# I'm using someone else's User Name at You Tube and I can't stop! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467 "2007-12-10T14:27:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/1 "2007-12-10T14:27:42Z")
I used to have my own Christian name at the Tube, which is the same as my name here: BarnOwl. But one day, I jumped in with a comment on some video, and the software there signed it as **Koechel545**. I have been a Mozart Opus at You Tube ever since. I made a serious effort to correct the matter, but I couldn’t find anything in YT’s Help that even vaguely addressed the problem, and they don’t list an email or phone number. How might I resolve this fiasco? When I sign in, the autoreg thing has me listed as BarnOwl. Nevertheless I’m not allowed to use this name - and password. I was in effect locked out. So, I tried to sign in as K545. told them I lost the password and they sent me the procedure to fix that. I used my old password and now I’m Koechel545 officially, and actual owner is getting screwed. Help!!! ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/2 "2007-12-10T14:41:16Z")
Well, you’re a piano sonatina in C major. Beyond that I’m afraid I’m not much good to you. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/3 "2007-12-10T14:42:32Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] Well, you’re a piano sonatina in C major. Beyond that I’m afraid I’m not much good to you. [/QUOTE] How dare you! I’m a full fledged Sonata! ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/4 "2007-12-10T14:51:21Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] How dare you! I’m a full fledged Sonata! [/QUOTE] Apologies. I figured it would be more flattering than “simple” or “easy”. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/5 "2007-12-10T14:54:35Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] Apologies. I figured it would be more flattering than “simple” or “easy”. 😛 [/QUOTE] Okay. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/6 "2007-12-10T15:44:54Z")
What happens when you use the “Forgot Password” function for the username BarnOwl? And, if Koechel545 is not an account associated with an email address you own, how did you manage to retrieve the password for that account? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/7 "2007-12-10T16:05:27Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] And, if Koechel545 is not an account associated with an email address you own, how did you manage to retrieve the password for that account? [/QUOTE] Database glitch on their end? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/8 "2007-12-10T17:06:33Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Database glitch on their end? [/QUOTE] Quite possible - I’m asking him those questions though so we can see if that’s the answer or what. Not trying to be a jerk to the OP, sorry if it came off that way. Sometimes you have to re-trace steps to get answers, even if the answer is “it’s YouTube’s fault” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/9 "2007-12-10T17:09:03Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] What happens when you use the “Forgot Password” function for the username BarnOwl? And, if Koechel545 is not an account associated with an email address you own, how did you manage to retrieve the password for that account? [/QUOTE] It’s a damned mystery. I was registered as **BarnOwl** and one day (many months ago, went to the site, logged in, saw a video and commented on it. But my comment was credited to **Koechel545**. I remember being embarrassed, wondering how the real K454 wpuld feel if he saw my post. Today, I went back for the first time in a long, long while, tried again to log in as BarnOwl, but it wouldn’t let me. Somehow, Koechel545 came up. I punched that in, clicked on “forgot my password” and they emailed me with the way to plug one in. I then inputted my old password (that I used for BarnOwl) and they allowed it!!! I am at a loss. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/10 "2007-12-10T17:10:51Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Quite possible - I’m asking him those questions though so we can see if that’s the answer or what. Not trying to be a jerk to the OP, sorry if it came off that way. Sometimes you have to re-trace steps to get answers, even if the answer is “it’s YouTube’s fault” 🙂 [/QUOTE] You didn’t come off as a jerk at all. I appreciate your trying to help. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/11 "2007-12-10T17:28:30Z")
Hmm sounds like you may have changed Koechel’s password to be your BarnOwl password. Their process goes: Click on “Forgot Password” Type in your Username and the CAPTCHA word, click “Reset my password!” Receive an email from YouTube with a link to visit to reset your password. Type in a new password (twice, for verification) Now your password is whatever you just set it to. Try this: Click “Log Out” at the top right of YouTube After you’ve logged out, click “Log In” at the top right of YouTube Click “Forgot Password” on the login screen Type “Barn Owl” as the username, and the CAPTCHA code text on the Forgot Password page. Check your email for an email from YouTube. Click on the link they sent. On the page for resetting your password, type in your desired BarnOwl password (twice, for verification) Once that’s done, click “Log In” at the top of the page. No matter what is in the “YouTube Username” box, type BarnOwl instead. In the YouTube Password box, type the password you just “set” in the step above. How’s that work for you? Also, if you are using Firefox, I can tell you how to remove your cookies to further help “cleanse” the problem… ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/12 "2007-12-10T17:32:01Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Hmm sounds like you may have changed Koechel’s password to be your BarnOwl password. Their process goes: Click on “Forgot Password” Type in your Username and the CAPTCHA