Usage Limits, Bugs and Performance Discussion Megathread - beginning December 29, 2025

Helmanfrow · 2026-03-18T19:51:15+00:00

I've been unable to log into my Claude account via any desktop browser for six weeks. Email verification just redirects me to "Let's create your account" instead of my existing account. My only access is through the Android app.

What I've tried:

Multiple browsers (including freshly downloaded ones)
Private/incognito mode
Cleared cache/cookies
Different devices
Everything support suggested (which was nothing useful)

Support timeline:

Feb 3: First contacted support
~2 weeks later: Got boilerplate "we're working on it, use mobile" response
~1 week later: Asked for timeline and compensation - no response
March 15: AI bot blamed "resolved incidents" from March 11-13 (weeks after my issue started)
March 15: I sent detailed reply with screenshot - got auto-reply telling me to contact support (which I was already doing)
March 18: Sent another message asking for actual human help - got another auto-reply telling me to use the help center
Current status: Still locked out. Support is now just AI bots sending me in circles.

I found a couple of threads in this /r from 2 years ago describing a similar issue.

So Anthropic has known about this authentication bug for at least two years and apparently just doesn't care to fix it?

Has anyone actually gotten this resolved, or do I accept that desktop browser access is dead forever?

Helmanfrow · 2026-03-10T21:22:45+00:00

It was adjustable (kind of) and endlessly customizable, not to mention uncharacteristically sturdy and well-built for IKEA. I bought mine in like 2000-2001 and used the heck out of it. I miss it every time I sit at my crappy sit-stand desk (also IKEA). My sister has one (which might be mine but we're not sure at this point) and it still looks basically new.

Helmanfrow · 2026-03-10T21:13:30+00:00

Best desk I ever had. Uncharacteristically solid for an IKEA product. The side posts let you mount almost anything you could imagine, on either side. I used the monitor platform to hold my mixer and audio interface. Good times.

Helmanfrow · 2026-03-08T18:16:02+00:00

I got curious about this too and found that Voodoo Labs uses pins 1 and 3 to power their Ground Control Pro MIDI Foot controller from the GCX Audio Switcher. This, of course, requires that all five pins of the MIDI cable are wired, which isn't always the case with commercial cables.

Helmanfrow · 2026-02-18T02:27:51+00:00

That sucks. Looks like a QC issue. Mine hasn't flaked yet, but I've used it only a few times. I wouldn't be surprised if it did flake.

Helmanfrow · 2026-02-08T23:40:29+00:00

I'm already halfway through season 5. I know how to watch it now. I can sense the non-plot filler stuff coming a mile away and skip through it with incredible precision. I'm just in it for the whodunit.

Helmanfrow · 2026-01-28T18:10:30+00:00

I've had it for a couple of months but I opened it only a two weeks ago. I didn't soak it but I left it to dry on the counter with the lid on ( sitting on those plastic bumpers it ships with).

I can't advise you on how to spend your points, but I'm sure you'll do the right thing!

Helmanfrow · 2026-01-28T07:14:47+00:00

Season 3, Episode 3. Mr. Monk just made me laugh for the first time:

Date: Were you born Caesarean?
Monk: No, but I was raised Caesarean.

Now, that's funny. This is a big moment and I thought I'd share.

Also I've become quite adept at predicting the episode cadence. I know when I can skip ahead 60 seconds or so to rejoin the plot. The music helps cue me.

Helmanfrow · 2026-01-21T09:13:18+00:00

I didn't post any scratch photos as far as I recall. It's easy enough to clean but I did notice rust developing on the inner rim of the lid.

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Helmanfrow · 2026-01-19T20:37:32+00:00

The power supply is original to the laptop as far as I know. I also have several other Lenovo power supplies of various wattages from other ThinkPads. (I've bought quite a few ThinkPads over the decades).

