When I tried to open Logos 9 this morning, it asked for me to sign in with my Faithlife account,

Below are instructions I got when I was using Logos 7, I think...tried this, but, it didn't work.

To run Logos w/o an internet connection

1. Rt clk desktop icon

2.  Hold down ctrl key & clk open

A.  Hold until sign in box comes up

a.  Select work offline

Hi Mark,

I am sorry to hear that you have been having this problem.

The instructions you quote for using Logos offline are outdated. Logos should simply work if you are offline, without any need to hold down the Control key.

However, if you are unable to use Logos offline, I cannot really offer any troubleshooting steps that do not involve going online. If you cannot work offline, there is a "missing ingredient" that can only be supplied by going online. This problem can usually be solved by doing the following:

Please use this article to update Windows on your computer. Please use the option for “Update now”.
Once Windows has been updated, please use these instructions to make sure that Logos is fully up to date. These instructions are often used to install Logos, but they work just find for getting Logos up to date after it has been installed.

Please let us know if you need further help.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1146304#Comment_1146304

I don't know what the problem was, but, when I tried to open Logos the next day it is working like it should.

Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1146407#Comment_1146407

Hi Joe,

I had just updated my Win 10 a couple of days before.

The next day I tried to open Logos while offline and all seems well.

One of life's "little mysteries", I guess.

Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1146407#Comment_1146407

I am sorry to hear that you have been having this problem.

The instructions you quote for using Logos offline are outdated. Logos should simply work if you are offline, without any need to hold down the Control key.

However, if you are unable to use Logos offline, I cannot really offer any troubleshooting steps that do not involve going online. If you cannot work offline, there is a "missing ingredient" that can only be supplied by going online. This problem can usually be solved by doing the following:

Please use this article to update Windows on your computer. Please use the option for “Update now”.

Once Windows has been updated, please use these instructions to make sure that Logos is fully up to date. These instructions are often used to install Logos, but they work just find for getting Logos up to date after it has been installed.

Please let us know if you need further help.

FL may not recognize it as a known bug, but it is a bug. It has happened before see this post. It happens rarely, and randomly even if a pc is up to date. No explanation was ever given to address it. And the solution is not possible when you are about to preach in a place where there is no internet connection or cellular connection to get you signed in. Thankfully it has not happened to me since this post.

Roger Duke

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1146864#Comment_1146864

Hi Mark,

I just had the same problem. It is very frustrating to be locked out of software and resources we've paid for and need. Once I got online and signed in then Logos would work normally the next time.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159839#Comment_1159839

Hi Roger,

I had a chat with Logos a couple of weeks ago. Really nice lady. She told me that Logos won't open if you're not signed in.

Not sure how I got to this, but, someone at Logos can tell you.

As you can see from my "snip-it" the "little green man" in the upper right corner signifies that I am signed in and connected. I always check this before closing Logos. Since them I've not been asked to sign-in.

Can't get my snip-it to show up

Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159839#Comment_1159839

Hi Roger,

I had a chat with Logos a couple of weeks ago. Really nice lady. She told me that Logos won't open if you're not signed in.

Not sure how I got to this, but, someone at Logos can tell you.

Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159839#Comment_1159839

Sorry, I can't get my snip-it to show up

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159849#Comment_1159849

Can't get my snip-it to show up

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159849#Comment_1159849

Hi Roger,

I had a chat with Logos a couple of weeks ago. Really nice lady. She told me that Logos won't open if you're not signed in.

Yes, that is true. But this is happening to people who are already signed in. In other words, on our devices we are signed in. But once in a blue moon, Logos will ask us to sign in again. The problem with this is when we are in areas where there is no internet connection to sign in. The program should (and usually does) work offline without any issues. There is a bug somewhere causing this to happen. If I am on a plane, for example, I cannot resign in if this once in a blue moon event happens when I am flying. That is unacceptable.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159849#Comment_1159849

Can't get my snip-it to show up

Suggest using Paper Clip in Forum Editor for pasting or attaching snip-it (using Amber)

Keep Smiling [:)]

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159868#Comment_1159868

Yes, that is true. But this is happening to people who are already signed in. In other words, on our devices we are signed in. But once in a blue moon, Logos will ask us to sign in again. The problem with this is when we are in areas where there is no internet connection to sign in. The program should (and usually does) work offline without any issues. There is a bug somewhere causing this to happen. If I am on a plane, for example, I cannot resign in if this once in a blue moon event happens when I am flying. That is unacceptable.