word, click “Reset my password!” Receive an email from YouTube with a link to visit to reset your password. Type in a new password (twice, for verification) Now your password is whatever you just set it to. Try this: Click “Log Out” at the top right of YouTube After you’ve logged out, click “Log In” at the top right of YouTube Click “Forgot Password” on the login screen Type “Barn Owl” as the username, and the CAPTCHA code text on the Forgot Password page. Check your email for an email from YouTube. Click on the link they sent. On the page for resetting your password, type in your desired BarnOwl password (twice, for verification) Once that’s done, click “Log In” at the top of the page. No matter what is in the “YouTube Username” box, type BarnOwl instead. In the YouTube Password box, type the password you just “set” in the step above. How’s that work for you? Also, if you are using Firefox, I can tell you how to remove your cookies to further help “cleanse” the problem… [/QUOTE] Thank you! I’ll try it at the first break. (Playing poker online. Break will be around 12:15 EST.) Cookie thing later on. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/13 "2007-12-10T17:53:10Z")
Well, since it seems like you’re using Firefox, I’ll post some things while you “wait”… Actually, do this before you do the password resetting as posted above. To clear out your YouTube cookies from Firefox: Go to TOOLS - OPTIONS - PRIVACY (tab) - SHOW COOKIES (button) Search at the top of the cookies window for YouTube For every cookie that comes up in the search, click on it and then click the “REMOVE COOKIE” button To clear out your YouTube login info from Firefox: Go to TOOLS - OPTIONS - SECURITY (tab) - SHOW PASSWORDS (button) Scroll down and look for iterations of YouTube: [http://youtube.com](http://youtube.com), [http://www.youtube.com](http://www.youtube.com), [https://youtube.com](https://youtube.com), [https://www.youtube.com](https://www.youtube.com) (you’ll probably only find [http://youtube.com](http://youtube.com)). Click on each YouTube entry and then click the REMOVE button. Now go to YouTube and do the password resetting steps I mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/14 "2007-12-10T18:01:02Z")
Make that 1:15. Oy. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/15 "2007-12-10T18:33:30Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Well, since it seems like you’re using Firefox, I’ll post some things while you “wait”… Actually, do this before you do the password resetting as posted above. To clear out your YouTube cookies from Firefox: Go to TOOLS - OPTIONS - PRIVACY (tab) - SHOW COOKIES (button) Search at the top of the cookies window for YouTube For every cookie that comes up in the search, click on it and then click the “REMOVE COOKIE” button To clear out your YouTube login info from Firefox: Go to TOOLS - OPTIONS - SECURITY (tab) - SHOW PASSWORDS (button) Scroll down and look for iterations of YouTube: [http://youtube.com](http://youtube.com), [http://www.youtube.com](http://www.youtube.com), [https://youtube.com](https://youtube.com), [https://www.youtube.com](https://www.youtube.com) (you’ll probably only find [http://youtube.com](http://youtube.com)). Click on each YouTube entry and then click the REMOVE button. Now go to YouTube and do the password resetting steps I mentioned above. [/QUOTE] I did everything you said: cleared youtube cookies and all login info. Logged in as BarnOwl, etc., and they said they’d email me the password stuff. But no email has arrived. Did it again. No luck. I give up. but thank you very much for trying. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/16 "2007-12-10T22:36:22Z")
Can you do this? > **[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/email_confirm)** > > Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/17 "2007-12-10T22:52:07Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Can you do this? > **[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/email_confirm)** > > Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. [/QUOTE] Which one? Log in or Create an Account? No snarkiness intended. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/18 "2007-12-10T23:02:07Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] Which one? Log in or Create an Account? No snarkiness intended. [/QUOTE] Ah, sorry. I guess that service (send me my confirmation email to another address) assumes you are logged in. Bugger ☹ Hey! I finally found a contact link! > **[YouTube Help](https://support.google.com/youtube/?visit_id=639183635215846407-2751246042&rd=1)** > > Official YouTube Help Center where you can find tips and tutorials on using YouTube and other answers to frequently asked questions. If that link doesn’t work, click on “Contact Us” [here](http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=77251&topic=10557) ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/19 "2007-12-10T23:26:02Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Ah, sorry. I guess that service (send me my confirmation email to another address) assumes you are logged in. Bugger ☹ Hey! I finally found a contact link! > **[YouTube Help](https://support.google.com/youtube/?visit_id=639183635190386133-2066572282&rd=1)** > > Official YouTube Help Center where you can find tips and tutorials on using YouTube and other answers to frequently asked questions. If that link doesn’t work, click on “Contact Us” [here](http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=77251&topic=10557) [/QUOTE] I ended up using the Contact Us, and sent them an email describing my problem. Thank you, very much **Zipper** , for all your wonderful help!! I just got a form letter from YT that said they might get back to me. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467/20 "2007-12-11T01:17:16Z")
Just stay away from Koechel 364! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-using-someone-elses-user-name-at-you-tube-and-i-cant-stop/429467.md?page=2)