Google asking for my username and password (Vista/Office2007)

**dovidshmuel** · 2008-09-22 21:42

I hope this is the right forum for this question. It never happened before, but over the past few weeks, every time I boot up the computer and am working with any one of the programs, after a pause, hidden behind the program window is a new small window that says: "The server www.google.com at Please log in to your Google Account requires a username and password." My username and password are already filled in, I press enter and the window disappears. I only realize the window is there after I close all the other windows that I've been working on. If I'm just working in Excel, this new window appears on top of the Excel window, but with Firefox or Windows, this new window is hidden from my view until I close them. My not realizing it's there doesn't seem to interfere with any of the programs, Google programs included. What does it mean, why is it happening and how can I get it to stop appearing? Thanks.

**jscher2000** · 2008-09-23 13:34

Google makes a number of desktop products, including its search application (Google Desktop) and an email widget for the notification area/system tray (GMail notifier). Could it be caused by one of those?

**dovidshmuel** · 2008-09-23 20:56

I did recently download Gmail notifier. Is that what's causing them to ask for my username and password every time I boot up?

**mbarron** · 2008-09-24 00:55

Try uninstalling it. If the requests stop, then it was probably the culprit.

**jscher2000** · 2008-09-24 12:49

I suspect, although I haven't checked, that you can configure the notifier to remember your password. Perhaps that is not the default for security reasons.

**dovidshmuel** · 2008-09-24 19:10

Excuse me for my computer illiteracy, but I right-clicked on the logo for the Gmail notifier on the right lower bar, then on options, and a window appears with a check mark in a box that is labeled (and I quote exactly): "Use Gmail for internet mailto: links". I can uncheck that box if I want to. Below that it says: "Choose which web browser you would like the Gmail Notifier to use when displaying your inbox." It was already filled in with (system default). Should I change that to Mozilla Firefox (which is my default browser)? Also, if I put the pointer over the logo it says: “Cannot find server in DNS.” Thanks for your help.

**jscher2000** · 2008-09-25 13:57

I think those two settings are fine. That last message, though, is odd: what exactly is it trying to find?

The "Learn More" page for Google Gadgets: Gmail Notifier doesn't really help. Perhaps Google Desktop has some other management features, for example, to not load this gadget at startup so you don't get the annoying message until you start it manually. Or perhaps there won't be an annoying message because you wouldn't start it until your network connection was up and running. (I had a computer once that took a long time to get an address, so network applications that run at startup would freak out.)

**dovidshmuel** · 2008-09-25 20:24

Thanks for your concern. I guess it's just one more little annoyance I'll have to put up with.

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