes No Allow friends/foes management : Yes No
JUST THIS MINUTE - Just discovered an option to make some of them active, via admin activation in 'Inactive Users' but I am confused as to why they couldn't have done this themselves

"Can't log on, it lets me "open file" but will not take me to the next stage, step 2. Keeps coming up that there is an unwanted program and it will not let me continue, help!"

I do not understand the "open file" part.

So all the members who contacted you were in the Inactive List?

All but one (the chap you mentioned above saying about the 'open file' bit). I don't understand that either. There was about five or six that ended up in there, but the other ten to fifteen chaps have registered and got on the forum straight away with no problems at all.... so not sure what is going on there

The ones that had trouble do they have the same email provider?

That's a good question, I will ask