We've recently heard from members who have reported losing their homepage settings. The main reason for this seems to be a feature called "Private Browsing Mode" available in several of the latest web browsers, including IE8, Firefox 3.5, Google Chrome and Safari. Being in this mode can cause frustration for homepage users, as it causes settings like Theme selection and My Links to disappear between browser sessions.

This blog post contains the following information about Private Browsing Mode:
1) What can I do to stop losing my settings? Improve your experience if you're in this mode
2) Where is the setting located? Check to see if you have Private Browsing Mode turned on
3) What exactly does it do? Details on what happens when Private Browsing Mode is turned on


1) Ways to Resolve
There are several different ways to solve for this issue so that you don't have to keep setting your page back up over and over again:

SIGN IN TO AOL
Signing in to your homepage in the upper right corner applies any customizations you've made to your user profile. This means that you can bring up your page with your settings on any computer just by signing in.You simply need to sign in each time you visit the page after a fresh browser start in order to access your homepage with all of your settings intact. For more details on this feature, click here.

TURN IT OFF
You can turn this feature off if it's something you really didn't intend to have turned on. To turn it off in IE8, simply go to Tools, Internet Options, and then uncheck the checkbox under "Browsing history," click Apply and OK. For other browsers, please check their sites for details on how to turn the feature off. Firefox | Google Chrome | Safari

ADD AOL.COM TO YOUR IE8 FAVORITES
Internet Explorer 8 offers an option that lets you keep cookies and temporary Internet files from websites saved in your Favorites list. To avoid having AOL.com and any of your other favorite sites "forget you," simply add them to your IE8 Favorites, and then make sure the "Preserve Favorites website data" checkbox is selected (instructions below). This way, IE will preserve any cookies or cache files that were created by websites in your IE Favorites.

You can find the "Preserve Favorites website data" checkbox when you go to Tools, Internet Options, and then click on the Delete button under the "Browsing history" section. This will bring up the "Delete Browsing History" window which has the "Preserve Favorites website data" option. Check this box and then click on Delete or Cancel (both options will save this setting).

Additional info on the IE8 InPrivate Browsing feature can be found on the IEBlog.

ADD AOL.COM TO YOUR FIREFOX EXCEPTIONS
Firefox will also allow you to set exceptions if you keep Private Browsing Mode turned on.
Click here to see where you would apply that setting.

2) Where to Find the Setting
In IE8, the setting can be found by selecting Tools and then Internet Options. There is a checkbox in the "Browsing history" section on the General tab which turns the InPrivate feature on if selected (please see the image below).



Another clue that you are in IE8 InPrivate Browsing mode is an indicator at the top of your screen in front of the URL input field. It looks like this:


INFORMATION ON FINDING THE SETTING IN OTHER BROWSERS:
- To learn where to find the Private Browsing Mode in Firefox, click here.
- To learn about the Private Browsing (aka "Igcognito") mode in Google Chrome, click here.
- To learn about the Private Browsing Mode in Safari, click here.

3) What It Does
While Private Browsing Mode is active, the following typically takes place (it can be different based on what browser you are using):

- New cookies are not stored
- New history entries will not be recorded
- New temporary Internet files will be deleted after the Private Browsing window is closed
- Form data is not stored
- Passwords are not stored
- Addresses typed into the address bar are not stored
- Queries entered into the search box are not stored
- Visited links are not stored

This feature is great if your goal is to wipe your history completely clean each time you close your browser session. The downside to this feature is that many sites like AOL utilize cookies to save things like page settings, shopping carts, etc. By deleting cookies every time you close your browser, you will lose those settings.

We hope you have found this information helpful! Let us know what additional questions you have.
The AOL Homepages Team

You've probably noticed something rather different about AOL.com! AOL has officially become an independent Internet company once again, and as part of that we are unveiling a new logo and a fresh new visual identity for our brand.

In addition to the logo, you will be able to choose from a bunch of stylish new themes (with even more coming soon). Each of these new themes allows you the opportunity to truly make AOL and AOL.com yours. You will see different themes cycle through each time you load your page. You have several options -- you can keep them cycling in a random fashion by doing nothing, you can select one of the new themes, or if you prefer, you can choose to go back to the classic AOL.com blue theme.

We're making it really easy for you to apply your favorite new theme. An area at the top of the page called the "Theme Chooser" will open up each time you visit, up to five times. Simply click on each of the thumbnail images to try out different themes.



It only takes one click to apply a theme to your page. If you like it, simply hit the "Close" link in the upper right corner and it will be saved. To ensure that your theme is saved as part of your profile (as well as any other customizations you make on your page), click on the "Sign In" link to the right of search area. To learn more about the benefits of signing in and other ways to customize your page, click here.

FAQs:
Q: What happened to the theme I had before?
A: As of this morning, AOL is a new company. To mark the occasion, we've created a whole new set of amazing themes to reflect our new brand and delight our users. Everyone using AOL.com and the Enhanced AOL Welcome Screen will be seeing our new themes, and we hope that you will love them as much as we do. ("Blue Monster" is my personal favorite!) As we add this wonderful new set of upgraded themes, we are retiring our previous set in favor of our brand-new look. You will still have the option to go back to the "classic blue" theme if you wish. Do keep in mind that we will be adding many more themes in the near future to delight you and give you lots of choices, so please keep checking back for more.

Q: How do I get the classic blue theme back?
A: In the Theme Chooser, select the thumbnail image in the far right position of the first set of themes. It is titled "Blue Classic."

Q: What do I do if I have already closed the Theme Chooser?
A: If you have closed the Theme Chooser at some point and want to reopen it, just click on the "More" link in the upper right corner of the page.

Q: The Theme Chooser keeps opening over and over. What do I do?
A: We will open the Theme Chooser for your convenience for up to five visits. You can click on the "Close" link at any time and we will remember that you have closed it and we won't show it to you again. However, if you delete your cookies either automatically (a popular IE8 setting) or manually, you will get the Theme Chooser open on your next visit.

We hope you love our new look! We are very excited to hear what you think and to hear what requests you have for other new themes. You can post your thoughts here, or submit your comments to us directly.
The AOL Homepage Team