# Read/Unread timer resetting c. 5 minutes into a session **URL:** \ **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:** 15
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/281 "2013-06-05T17:01:01Z")
It looks like it’s now been almost a week since I’ve had this happen, and it’s been a lovely time of frustration-free thread reading. Long may it continue. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/282 "2013-06-05T18:25:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It’s really weird. Even in text outside links or boxes, it will Find some words but not others. Doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason for which ones are included or excluded. Again, it’s only on this website. Why would it be affecting me like this? This leads me to wonder if there’s some kind of malware browser extension installed that’s hijacking your links. I’m having a hard time imagining why or how it would be happening in a way that hides the link text from your browser’s ‘find’ function, but it would definitely make me take a look through the list of installed browser extensions, and maybe run your malware scanner of choice. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/283 "2013-06-06T02:18:23Z")
> [@spinky](#): > > This leads me to wonder if there’s some kind of malware browser extension installed that’s hijacking your links. I’m having a hard time imagining why or how it would be happening in a way that hides the link text from your browser’s ‘find’ function, but it would definitely make me take a look through the list of installed browser extensions, and maybe run your malware scanner of choice. I just experimented it. I tried Find for the word “definitely,” which is in your post. I did it for your User Name, **spinky** , and it Found that. Other words it found. But some it did not. For example, while it Found your User Name, it will not Find **Siam Sam**. I tried the word “sigh” in the first post on this page, and nothing doing. And again, it’s only this website. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/284 "2013-06-06T11:10:45Z")
And, of course, predictably, it just happened again. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/285 "2013-06-06T13:19:08Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I just experimented it. I tried Find for the word “definitely,” which is in your post. I did it for your User Name, **spinky** , and it Found that. Other words it found. But some it did not. For example, while it Found your User Name, it will not Find **Siam Sam**. I tried the word “sigh” in the first post on this page, and nothing doing. And again, it’s only this website. All of those work fine for me. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/286 "2013-06-06T20:36:23Z")
I’m still getting hit once every couple of days. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/287 "2013-06-07T00:55:29Z")
Except for that weird Find glitch, it’s been working very well. No time-outs lately. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/288 "2013-06-07T02:08:02Z")
Well, I got caught twice this week. Didn’t think it was important enough to report it the other day, but it just happened again. I went to the home page, clicked on message boards. The last visited time was yesterday about 8pm. Selected General Questions, went through that ok, then went to Great Debates and last visited date was today about the time I clicked ‘message boards’. I guess there is no indication of what the problem might be, but I sure hope someone comes up with a fix soon. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/289 "2013-06-08T02:01:29Z")
Reporting it here rather than starting a thread over such a small and probably temporary problem, but the new Weird Earl’s offering will not call up from the main Straight Dope page. The link that says: “That’s what the client said.” ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/290 "2013-06-08T04:46:01Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Reporting it here rather than starting a thread over such a small and probably temporary problem, but the new Weird Earl’s offering will not call up from the main Straight Dope page. The link that says: “That’s what the client said.” Dude, your browser is hosed. It seems very likely to me that you have malware when basic links from one web page to another aren’t working and you can’t “Find” text that’s plainly visible in links on your page. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/291 "2013-06-08T13:35:54Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Reporting it here rather than starting a thread over such a small and probably temporary problem, but the new Weird Earl’s offering will not call up from the main Straight Dope page. The link that says: “That’s what the client said.” No difficulties when I try it. As **spinky** suggests, I think you have browser problems. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/292 "2013-06-08T15:31:44Z")
Still odd it only happens for me on this website. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/293 "2013-06-08T15:38:56Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Still odd it only happens for me on this website. Plus I’m going through the Weird Earl archives, and this one is the only one that won’t open. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/294 "2013-06-08T15:39:57Z")
I have always had that happen from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/295 "2013-06-09T01:21:47Z")
So now the Weird Earl’s offering is working for me. But again, this was the only one that hadn’t. I went through some of the ones in the Archives, and every one I tried worked. It was just that one for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/296 "2013-06-11T00:21:13Z")
And again. ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/297 "2013-06-11T00:55:47Z")
And again. ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/298 "2013-06-11T01:58:59Z")
For some reason, it has been this way continuously for the past hour or so. It is staying read! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/299 "2013-06-11T02:28:27Z")
Just hit me for the first time in days, maybe a week. Ah well. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423/300 "2013-06-11T03:23:14Z")
Okay, now this is friggin’ weird. It timed out and showed everything Read, as mentioned in my previous post. But after looking through about half the threads that have been posted in and should have been marked Unread, suddenly they’re all marked Unread again, all of them, even the ones I’ve already looked at this morning – but only going back to about 6am my time, 4-1/2 hpurs ago. Everything between that time this morning last night when I logged out, is still marked as Read. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/read-unread-timer-resetting-c-5-minutes-into-a-session/646423.md?page=16)