I'm having problems uploading an avatar :(

Welcome to AW!

You should read the newbie guide. You need 50 posts before you can upload an avatar. There's lots of great advice in the guide:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66315
(also located at the top of the forums page)

Here's the info on avatars:

Edit Avatar: When you first sign up, you can choose an avatar from our collection. Once you reach 50 posts, though, as long as your reputation score is still 10 or above (everyone starts with 10 points), you'll become a Super Member and be allowed to upload your own custom avatar. PLEASE NOTE: It takes the board a couple of hours to reset itself and realize that you've become a Super Member, so please don't worry if you're not immediately able to upload an avatar. Avatars must be no larger than 80 by 80 pixels for regular members. (Benefactors and mods get some extras; I'll tell you about that in a minute.)

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Welcome to AW

MissMacchiato said:

(sneaks off to read the newbie guide, shamefacedly) LOL

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There's a reason that the Welcome PM includes a link to it . . .

MissMacchiato said:

Any ideas?

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Do you have 10 rep points yet?

Terie said:

Do you have 10 rep points yet?

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I believe people start out with ten rep points by default.


"error writing temporary file" doesn't sound like it has anything to do with AW. If your pic weren't meeting the requisites, then you'd have seen a message indicating something more specific about the dimensions or the size of the file.

This sounds like it could be a caching or buffering error - that there's a problem copying the file to a staging area while it does the upload operation.

It might be that you've run out of temporary file space on your computer, (or that you don't have access to it, which would be weird). Internet Explorer, for example, allows the user to set the maximum disk space to use for storing temporary files [Tools->Internet Options...->Settings...], as I'd expect all browsers would.

Perhaps try clearing your browser cache, temporary files, cookies, etc. from your computer. In IE, for example - or at least the antiquated version I'm on now, select Tools-> Internet Options... and select the "Delete Files..." button.

poetinahat said:

I believe people start out with ten rep points by default.

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Granted that I signed on a couple of years ago, I didn't start out with 10 rep points. And if new users started out with 10 by default, there wouldn't be any point in specifying that they have to have a minimum of 10 to be able to upload custom avatars.

However, since the OP has 18, that's obviously not the problem.

Glad that you've worked it out, MM! The cache issue would be the same, I think, whether the pic came from your pc or a website. I might be wrong, but I think the browser needs that workspace regardless of the pic's origin.

Terie said:

Granted that I signed on a couple of years ago, I didn't start out with 10 rep points. And if new users started out with 10 by default, there wouldn't be any point in specifying that they have to have a minimum of 10 to be able to upload custom avatars.

However, since the OP has 18, that's obviously not the problem.

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I started with ten, and I recall (back when I was a mod) seeing new rego's with ten. I presumed the point of starting with ten is just that zero is a lonely number; the reason for setting ten as the minimum for other privs, then, would be to restrict people who were new and already getting negative rep points- i.e. starting off on the wrong foot.

MissMacchiato said:

ETA - would you look at that? I'm fully loaded baby! bring it on! thanks again!

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You forgot to refresh your Web browser cache, so the avatar didn't show.

All members start with ten reputation points; the "points" aren't really used for much of anything.

Hush up, Medi! I've been making a killing selling them on Ebay.

KTC said:

Hush up, Medi! I've been making a killing selling them on Ebay.

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Ha! I was wondering what people did with them.

I'm saving mine up for a really cool car.

Or a vacation on a sunny, South Pacific island - where I can just get away from it all.

Haven't decided yet.

KTC said:

Hush up, Medi! I've been making a killing selling them on Ebay.

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Don't worry, you know how few newbies read the FAQ forum.

KTC said:

Hush up, Medi! I've been making a killing selling them on Ebay.

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I'm telling you, first chance MacCannister isn't looking, I'm going to edit the templates so that you'll have comments, and be able to leave comments, but there won't be any points.

Either that, or change the invisible but originally green chicklets to spiders . . .