# How come sometimes my Post Message window is empty when I use Back?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 9, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160 "2001-01-09T15:29:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sweet\_Sue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Sue)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/1 "2001-01-09T15:29:38Z")
Sometimes when I preview a post I can just use the Back button to reenter.
Other times, when I use the Back button the whole text area has been emptied and I have to start typing over.
I’ve tried different settings for Check For Newer Pages under my internet options, but can’t find the pattern.
When I go Back, I ALWAYS want to see the screen just as I saw it last, not automatically “refreshed” to empty.
sub[/sub]
Any ideas? Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/2 "2001-01-09T15:58:26Z")
If your little speaking doll is that important to you, you _could_ save it in a separate NotePad file, or something.
I mean, I see no other reason why the screen should display the just posted information upon reload-by-back-button.
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### Author:  [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/3 "2001-01-09T16:04:16Z")
Maybe you need to upgrade/use a different browser? I use IE 5.5 and when I go back to forms they’re always still filled out the way I left them.
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### Author:  [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/4 "2001-01-09T16:11:53Z")
Mabye I’m missing something here, but when I preview a post, I don’t have to use the back button to re-edit. You just scroll down to edit your post. It’s right below the preview.
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### Author:  [@Starbury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starbury)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/5 "2001-01-09T16:19:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sweet Sue \*
> \*\*I’ve tried different settings for Check For Newer Pages under my internet options, but can’t find the pattern.
> \*\*
_(I’m assuming that you’re using Internet Explorer and not Netscape)_
Anyway, try setting the “Check for Newer Versions of Stored Pages” to “Automatically”. That way, the browser will only reload the page if you close IE and reopen it. Then, all your text should still be there if you hit the back button.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/6 "2001-01-09T16:31:51Z")
Im with Delta-9, scroll down & edit there. Viola!
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### Author:  [@Sweet\_Sue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Sue)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/7 "2001-01-09T17:01:55Z")
**c\_goat** Thanks. That’s kind of what I need. The only thing is it actually started when I installed IE5.5 IE5 never did that. So I reinstalled IE5, but still had the problem. I’m thinking maybe the browser reset something to a default and I can’t figure out which option might do that.
**Delta-9** and **handy** One reason is sometimes I want a " in the subject and when you preview it erases that. The recommended way around the bug is to just use Back, and this worked for me for months until now.
Also, sometimes I want to look something up while I’m typing. So I’ll have the message filled in and click on AskJeeeves for an answer, then try to just Back my way into the message.
The problem isn’t as important here, because I don’t post anything long at this site, but it happens elsewhere as well.
If I fill in a long application form for a bank or a website signup and am on page three and think I should go back and correct something, it now erases all my entries. It didn’t used to. I want to find how to get it to work like it did before, find the option controlling it.
**Starbury** Thanks, I’ll try that in a minute.
By the way, I have found an “emergency” method, if I remember in time before i hit Back I can drop the line connection. Then when I go back it gives me an “off-line” view, since it can’t refresh. I can capture my work and re-log on. But that is not something I recommend.
[aside to Coldfire’s attempted hijack:
Coldfire -
You certainly have no manners, even in GQ. If you didn’t know the answer you could just not post instead of giving me a dig. This isn’t the pit.
Yes I like the doll. There must be a thousand people with elaborate little taglines and images in their sigs. The guy with the armadillo comes to mind. And lots of people like TubaDiva have a signature line motto in the text. When she claimed my picture was wasting bandwidth she was simply mistaken. My doll takes less bandwidth than her sig, and all my 117 posts combined contained less total text than one of your latest page-filling monologues in the pit. So get off my back, already. I’m not a troll posting some crazy racist or sexist outrage. I don’t insult people. I don’t boost old threads. I just try to lighten up the place, which may be hard for you to comprehend people who just want to be nice, but sobeit.
And of course I always use Notepad for the doll.\*\*sub)[/sub]\*\*I’m not an idiot.
[/aside]
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/8 "2001-01-09T17:18:08Z")
Excuse me, but what the _hell_ is that all about?
I figured you were referring to your “doll”. And you wouldn’t believe how many people have no idea what “NotePad” is.
What the hell were you thinking, Sweet Sue? Just because I reply shortly and matter-of-factly doesn’t mean I’m attacking you.
You can reserve whatever other opinion you have of me for the appropriate forum.
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### Author:  [@Starbury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starbury)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/9 "2001-01-09T17:55:33Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Coldfire \*\*\*
> What the hell were you thinking, Sweet Sue? Just because I reply shortly and matter-of-factly doesn’t mean I’m attacking you.
> \*\*
I wasn’t going to say anything in my first post about this, but I actually had the same reaction as **Sweet Sue** did to your first post.
Well. Not the _exact_ same reaction, but it did seem like you were being a little snide towards her ASCII creations.
> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Sweet Sue_\*\*
> Also, sometimes I want to look something up while I’m typing. So I’ll have the message filled in and click on AskJeeeves for an answer, then try to just Back my way into the message. \*\*
Another solution to this would be to hit CONTROL-N while you have your browser open on the page with your filled in message. This will open a duplicate of your window, and you can change the address to a different site.
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### Author:  [@2nd\_guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_guest)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/10 "2001-01-12T01:15:55Z")
Starbury -
Your first answer is probably the right one.
I got Internet Explorer 5.5 recently as well. One of the advertised features was a new Automatic setting on page refresh, which would have rearranged people’s options if they went back and uninstalled it. I’d played with it but wasn’t sure what the logic was in any particular setting.
It seems all the settings on IE are a) defaulted wrong, and b) only understandable by experts.
That’s why I like Netscape. I may not understand the settings, but at least the defaults are right.
But everytime Microsoft tells me they have an upgrade, I have to see what it’s all about.
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### Author:  [@Pink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pink)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/11 "2001-01-12T04:49:58Z")
That setting worked for me, and it’s quite a relief!
I used to get nailed constantly.
The system would say like “You just posted so you have to wait 60 seconds to post again, use your Go Back key”.
Then you go back and the message was gone!
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### Author:  [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-sometimes-my-post-message-window-is-empty-when-i-use-back/49160/12 "2001-01-12T05:11:16Z")
There’s a similar problem when you try to revise eBay auction descriptions (when you’re a seller). The way it’s set up, you can’t edit your item description on the same page you preview it; you have to hit Back. Unfortunately, often all the information you’ve entered on that page is gone when you do that, forcing you to re-enter _everything_. (This taught me the hard way to write up a description first, and then C&P it in.)
Anyway, their solution is to clear the browser’s cache and relaunch the browser. Can’t say I like that “solution” much, though.