# Are old threads being deleted? (or do I just not know how to search?) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 3, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241 "2001-05-03T17:47:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241/1 "2001-05-03T17:47:48Z")
The obvious answer is that I do not know how to search, which will be pointed out to me when someone links to a thread that answers this exact question. Lately it seems that some older threads I have been searching for just do not turn up. I know it’s not on a per date basis, as I have found threads that predate my existence on this board. But, for instance, I remember posting in GD shortly after I signed on to the SDMB. However, when I search on my username with a GD argument, nothing turns up before May of 2000. I vaguely remember at one point someone talking about deleting some of the really unimportant threads. Is this happening / Has this happened? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241/2 "2001-05-03T22:56:33Z")
Just to remind you, the “last post” column is that date for the **thread** , not for when **you** last posted to it. You may have posted to a GD thread earlier. However, I think GD threads tend to go on for a long time, and the GD thread you posted to may have a much later last post date. I got curious about this, so I searched for posts with your exact user name in all forums. The thread that has the oldest last post date that showed up (10/27/99) is [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=7551](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=7551) . Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241/3 "2001-05-03T23:26:24Z")
Thanks, zgy. I do know that about last post / my post time difference. (although I had forgotten that I talked about my explosive bowels in my very first GQ thread :rolleyes: :)) I just remember an exchange I had in GD where I took some lumps from PLD and Rousseau, and I couldn’t have been here more than a month. Besides, if I search on all of my posts in GD, (there’s only about 10 or 15) that one doesn’t appear. I do find most of the things I search for, but maybe 10-20% of the things turn up empty. I still wonder if any threads have been deleted in the name of housecleaning. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241/4 "2001-05-04T04:48:27Z")
I do delete old threads, but they’re mostly stuff like test threads. I read over the threads to make sure that there’s nothing worth saving before I delete. I don’t know what’s happening. I know that Euty’s done some deleting in MPSIMS (as have I) but I don’t think that anyone’s deleted anything in GD. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241/5 "2001-05-05T14:50:21Z")
Speaking of old threads, occasionally I’ll happen across an old reference to a previous thread, but the link style will be “oldstyle”. Is there a conversion table somewhere, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-threads-being-deleted-or-do-i-just-not-know-how-to-search/64241/6 "2001-05-05T19:41:18Z")
Sorry, RM, but the conversion program which translated the old UBB database into a vB one did so in a pretty haphazard manner. Older threads generally got lower numbers, but not always, and not in any pattern anyone’s been able to detect thus far. I think that the problem arises from the fact that under UBB, threads were indexed on a forum-by-forum basis, wheras here, the whole board uses the same numbering scheme.