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CAPTCHA codes don't show up in Safari or Firefox

I am trying to login to my guest blogger account on a site that is hosted by WordPress. A couple months ago, the login form started requiring that you enter a CAPTCHA code when logging in (I am assuming the site owner decided to add the plugin for added security). I was able to login whenever I used IE on a PC. However, now I am working exclusively on my MacBook Pro, and I cannot get the CAPTCHA codes to work in either Firefox (23.0.1) or Safari (7.0). I have tried deleting cookies, clearing my caches, resetting Safari... nothing is working. I still only get a blank black box or the little blue error box wtih a question mark in it, rather than the CAPTCHA image.


Anybody have any ideas?? Thanks!

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Nov 21, 2013 4:37 PM

Reply
12 replies

Nov 21, 2013 9:31 PM in response to cheatertree

From the Safari menu bar, select

Safari Preferences Extensions

Turn all extensions OFF and test. If the problem is resolved, turn extensions back ON and then disable them one or a few at a time until you find the culprit.


If you wish, you may be able to salvage the errant extension by uninstalling and reinstalling it. Its settings will revert to their defaults. If the extension still causes a problem, remove it permanently or refer to its developer for support.

Nov 24, 2013 6:16 PM in response to cheatertree

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Step 1


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.


Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”


While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.


Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?


After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.


*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.


Step 2


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of certain system caches.


Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.


Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.


The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.


Test while in safe mode. Same problem?


After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

Nov 24, 2013 7:23 PM in response to Linc Davis

Okay.


Step 1 - using the Guest User account - I was still not able to view the CAPTCHA code. The blue box with the white question mark still showed up.


Step 2 - boot up in safe mode - This worked. I was able to view the CAPTCHA code image when attempting to login at thedepartureboard.com and accessed my account.


Interestingly, when I restarted my computer as usual, I was still logged in (I didn't think my computer would store cookies in safe mode). However, when I logged out of thedepartureboard.com account, I was able to verify that the CAPTCHA code image was still not showing up correctly (i.e. I'm still having the same problem).


So I guess this means I have a startup item that is causing the problem?

Nov 24, 2013 7:50 PM in response to cheatertree

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, and therefore will not, in itself, solve your problem.

Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the apparent complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.


These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode, if possible. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing. If you can only boot in safe mode, you can still use this procedure, but not all of it will work. Be sure to mention that in your reply, if you haven't already done so.


Below are instructions to enter UNIX shell commands. The commands are safe and do nothing but produce human-readable text output, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects. I am not asking you to trust me. If you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them.
The commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single long line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then copy it.


Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. Step 1 should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.


Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:


☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)


☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.


☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.


When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.


Step 1


Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:

{ echo -e "Loaded kernel extensions:"; kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}'; echo -e "\nLoaded user agents:"; launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|org\.(x|openbsd)|\.[0-9]+$/{print $3}'; echo -e "\nInserted user library paths:"; launchctl getenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES; echo -e "\nUser cron tasks:"; crontab -l; echo -e "\nSystem launchd configuration:"; cat /e*/la*; echo -e "\nUser launchd configuration:"; cat .lau*; echo -e "\nLogin items:"; osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of login items'; echo -e "\nLoadable bundles:"; cd; find -L /S*/L*/E* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,In,Keyb,Mail/Bu,P*P,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo}* -type d -name Contents -prune | while read d; do /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'Print :CFBundleIdentifier' "$d/Info.plist" | egrep -qv "^com\.apple\.[^x]|Accusys|ArcMSR|ATTO|HDPro|HighPoint|driver\.stex|hp-fax|JMicron|print|SoftRAID" && echo ${d%/Contents}; done; echo -e "\nUnsigned shared libraries:"; find /u*/{,*/}lib -type f -exec sh -c 'file -b $1 | grep -qw shared && ! codesign -v $1' {} {} \; -print; echo; ls -A /e*/cr* {,/}L*/{La,Priv,Sta}* L*/Fonts; } 2> /dev/null | open -ef


Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.

The command may take up to about a minute to run, depending on the speed of the computer. A TextEdit window will open with the output. Post the contents of the TextEdit window (not the Terminal window) — the text, please, not a screenshot. You can then close the TextEdit window. The title of the window doesn't matter, and you don't need to post that. No typing is involved in this step.

Step 2


Remember that you must be logged in as an administrator for this step. Do as in Step 1 with this line:

{ echo -e "Loaded system agents:"; sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix\.cron)|org\.(amav|apac|cups|isc|ntp|postf|x)/{print $3}'; echo -e "\nInserted system library paths:"; sudo launchctl getenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES; echo -e "\nLogin hook:"; sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook; echo -e "\nRoot cron tasks:"; sudo crontab -l; } 2> /dev/null | open -ef

This time you'll be prompted for your login password, which you do have to type. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type it carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. Heed that warning, but don't post it. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.

