# Read/Unread timer resetting c. 5 minutes into a session
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [January 8, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423 "2013-01-08T00:26:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/1 "2013-01-08T00:26:17Z")
I have had this happen only intermittently over the years, but now this makes like 3-4 times in the space of a week. Wiping all threads down to read means I have to manually hunt for the last time I was here, which is a pain, so please feed the hamsters whatever it is that they need so that this doesn’t happen again. Thank you.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/2 "2013-01-08T01:27:38Z")
Like you, I’ve very occassionally had that problem all along, but it has cropped up several times recently for me as well. It would definitely be nice to have a “I last visited at \_\_\_\_\_” function even when things don’t break (e.g. to let me poke my head in for a quick look at something and later reset the timer when I want to go back to what was new before I poked my head in).
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/3 "2013-01-08T02:34:51Z")
We haven’t changed anything and we’re not doing anything different that I know of … so why is this happening?
I have no idea why this would be going on.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/4 "2013-01-08T03:34:12Z")
The past week or so, I’ve had two times when I opened SDMB and it immediately set my last visited to right then. So everything was marked as read.
One of those times was about 7pm tonight.
-D/a
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/5 "2013-01-08T04:21:12Z")
If it makes y’all feel any better, it’s happening to staff also. **grumble grumble grumble**
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/6 "2013-01-08T04:43:32Z")
Almost every time it’s happened to me, it’s within a few minutes of logging in.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/7 "2013-01-08T18:46:28Z")
Probably doesn’t help, but it **just** happened to me again (it’s 11:44AM MST as I type this message, and the last visited reset at 11:37 even though I’ve been reading messages for quite a while). I **definitely** wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/8 "2013-01-11T21:04:31Z")
Just did it again.
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### Author:  [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/9 "2013-01-11T21:34:00Z")
Me too. Happened at 3:10 this afternoon after I had been logged in about five minutes. Using an android tablet. Yesterday it happened in the evening when on a laptop running Firefox. Happens almost daily lately. And as someone said usually within a very few minutes after logging on. I read one thread in CP and when returning there it tells me there are none, even though two seconds ago there were ten. Grr indeed. I am glad tho that it’s not just me!
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/10 "2013-01-11T21:47:06Z")
Yeah, I hate it when that happens. It’s been doing it to me too lately.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/11 "2013-01-11T22:07:02Z")
Jesus Haploid Christ! Just did it again!!
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### Author:  [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/12 "2013-01-12T00:31:28Z")
Good. I posted about this very thing a few weeks (?months) ago but didn’t express it very well. It seemed, at the time, that I was the only one this was happening to. Glad I’m not going mad.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/13 "2013-01-12T00:48:15Z")
Not sure if it’s related…but as an extra data point, I had to log in yesterday. I always have the “Remember Me” option set, and haven’t had to actually log in for a really long time. Like…a year. So a cookie must have expired, or something.
-D/a
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/14 "2013-01-12T01:02:55Z")
Actually happened 3 times so far today to me (once more after my Jesus Haploid Christ comment). I’m on yet again more or less as an experiment - watching the last visited time like a hawk as I do things (which probably means it won’t happen a 4th time) to see if I can see a pattern.:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/15 "2013-01-12T03:04:08Z")
FWIW, happened to me twice several days ago. Opera 12.x on Windows 7. I restarted my browser and logged in a third time (again checking “Remember me”) and it hasn’t happened since.
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### Author:  [@Mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathematics)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/16 "2013-01-12T11:29:46Z")
I’ve been so confused trying to figure out why it resets itself seemingly at random, so at least I’m happy to know it’s a glitch.
I hope it gets fixed soon though.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/17 "2013-01-12T13:23:20Z")
I’ve started threads on this phenomenon myself. It’s a pain when it happens.
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### Author:  [@Snerky\_Snerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snerky_Snerk)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/18 "2013-01-12T16:30:46Z")
I don’t know if this info might help you or not.
From the vBulletin user manual -
> [@](#):
>
> Thread/Forum Read Marking Type
>
> This option controls how threads and forums are marked as read. The options are:
>
> 1. Inactivity/Cookie Based - once a user has been inactive for a certain amount of time (the value of the cookie timeout option) all threads and forums are considered read. Individual threads are marked as read within a session via cookies. This option is how all versions of vBulletin before 3.5 functioned.
>
> 2. Database (no automatic forum marking) - this option uses the database to store thread and forum read times. This allows accurate read markers to be kept indefinitely. However, in order for a forum to be marked read when all threads are read, the user must view the list of threads for that forum. This option is more space and processor intensive than inactivity-based marking.
>
> 3. Database (automatic forum marking) - this option is the same as a previous option, but forums are automatically marked as read when the last new thread is read. This is the most usable option for end users, but most processor intensive.
So, I guess we know that the SDMB is using option 1.
Are any of you timing how long you’re inactive for before the threads flip to read? Or are you just timing from when you log in to when they roll over?
I’m just concerned you might all get different results if you’re measuring different things. Just log in, go to a forum, and then force a refresh at increasing intervals of inactivity until the change to read occurs.
My appologies if that is what y’all are doing, but it would be interesting if there really is no pattern to the timing.
And if I’ve completely misunderstood what the issue is, and it is unrelated to the inactivity cookie, sorry.
Have fun,
Snerky
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/19 "2013-01-12T16:50:45Z")
> [@Snerky\_Snerk](#):
>
> I don’t know if this info might help you or not.
>
> From the vBulletin user manual -
>
> So, I guess we know that the SDMB is using option 1.
> Are any of you timing how long you’re inactive for before the threads flip to read? Or are you just timing from when you log in to when they roll over?
>
> I’m just concerned you might all get different results if you’re measuring different things. Just log in, go to a forum, and then force a refresh at increasing intervals of inactivity until the change to read occurs.
>
> My appologies if that is what y’all are doing, but it would be interesting if there really is no pattern to the timing.
>
> And if I’ve completely misunderstood what the issue is, and it is unrelated to the inactivity cookie, sorry.
>
> Have fun,
> Snerky
It’s 30 minutes. What’s happening is a lot quicker than that.
Log in, hit “New Posts”(that’s how I do it), go through the first page of results, go to second page and it’s all marked as read with a notice at the top that these threads have unread posts. Your last time visited is listed as just a few minutes before. This is all within 10-15 minutes with activity.
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### Author:  [@Snerky\_Snerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snerky_Snerk)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/20 "2013-01-12T17:25:19Z")
> [@runner pat](#):
>
> It’s 30 minutes. What’s happening is a lot quicker than that.
>
> Log in, hit “New Posts”(that’s how I do it), go through the first page of results, go to second page and it’s all marked as read with a notice at the top that these threads have unread posts. Your last time visited is listed as just a few minutes before. This is all within 10-15 minutes with activity.
Thank you. I’m on a mobile and never get to experience all the [del]bugs[/del] wonderful board features you proper computer users get.
I’ve gone through the steps you mentioned, but everything works fine for me. Dammit!
I guess it’s not such a big issue that TPTB would consult with a tech?
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