Ok... might be getting somewhere now. I used the ASP.NET configuration tool in visual studio to create a new user and then overwrote the password and salt of an existing user. I was then, finally, able to login as that user. How do I fix this so my other existing users can login without changing their passwords as well? I have the exact same machine key that has always been used, so why are the old accounts failing? Finally, why would the single account whose password format I set to one (clear) be affected at all if it is somehow a machine key issue?

The machine key is identical, I know this as the web.config file is managed through source safe. So, Question One: Why does the system act **as though** the machine key has changed?

Second Question: Why would either the machine key, or the password salt, have any effect on an account when the password format has been set to "clear"? When I say clear, I mean plaintext, i.e. not Encrypted. So there is no decryption required.

I can appreciate that DNN is an open source effort and no one has to answer my question. But if you are going to answer it please read the question as the time zone difference forces each answer-response to take 24 hours.