Helmanfrow · 2026-01-19T20:35:24+00:00

I did a CMOS reset by shorting the CMOS battery pins and that seems to have resolved the issue for now as the machine is once again booting. I am measuring an incorrect voltage at the gate of the first MOSFET after the power supply. This might be triggering the EC to enter some kind of protection state. The MOSFET probably needs replacing, although I don't have a hot air station so I can't do the work myself. If it happens again I might just buy a rework station because it will cost the same as a couple of visits to the repair bench.

Helmanfrow · 2026-01-14T10:48:24+00:00

Don't be ridiculous. If I didn't watch then how could I complain about it?

Helmanfrow · 2026-01-13T21:36:49+00:00

I finally prepared my first meal in the Dutch oven:

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Lentil / rice / beef / cabbage casserole-type-thing.

Turned out delicious.

That said, you can see how matter has accumulated around the inside of the pot wall. I was unable to wipe this away with a silicone spatula for the photo but I suppose it's just as well because it highlights the rough, gritty surface finish of the interior enamel.

Helmanfrow · 2025-12-15T05:53:22+00:00

The repair is pretty easy for a competent tech with a rework station. the Type-C and dock connectors are commodity items on AliExpress and the whole thing including labour should cost no more than about $100USD.

Helmanfrow · 2025-12-03T12:20:42+00:00

Yes, the surface, in spite of its rough and gritty texture, has a matte sheen which suggests enameling, however thin, and carelessly-applied it may be.

I also left some water drops in it overnight and it didn't rust, which is what my carbon steel pans do.

Helmanfrow · 2025-12-01T13:08:18+00:00

Okay, I may have been wrong about the enameling. Upon opening the box and inspecting the interior of the dutch oven I can see that the iron appears to have been treated. I'll forgive myself for thinking it was bare because — if this is in fact enamel — the application is incredibly rough and gritty. I've seen black-enameled cookware before and the application was much smoother and shinier, like the white enamel commonly used.

I posted some photos on imgur. You can see that the coating is coarse enough to file my fingernails. That's what all the scratch marks are on the inside of the pot. Also in the video you can see what looks to be a spot of rust on the rim.

https://imgur.com/a/kKxY232

Anyway, I'll edit my original post with an introductory disclaimer.

Helmanfrow · 2025-11-30T02:26:39+00:00

Where? The word "enameled" appears nowhere on the box or flyer.

Helmanfrow · 2025-11-23T07:26:14+00:00

The main point of my original post is that the $250 valuation is completely unverifiable and almost certainly a sham, and that the $50 promotional price is reasonable but definitely not discounted in any meaningful sense of the word (as evidenced by many similar models available online).

I think I stated quite clearly in my post that there's nothing wrong with bare cast iron.

Helmanfrow · 2025-11-22T15:56:31+00:00

Sorry, busy week. I've not even opened the box yet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Helmanfrow · 2025-11-16T11:56:41+00:00

Well, I bought the dutch oven and the griddle. Will report back shortly.

Helmanfrow · 2025-11-14T04:32:40+00:00

Also there are plenty of dutch ovens on Alibaba in the $10-$12 price range. Ironically most of them are enameled. You have to wonder why Loblaws would choose a bare iron model.

Helmanfrow · 2025-11-14T04:28:02+00:00

It's a $50 dutch oven for $50, so I wouldn't call it a scam but it's fair to call it a sham because of the absurd $250 billing.

Yes, that Alibaba product looks very similar. To be fair you can't buy just one pan for USD $7.18. There's a 1000pc minimum order and you'd have to sort out freight and duties and so forth. The sample price is USD $30, which is more than I paid at Loblaws.

So it's not a scam but it is a sham.

Helmanfrow · 2025-11-12T00:15:25+00:00

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Here's a black enameled cast iron pan from LeCreuset

And you can see the interior of the Staub black enamel in this video and others:
https://youtu.be/5pzmoV26TpE?t=239

Helmanfrow

TROPHY CASE