# No longer able to access old threads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [June 25, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030 "2020-06-25T19:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/1 "2020-06-25T19:04:24Z")
Today I want to search old threads on driving WA --\> Alaska. I searched using Google, with my keywords and then adding site :boards. straightdope .com (no spaces). The Google search returned many SDMB threads from between 2002 and 2016. But every one I clicked took me to a SDMB page that said " Oops! That page doesn’t exist or is private." Every one. I use this search method to look for old threads regularly. But apparently… something… has happened to the old threads. What gives? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/2 "2020-06-25T19:06:18Z")
Don’t use Google. Use the built-in search at the top of the page. Click on ‘options’ for the advanced search page ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/3 "2020-06-25T19:06:22Z")
Gonna take a bit for Google to update its results. When we migrated, the URLs to the threads changed. So the old .php ones no longer work, and that’s what Google has on file right now. Give it a while and it’ll work again. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/4 "2020-06-25T19:06:47Z")
The search actually works here, give it a try. Just the search term: **Driving Alaska** brings up plenty ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/5 "2020-06-25T19:06:54Z")
The threads are still there, they just use a different naming convention. If you look at the URL of this thread, it has part of the title in it. On the old SDMB, it would say something like “view=68458969” It seems in the conversion, they converted the thread names to the new standard, but google hasn’t updated yet. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/6 "2020-06-25T19:23:11Z")
Oooohhh… working search! I was so used to the old search being clunky that I just figured it was equally clunky here ::embarrassed grin:: I look forward to Google catching up with the new board, but I’m glad the search here works well. Now then. Who’s up for an Alaskan road trip?? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/7 "2020-06-25T19:30:11Z")
I’ll have to pass as I would have to drive 3000 miles just to get to your starting point. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/8 "2020-06-25T19:36:04Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Today I want to search old threads on driving WA → Alaska. I searched using Google, with my keywords and then adding site :boards. straightdope .com (no spaces). > > The Google search returned many SDMB threads from between 2002 and 2016. But every one I clicked took me to a SDMB page that said " Oops! That page doesn’t exist or is private." Every one. [Cached pages still work.](https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:VqEXR5WzVd0J:https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-269225.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/9 "2020-06-25T21:23:07Z")
The search built in works pretty good. I love looking and reading old threads. It’s a different configuration but it works. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/10 "2020-06-25T21:52:17Z")
I’ve found it to be problematic and wonky so far — huge holes in the index (or at least that’s my interpretation; lots of missing stuff that should have been among the results, at any rate) — I’ll have to give it another shot and see if things have been fixed or refreshed yet. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-able-to-access-old-threads/913030/11 "2020-06-25T22:21:06Z")
From what I can tell things are filling in. The archive must gigantic after 20 years.