# Replies time out, say bye bye
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [April 11, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118 "2002-04-11T22:16:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/1 "2002-04-11T22:16:16Z")
First of all, is the server still down for 1/2 hour or so in the A.M.? Used to be between 1:30 and 2:00 PST.
I replied to a post of Eve’s in MPSIMS somewhere in there, hit submit, got a “too busy to use” sign and thinking that it would send it when it got time, went on my way. (I was in the “view new threads” mode. I checked later-nothing, ad infinitum.
Today I tried to reply to my own threadin IMHO a little before 3:oo P.M. Got the same sign and same result. I was once again eaten, so to say.So my question is,“Hey! huh? wha?”.
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### Author:  [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/2 "2002-04-11T22:25:56Z")
Wow, now there’s something unique. I’ve never used a smiley, ever, but there’s a big orange one that somehow insinuated itself in my OP.
So I have another question. “Hey! huh? wha?”
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/3 "2002-04-11T22:47:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ageless6 \*
> First of all, is the server still down for 1/2 hour or so in the A.M.?
Look in the technical issues FAQ.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/4 "2002-04-11T22:48:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ageless6 \*
> I’ve never used a smiley, ever, but there’s a big orange one that somehow insinuated itself in my OP.
Try clicking on a smiley in the smiley list to the left of the reply box. You will notice that a set of ASCII characters is inserted in your post. vBulletin will translate the corresponding “shortcut” to a smiley every time it sees that set of characters in your post.
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### Author:  [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/5 "2002-04-11T23:48:58Z")
Mmm, thanks Arnold, but I can’t find the technical issues faq. The regular one doesn’t seem to have anything that pertains. And I still don’t understand why my posts are being erased.
Sorry to be so dense.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/6 "2002-04-12T00:00:54Z")
**ageless6** , the techincal issues FAQ is at the top of the **ATMB** thread list.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/7 "2002-04-12T00:01:40Z")
There is a sticky thread in ATMB entitled [FAQ - technical issues - please read this BEFORE posting a question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=103503).
Inside that thread, you will see [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1959053#post1959053), which says:
> [@](#):
>
> Usually board maintenance is at the same time every night - from 03:30 to about 03:45 through 04:00 (Chicago, USA time) the database is locked down so that we can capture a consistent backup.
and also [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1946046#post1946046), which says
> [@](#):
>
> …due to the demands placed upon the server, the full set of database updates needed to successfully complete a thread/post creation gets interrupted, and so you may end up with inconsistent data in the database.
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/8 "2002-04-12T03:14:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> 3:oo P.M.
For future reference, Ageless, Mr. Smilie inserted himself because you use lower-case letter “o” for the zeros in “3:00”. The smilie code uses "colon and lower case ‘o’ " for an “embarrassed” smilie.
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### Author:  [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2002, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/9 "2002-04-12T09:07:08Z")
Thanks again Arnold
and KneadToKnow
and DDG; after looking at it a long time, I noticed that the one 0 that wasn’t covered by the smilie was actually an o, so I finally figured it out, but thanks ducky. I’m more smilie illiterate than computer illiterate. Like ChiefScott I revile the little gremlins.
It’s 1:40 A.M. I’m just killing time, waiting for 1:45 to take another shot at getting through. Okay, here we go. Nope, try at 1:55. Nope.
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### Author:  [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2002, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/10 "2002-04-12T09:12:14Z")
Okay, got through at 2:07
George, I’m goin’ out to pet the rabbits now. Aw,okay, I’ll read the technical faqs first.
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### Author:  [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/11 "2002-04-12T23:05:45Z")
Yes, I should remember it too. A couple of nights ago, I was telling one of my friends to look at a thread on this board at around 2 AM PST (even though when I tried to view the board, I was getting a “Database Error” page every single time). He told me it was “all messed up, and it would probably be okay later”. It was, at around 2:15 or so.
So the cause of the board being “all messed up” was probably the maintenance of the board. But is it possible to have a page that says that the board is down for maintenance and to try back later? I’m tired of looking at the “Database Error” page! Thanks!
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### Author:  [@jdavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdavis)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/12 "2002-04-13T14:38:09Z")
Arnold, please extend the backup window time range mentioned in the technical FAQ to between 03:30 and 04:15.
As for a special page saying the board is getting backed up? When/if I get time which tends to be Jerry-speak for “not going to happen”.
Jerry
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2002, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replies-time-out-say-bye-bye/103118/13 "2002-04-13T15:35:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jdavis \*
> Arnold, please extend the backup window time range mentioned in the technical FAQ to between 03:30 and 04:15.
Done.