Hi Mark,

We are of course committed to fixing bugs in our software. However, it takes fairly specific information to be able to handle a bug.

There are certainly occasional reports in the forums that users are not able to log in offline. However, we are not getting additional evidence to confirm that this is a bug. I am not trying to say that this is not an issue, but I am saying that if this is a bug, we need more information in order to address it.

When customers have contacted Customer Support about this directly, we have always found that there was an underlying issue that could be fixed just by using normal, conventional tech support. We have not to date had meaningful confirmation that this is actually a bug. By "bug" I mean a coding error that needs to be fixed by rewriting some of the underlying code for Logos.

Please understand that I am not trying to say that this is not a bug, just that so far it has not been confirmed as such. And so far, Faithlife has not been able to re-create this behavior in-house.

Any user who is experiencing this problem should contact Customer Support at 1-800-875-6467 or customersupport@faithlife.com. The more people who contact us directly about this, the more information we will be able to gather. For example, if we were able to get logs showing incorrect behavior triggering a request for log in while offline, that would confirm that this is a bug. Or if a customer contacted us with this problem, and we were unable to fix it with conventional troubleshooting, that would confirm it is a bug.

Please do let us know if this problem recurs.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159957#Comment_1159957

Thanks, Joe for your post. This happens rarely and therefore, I realize it may be hard to pin down. But I do appreciate your post.

Rick Ausdahl

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1159957#Comment_1159957

Hi Mark,

...When customers have contacted Customer Support about this directly, we have always found that there was an underlying issue that could be fixed just by using normal, conventional tech support. We have not to date had meaningful confirmation that this is actually a bug. By "bug" I mean a coding error that needs to be fixed by rewriting some of the underlying code for Logos...

Joe, would you please share specifics about the underlying issues you've found?

Thanks!

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160061#Comment_1160061

Joe, would you please share specifics about the underlying issues you've found?

Hi Rick,

When customers phone in with this problem, it is usually fixed by getting Windows or Logos up to date, or both. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes Windows Update will display a message that it is up to date when actually it is not. To safeguard against this, it is important to actually click on the "Check for updates" button and then see what message displays in response to that action.

Sometimes PC cleaning software has actually removed the Logos login information from the computer. The solution to this is to sign in again while online, so that Logos can "remember" the sign in information while offline.

SineNomine

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160080#Comment_1160080

When customers phone in with this problem, it is usually fixed by getting Windows or Logos up to date, or both. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes Windows Update will display a message that it is up to date when actually it is not. To safeguard against this, it is important to actually click on the "Check for updates" button and then see what message displays in response to that action.

Sometimes PC cleaning software has actually removed the Logos login information from the computer. The solution to this is to sign in again while online, so that Logos can "remember" the sign in information while offline.

I can't find this information in www.support.logos.com. Where did I miss finding it?

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160080#Comment_1160080

Joe, would you please share specifics about the underlying issues you've found?

Hi Rick,

When customers phone in with this problem, it is usually fixed by getting Windows or Logos up to date, or both. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes Windows Update will display a message that it is up to date when actually it is not. To safeguard against this, it is important to actually click on the "Check for updates" button and then see what message displays in response to that action.

Sometimes PC cleaning software has actually removed the Logos login information from the computer. The solution to this is to sign in again while online, so that Logos can "remember" the sign in information while offline.

Joe,

While I am not minimizing your response, I want you to know that in my case, I make sure all updates are always done both on Logos and on the PC. Since I use the computer on Sunday mornings, I will make sure all updates are done on Saturday night so there are no surprises on Sunday morning. I go to bed with logos working, logged in etc. I wake up Sunday morning with Logos working, logged in. I turn off the computer, go to the church meeting, get ready to preach, turn on the computer, and from time to time, I am asked to log in. It is rare.

