Unusual admin logon problem

I have read the manual and all the previous threads about people who could not logon as admin. My problem is a bit different, and I hope you can provide a solution or clue for what I should check.

First, my configuration:
Debian Linux w/ Apache 2.0.47
PHP 4.2.3 w/ magic_quotes_runtime off
MySQL 4.0.13 (works), 4.0.15 (NOT work)

I created the database tables using the _install.php script, and all went well. I created a single forum for testing purposes, then proceeded to spend the next several days modifying the templates and CSS to integrate with my site. When I attempted to login as Admin, to add the remaining forums, I could not! It seems to recognize the password, but it won't log me in. That is, if I use a purposely wrong Admin login/password, it returns the error "Incorrect username and/or password!" However, if I use the correct login/password, it returns "You need to enter your admin login to view this area" instead.

Here is what I have done so far:
* Verified that tables were built properly, via phpMyAdmin.
* Verified that cookie was getting written, and that MD5 hash within was same as hash in db.
* Reverted to original v1.6 install files, thus eliminating my changes as cause.
* Started over again with new db and new miniBB install.
* Verified that I can successfully register as a user, and that it shows in the SQL table properly (ok in both instances).

I finally noticed that phpMyAdmin was reporting v4.0.15 (it was 4.0.13 when I started). Tech support confirmed that they performed the upgrade 2 days ago, and mine was the 1st report of trouble.

Since I (unfortunately) did not discover the SQL change until after I had already trashed my database, I have only been able to prove that a user account can be created -- I can't test if it works (because there are now no forums!). Any ideas for what to check next?

fubar
I have installed newest mySQL binary, 4.0.16, and it works fine with previous database of miniBB. So, I am afraid, mySQL version is not the reason here... Probably, I can help you only if you can give temporary access to your server to see what's happening; it's hard to say "on the fly".

Team
That was nice of you to go to the trouble of duplicating my configuration. After reading your answer, I realized that the one file not reverted was setup_options.php. So... I proceeded to go through the manual, and change options one-by-one.

I finally found it -- The $cookiename variable cannot contain a period!

I think this officially qualifies as a "bug," but simply documenting it in the manual should be sufficient.

fubar
The $cookiename variable cannot contain a period
Hmm, what do you mean exactly?

Team
Hmm, what do you mean exactly?

In setup_options.php, I had the following (don't ask!):
$cookiename='RC.N';

Changed it to...
$cookiename='RCN';
...and all is okay!

fubar
Using POINT is very doubtful in cookie name... So, I'm glad finally that it is working, the best way things are they are ending :)

It also can't contain space. Spent an hour to figure that out!

merike

Ok :-) I've put in manual that only alphanumerical characters are allowed in cookie name. As it is referrenced in Cookie specification, the cookie name "is a sequence of characters excluding semi-colon, comma and white space."