To prevent confusion, I'll repeat: When you type your password in the Terminal window, you won't see what you're typing.

Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking Step 2. If that’s not possible, skip the step.


Important: If any personal information, such as your name or email address, appears in the output of these commands, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

Remember, Steps 1 and 2 are all copy-and-paste — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output as text, not as a screenshot.

You can then quit Terminal.

Nov 25, 2013 6:10 PM in response to Linc Davis

STEP 1 OUTPUT:


Loaded kernel extensions:

com.kaspersky.kext.klif (3.0.2d39)

com.kaspersky.nke (1.0.2d43)

com.kaspersky.kext.kimul.44 (44)



Loaded user agents:

com.google.GoogleTalkPluginD.33648.3FC3DA6E-78DC-4696-9DEA-A76563E83002

jp.co.canon.UFR2.BackGrounder

jp.co.canon.CUPSCMFP.BackGrounder

com.kaspersky.kav.gui

com.google.keystone.system.agent



Inserted user library paths:

/usr/lib/libgenkit.dylib



User cron tasks:



System launchd configuration:

setenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES /usr/lib/libgenkit.dylib



User launchd configuration:



Login items:





Loadable bundles:

/System/Library/Extensions/klif.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/klnke.kext

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin101750.plugin

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/o1dbrowserplugin.plugin

/Library/PreferencePanes/Flash Player.prefPane

/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Office.mdimporter



Unsigned shared libraries:

/usr/local/lib/audacity/libmp3lame.dylib



/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.kaspersky.kav.gui.plist

jp.co.canon.CUPSCMFP.BG.plist

jp.co.canon.UFR2.BG.plist



/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

com.kaspersky.kav.plist



/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:



/Library/StartupItems:



Library/Fonts:



Library/LaunchAgents:

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.4E466BE8-BA4E-4CE9-8E5C-0B2 E41AFB3DE.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

Nov 25, 2013 8:09 PM in response to cheatertree

You have two problems. One is a partial installation of the "Genieo" spyware that is still functioning, and the other is the worthless "Kaspersky" product.

Back up all data before making any changes. Reboot when done.

Remove "Kaspersky Security" by following the instructions on this page. If you have a different version of the product, the procedure may be different.

I suggest the tedious procedure below to disable Genieo.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

/Applications/Genieo.app

Right-click or control-click the line and select

Services Reveal

from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item selected. Move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator password.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar, paste into the box that opens (command-V). You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Repeat with each of these lines:

/Applications/Uninstall Genieo.app
/Library/Frameworks/GenieoExtra.framework
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.engine.plist
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.plist
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.client.plist

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.client


/usr/lib/libgenkit.dylib

Note: Some of these items may be absent, in which case you'll get a message that the file doesn't exist.

The following configuration file is either created or modified by the Genieo installer:

/etc/launchd.conf

The file is unlikely to be used by anything but Genieo or something equally undesirable. Unless you know you need it, delete it in the same way as above. Otherwise, edit it to remove the line that begins as follows:

setenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES

The above is not a file, but a line inside a file.

Reboot. Safari should now launch without crashing. If not, stop here and post your results.

From the Safari menu bar, select


Safari Preferences Extensions


Uninstall any extension you don't recognize. If in doubt, uninstall all extensions. Do the equivalent for the Firefox and Chrome browsers, if you use either of those.


The Genieo installer may also install the "Silverlight" web plugin from Microsoft. If you have no use for that plugin, you should remove it according to Microsoft's instructions. Don't remove it if you subscribe to "Netflix."

This procedure may leave a few files behind, but it should render Genieo permanently non-functional, as long as you never reinstall it.

Nov 29, 2013 10:36 AM in response to Linc Davis

So.... I attempted to delete the files that you indicated. When I tried to delete:


/etc/launchd.conf


It was taking forever to delete. It was getting late, so I decided to cancel the delete, shut down the computer, and revisit it in the morning. Unfortunately, now the computer won't boot up, in either regular or safe mode. I just get the gray screen with the Apple logo and the spinning wait dial. I tried to restart in safe mode, and same thing.

Nov 29, 2013 12:42 PM in response to cheatertree

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.

Step 1

The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step. If you followed my earlier instructions, you do have a current backup.

There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.

a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”

b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

Step 2

Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.

Step 3

If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.

Step 4

Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.

If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.

Step 5


Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.


If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)


If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.


Step 6


Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.


This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.


Step 7


Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.


Step 8


Repeat Step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.

Step 9

This step applies only to older Macs (not current models) that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery. Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a boot failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.

Step 10

If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

CAPTCHA codes don't show up in Safari or Firefox

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