I know that your explanation still can be the case, that somehow something has disrupted the automatic log in process. I notice this happens sometimes on my android phone. From time to time, I am asked again to put in the password to unlock the phone screen even though most of the time I do not have to do this. Or I am asked again to put in the password to do banking instead of using the fingerprint method. I consider these to be annoyances but also think they are programmed this way for security reasons.

Perhaps Logos happens in the same way? But in these cases, I cannot log in offline. And for me, that is troubling. There should be a clear way for my login to be accepted even in offline mode...in other words, my credentials have already been accepted by Logos a million times. When I am online, that becomes clear. I log in and it is clear who I am. But in offline mode....most of the time login is not needed even offline. But maybe something does happen in Windows 10 that clears the log or clears a cookie? or clears something unknown to any of us that causes a login to fail unless checked with the Logos servers.

Sorry for the long post. But I am trying to help in this mysterious issue. What if I decided to go completely offline for a year and wanted my huge Logos library without the online bells and whistles and I find one day I cannot sign in without being online? What if Logos disappears one day and I am able to continue using the Logos library, but then, one day, I am asked to re-log in and if Logos is no longer, I am unable to access the library? (I know Logos is nowhere near going under).

These are the concerns.

Bernhard

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160112#Comment_1160112

I wake up Sunday morning with Logos working, logged in. I turn off the computer, go to the church meeting, get ready to preach, turn on the computer,

Instead of shutting down the computer at home, you could leave everything open and put the computer into sleep or hibernation mode (hibernation mode doesn't need any power). That way, Logos stays open and definitely won't ask you again to log in.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160174#Comment_1160174

I wake up Sunday morning with Logos working, logged in. I turn off the computer, go to the church meeting, get ready to preach, turn on the computer,

Instead of shutting down the computer at home, you could leave everything open and put the computer into sleep or hibernation mode (hibernation mode doesn't need any power). That way, Logos stays open and definitely won't ask you again to log in.

Yes, but that runs other risks. I have learned to shut down the computer so all background processes stop completely. Your suggestion is not practical in my situation. I often travel far distances in other countries to get to a meeting. Keeping the system on is not always practical.

Bernhard

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160187#Comment_1160187

Not always, that is correct. But most times, it seems to work well. I only really restart my computers when they start to feel sluggish or when an update requires it. Sleep mode of course only works for a limited number of hours, but in hibernation mode the computer is completely turned off. Coming out of that can take almost as long as booting up the computer, but everything is then still in the state it was in before. And your example above only talked about turning it off at home on Sunday morning and then headingto church. Didn't know you meant going to church half way around the world [:P]

(I am longing back to those days when that was even possible!)

Rick Ausdahl

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160080#Comment_1160080

Joe, would you please share specifics about the underlying issues you've found?

Hi Rick,

When customers phone in with this problem, it is usually fixed by getting Windows or Logos up to date, or both. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes Windows Update will display a message that it is up to date when actually it is not. To safeguard against this, it is important to actually click on the "Check for updates" button and then see what message displays in response to that action.

Sometimes PC cleaning software has actually removed the Logos login information from the computer. The solution to this is to sign in again while online, so that Logos can "remember" the sign in information while offline.

Thank you Joe!

I'm not concerned about Logos being up to date--I apply updates as they are made available. But this thing about Windows having to be "up to date" concerns me a bit. Let me explain.

I have all our computers (three laptops and one desktop) set to automatically check for and apply Windows updates as they become available. But on my main laptop (an ASUS with 16 GB memory, dedicated graphics card, two SSDs, 4K screen), a message popped up a few weeks ago saying support for my version of windows would be expiring soon. The message then disappeared. I was a bit surprised to say the least, because even though I have it set to automatically apply updates, every now and then I manually check for updates and it consistently shows I'm up to date.

So after seeing that message pop up, I manually checked my update status again looking for a clue, and I discovered that even though the message at the top of the update screen said Windows was up to date, there was a short message on the lower half of the update screen that read:

Feature Update to Windows 10, Version 2004.

The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way. Once it's ready for your device, you'll see the update available on this page.

