[psassy]

Urgent help needed! I cannot access Gmail and it's my lifeline for business and personal e-mail.

I use thunderbird as my e-mail client (?) and I receive e-mail on my Blackberry. I recently bought a new laptop and was in the process of getting my files (including passwords) off my old laptop when my son dropped it so now it's totally fried and won’t even turn on.

This morning I was trying to access an e-mail I received prior to switching to my new laptop on Gmail online (message wasn't on my new laptop). I couldn't remember my password and went through all the gmail girations to receive my password and could not get it. I ended up trying to reset my password and am now totally locked out of my gmail account. I no longer receive it on my Blackberry or laptop through Thunderbird.

I have received the following e-mail from Gmail:
Thank you for your report.

The contact address you provided matches the secondary address on the
Account. We're happy to inform you that you can reset your password by
Entering your Gmail username at
https://www.google.com/accounts/ForgotPasswd and completing the word
Verification.

Note: If you haven't attempted to sign in for more than 24 hours, you will
See your security question. Click the link below your security question to
Send an email to your secondary address.

Regards,
The Google Team

When I click the link and enter my gmail address I get a screen asking me to input the captcha. Every time I get to this point I get the same message from Gmail saying they have sent password resetting instructions to my secondary e-mail which takes me back to square one. I just keep going around in circles and never get to my security question to reset my password.

I am wondering if I am not getting to the point where I can reset my password because I have tried to access my account within the last 24 hours (see Gmails “NOTE”) or if I will be locked out forever. Has anyone ever encountered this problem? I really must get access back into my account. I have way too much information there that I cannot just walk away from.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

[psassy]

Okay so now when I click the link gmail sent to my secondary address I get to a page that asks for my gmail address, then I have to answer the captcha. After that I get to a page that wants to input my answer to my "temporary question?" What the?? I have NO idea what the answer to the "temporary question is! So I click the link at the bottom to reset my password by sending an e-mail to my secondary address. I click that and I am back in the same *&%$ loop I was in before!

This is utterly ridiculous! Of course you can't even speak to a human being at Google/Gmail, at least I can't figure out how to reach someone.

Can anyone offer ANY help here?? Please I am desperate!

[NeedKarma]

Have you ever used Firefox to access Gmail where you had FF remember the password? If so then there is a way to reveal the password. To be honest I find it hard to believe that someone who has such a high reliance on a webmail account does not have the password kept somewhere.

[psassy]

You're right and I feel like a complete fool. However, I had a backup on my Blackberry and on my old laptop. But when I updated my BB software my notes disappeared and I've never been able to figure out where they are. My old laptop had all of the info on it as well, but my son dropped it and now it won't even turn on. I DID put all of my Outlook notes on a flash drive before he dropped it, but my new computer does not have Outlook so I don't know how to get these notes (passwords) off the flash drive. So I actually did have the information in other places, but the perfect storm hit and now I am screwed.

I do use Firefox on my new laptop, but I never accessed Gmail on the web. I received my e-mail on Thunderbird (was trying to phase out of Outlook) and my Blackberry up until the time it was reset. If I could get on my broken laptop, or figure out how to get the information off the flash drive that would be great. But I don't know how to do that. Meantime I get Zero help from Gmail.

I just called Google and they basically said sorry about your luck.

[NeedKarma]

Have you tried puling out the hard drive from the laptop, putting into one of those cheap external HD enclosures and plug into any other computer? You could then transfer your Thunderbird settings.

[psassy]

I have not tried that, but I can see if my step-son can help me with that when he's here the next time.

I think the biggest problem now is that Gmail has reset my password or locked me out entirely because I WAS getting my e-mail on my BB and Thunderbird until I tried accessing an old e-mail through web mail online (one I received before changing to the new laptop last month). That's when I started going through their trouble shooting steps to access my password. When I try to use BB or Thunderbird to send or receive mail it says my password is wrong. I didn't change these settings so something had to happen on the gmail side of things to lock me out, or whatever.

I think I signed up for Gmail while it was still in Beta testing years ago. At that time they may not have had a way to input a security question and answer. So I wonder if that's why it says to answer my "temporary question" instead of a normal security question like "What is your mother's maiden name?"

I don't honestly think I will get access back into my gmail unless someone helps me internally at Gmail because I think the password I was using is now gone.

[bjfinkel]

psassy - I have been having the same "temporary question?" dead end loop problem... did you ever get it figured out? I am at the end of my rope. Can't believe I am just shut out of my gmail account.. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thanks !
B