# Kicked out of the reply window--again! **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 25, 2000, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190 "2000-03-25T15:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/1 "2000-03-25T15:46:00Z")
This is the umpteenth time I have been kicked out of the reply window while I was composing a reply. I am a fast typist, and it seems to happen whenever I reach for the left arrow or the Delete key with my right pinky–whoops, next thing I know, I’m back at the message board. There goes the Great American Novel, into electronic limbo. So is there some key combination that means “go back to the message board” that I am hitting by accident? Or is there a time limit on the reply window? Or is it just that the server waits to hiccup until it hears me typing? Or is it a Juno thing? I have taken to composing all my replies in WordPad and then copying them to the window with the clipboard. If anyone ever wonders why all my posts are so long, that’s why. Psychologically speaking, there’s a big difference between trying to squeeze your thoughts into a tiny little 2 inch square window with a size 8 font (and not one of my favorite fonts, either), and the unlimited scope for verbal expression offered by a full-size monitor screen with a nice big black size 14 Times New Roman on it. See what I mean? If I had been writing this on the reply window, all you would have heard would have been, “Hey–what gives?” ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/2 "2000-03-25T17:10:00Z")
OK, it just did it again, and this time I noticed, first, that the hard drive whirs for a moment just before it happens (so maybe it’s not the keyboard?), and second, I realized that it’s not sending me back to the Message Board, but rather implementing the Back command. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/3 "2000-03-25T19:02:00Z")
I’ve seen this problem a time or two as well. Not sure what causes it. Let me kick this over to our technical folks, see if they can shed any light on the situation. Sorry for your inconvenience. your humble TubaDiva Administrator The Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![quadell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b9bd4f/32.png) [@quadell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quadell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/4 "2000-03-25T23:56:00Z")
Are you using some sort of in-browser stock-ticker or somesuch? I’m using Yahoo’s Companion, which adds a toolbar to the browser. Every 5 minutes or so, it updates, but that puts the focus on the toolbar, and not on the textarea where I’m typing. So when I type, it acts like I just hit [alt], and then tried to type. Since [alt]-LeftArrow is the same as hitting the Back button, it can sometimes take me back a screen. (It’s more likely that I’ll hit “e”, and pull down the Edit menu though.) Anyway, hitting the Forward button puts me back where I was, with all my text still in the Textarea. Not sure if that’s your problem though. Maybe you’re hitting the [alt] key accidentally? Your Quadell ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2000, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/5 "2000-03-26T05:21:00Z")
Just checking if I can post at all. MPSIMS does not allow reply right now. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/6 "2000-03-26T19:52:00Z")
Blessings be upon My Quaddell! 🙂 Your posting didn’t solve the problem 100% but it sure made a lot of headway towards diminishing it. The wretched thing did it to me twice more today, and I realized that it is definitely the left arrow keys involved somehow. So left arrow plus Alt equals Back, hm? Well, I don’t think it’s exactly that, because as far as I can tell, it’s just when I hit the left arrow key extra-hard with my fast-typing right pinky, and Alt isn’t involved at all. But–just before it happens, the hard drive is whirring. We have Juno Free Internet, which means that every couple of minutes, the drive whirs, which I am assuming means it’s updating its permanent banner ad. We had free Internet for a while last year courtesy of Aimsmart, and the hard drive didn’t turn over its engine every couple of minutes, so I’m assuming it’s Juno. So, maybe if I happen to punch the left arrow key just when Juno is trying to reload its ad, like your in-browser stock ticker, then somehow it interprets this as a request to go Back? We will probably never know, but it doesn’t matter any more, because somebody finally got me a clue–“Forward will bring me back to the reply window with all my text.” Duh. :o Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/7 "2000-03-28T02:34:00Z")
> [@](#): > > So is there some key combination that means “go back to the message board” that I am hitting by accident? Yes there is. In Internet Explorer, the Backspace key doubles as the “Back” button on the toolbar. If you press Backspace and you’re not typing anything in the box, then you’ll go back to the last page you were on. So if you made a mistake, make sure to click in the text box before you press Backspace. Tubadiva, it’s the browser, not UBB. No worries 🙂 * * * _Louie: young guy, possibly a bit green, but smart as paint._ - Greg Charles ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/8 "2000-03-28T17:16:00Z")
And blessings be upon Louie, also! 🙂 Hmm, yet another piece of Microsoft foolishness I can blame on Bill Gates (I’ve got a little list…He never would be missed…) ---
**Author:** ![lamerino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f9b8f/32.png) [@lamerino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lamerino)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicked-out-of-the-reply-window-again/1190/9 "2000-04-05T23:15:00Z")
If you like backarrow = back button, you’ll like these: alt-left arrow = back button alt-right arrow = forward button F5 is screen refresh/reload The back ones also work in windows to go back one level of a file window or Explorer nest level.