I thought, "A major feature update from May of 2020 not applied yet? What's up with that?" Then I checked to see what version was installed on this laptop, and found it's running version 1909, installed in July of 2019. Even my oldest machine, a desktop I built several years ago is running the most current version of Windows. So I did a little research and discovered I was not alone--that many individuals (and businesses), with a wide range of major brand computers were in the same boat. I learned that the May 2020 features rollout had caused quite a few problems and that Microsoft had decided to withhold the update for a lot of machines. But... they had not provided any explanation to or communication with the people affected, other than the above mentioned message that sits in the lower portion of the update screen on some machines.

If the message hadn't popped up a few weeks ago about my version of Windows, I would have had no clue I wasn't running the most current version of Windows. The top of the update windows has always showed I'm up to date and I've never experienced a glitch, burp, or hiccup regarding the performance of this laptop. In the meantime, I'm still waiting on Microsoft. So I'm hoping that if I ever bump into this issue of not being able to access Logos, that I won't be told I have to update Windows--that there will be a simple registry tweak or something along those lines that can be made to get me back in the saddle.

SineNomine

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160202#Comment_1160202

In the meantime, I'm still waiting on Microsoft.

Probably no need to keep waiting.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160202#Comment_1160202

I'm not concerned about Logos being up to date--I apply updates as they are made available. But this thing about Windows having to be "up to date" concerns me a bit.

Windows updates have long had issues. When an update comes out, it is recommended to update. After updating, you learn there are problems with the update that are destroying some computers and it is recommended that you do not update. It is forgivable I suppose if it happens from time to time, but it seems to be standard Microsoft practice. So updating is a tricky thing.

But whether one updates or not, whether one keeps and older version of windows or not, Logos should work. If one has signed in and that has been accepted, Logos should not be asking for signing in again.

I would like to see as a regular feature a sign in offline option clearly available for the times when one is not in a position to sign in online.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1160112#Comment_1160112

While I am not minimizing your response, I want you to know that in my case, I make sure all updates are always done both on Logos and on the PC. Since I use the computer on Sunday mornings, I will make sure all updates are done on Saturday night so there are no surprises on Sunday morning. I go to bed with logos working, logged in etc. I wake up Sunday morning with Logos working, logged in. I turn off the computer, go to the church meeting, get ready to preach, turn on the computer, and from time to time, I am asked to log in. It is rare.

I know that your explanation still can be the case, that somehow something has disrupted the automatic log in process. I notice this happens sometimes on my android phone. From time to time, I am asked again to put in the password to unlock the phone screen even though most of the time I do not have to do this. Or I am asked again to put in the password to do banking instead of using the fingerprint method. I consider these to be annoyances but also think they are programmed this way for security reasons.

Perhaps Logos happens in the same way? But in these cases, I cannot log in offline. And for me, that is troubling. There should be a clear way for my login to be accepted even in offline mode...in other words, my credentials have already been accepted by Logos a million times. When I am online, that becomes clear. I log in and it is clear who I am. But in offline mode....most of the time login is not needed even offline. But maybe something does happen in Windows 10 that clears the log or clears a cookie? or clears something unknown to any of us that causes a login to fail unless checked with the Logos servers.

Sorry for the long post. But I am trying to help in this mysterious issue. What if I decided to go completely offline for a year and wanted my huge Logos library without the online bells and whistles and I find one day I cannot sign in without being online? What if Logos disappears one day and I am able to continue using the Logos library, but then, one day, I am asked to re-log in and if Logos is no longer, I am unable to access the library? (I know Logos is nowhere near going under).

These are the concerns.

Mark,

Thank you for your gracious reply.

I have two suggestions.

Firstly, I understand that when this problem happens for you, you may be in the "thick of the action", making it hard to drop everything and contact Faithlife Support. But the more information we get from users experiencing this problem, the better we can address it. Even logs sent later the same day should still be useful if Logos has not been closed since the problem occurred. It is also possible to quickly save logs, and then send them later at a more convenient time. So please provide whatever information that you can.

Secondly, you have repeatedly mentioned that this is a serious issue for you. I have repeatedly mentioned that we have not been able to confirm that this is actually a bug. I would suggest submitting a feature request. Perhaps this might be better approached as a request for "more robust offline capability" than as a request to "fix the broken offline capability". I am not trying to play semantic games here, I just think this might be a more constructive approach.