# Unlocking locked threads **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 29, 2000, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159 "2000-11-29T06:53:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/1 "2000-11-29T06:53:55Z")
I can’t seem to find this in the archive if it’s been answered, but I was just wondering - can a locked thread be reopened? I don’t have any reasons for wanting to reopen one, but the thought jumped into my mind and I couldn’t stop it. I suppose I’m wondering if any locked thread has ever been reopened. Usually the mods just tend to say “start it up again in a new thread”, but why not just unlock? ---
**Author:** ![Show\_Biz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@Show\_Biz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Show_Biz)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/2 "2000-11-29T07:38:33Z")
Any mod or Admin can unlock any thread. (I believe only Admins can unlock the few closed and obsolete forums.) Threads have been unlocked in a few cases. Usually this is to edit something and relock it. You can ask for it to be unlocked if you were the OP Original Poster, usually if it was locked because someone else hijacked it for a slap fest. That is, you can _ask_, but it probably is best left closed at that point. For example, there’s a thread here today called "Ummm…hi. " Where Coldfire closed it with this note: “I have no idea whether or not one of our administrators has anything to add to this obviously derailed thread. But for now, it is closed.” Since it wasn’t his forum, presumably someone else might have wanted to add something when they got back. Several times a mod has posted that a thread was closed when someone else snuck in “under the wire” and posted before it was actually locked. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/3 "2000-11-29T10:44:54Z")
Yup, that pretty much sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/4 "2000-11-29T11:34:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Any mod or Admin can unlock any thread. > (I believe only Admins can unlock the few closed and obsolete forums.) WHAT closed and obsolete forums? With UBBS, we had a couple of unused forums…but as far as I know, we don’t have any “closed and obsolete” forums. We had some archives, which we completely lost when we switched over to vBulletin. And believe me, we mourn them. But there aren’t any forums to unlock. Lynn Or possibly I’m completely out of the loop. Again. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/5 "2000-11-29T11:39:18Z")
Sssshhhh, Lynn. I think he’s on to us. You know, the _secret_ forum? [sub]The sparrow has caught a giant worm and little Red Riding Hood bathes after Easter[/sub] Don’t tell’em you got it from me. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/6 "2000-11-29T11:45:05Z")
OH, errrr, the one with the goat and pony and the large economy size bucket of lard? Oh. I thought that he was talking about our secret mailing list, where we discuss our underwear, or lack of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/7 "2000-11-29T14:46:24Z")
(sticks head into the room) Did somebody say _lard?_ ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/8 "2000-11-29T16:57:23Z")
Yep. I heard _lard_, too. What’s happenin’ Uke? Why don’tcha set a spell an’ we can chew the, umm … fat? ---
**Author:** ![zero\_hr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@zero\_hr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zero_hr)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/9 "2000-11-29T17:18:06Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* \*\* > [@](#): > > WHAT closed and obsolete forums? With UBBS, we had a couple of unused forums…but as far as I know, we don’t have any “closed and obsolete” forums. > > We had some archives, which we completely lost when we switched over to vBulletin. And believe me, we mourn them. But there aren’t any forums to unlock. > > Lynn > Or possibly I’m completely out of the loop. Again. \*\* He probably means these forums, which have been discussed a few times. **[url="[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=46883](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=46883)"Closed forum [/url\*\* \*\*[url=“[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35301](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35301)”[Hank Hill voice]Whut th’ Hell?[/Hank Hill voice] [/url** **[url="[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35534](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35534)"Changing URL line in my browser [/url** ---
**Author:** ![zero\_hr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@zero\_hr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zero_hr)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/10 "2000-11-29T17:22:42Z")
**[Closed forum](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=46883)** **[{Hank Hill voice}Whut th’ Hell?{/Hank Hill voice}](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35301)** **[Changing URL line in my browser](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35534)** \*\* [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/11 "2000-11-29T17:59:36Z")
Nope. Your examples are _threads_, not _fora_. A forum is a thematic grouping of threads, such as General Questions, or About This Message Board. A thread is a single topic inside a forum. There are no closed fora. ---
**Author:** ![Wanderlust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc29f/32.png) [@Wanderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wanderlust)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/12 "2000-11-29T18:17:48Z")
You didn’t click on his links, apparently Excerpting from them: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\* [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=8&daysprune=1000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=8&daysprune=1000) > \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\*The hidden fora are all identical. They are called **Archives–The Reference Section**. Each of them is empty except for **Ed Zotti** ’s announcement about the new e-zine. Hey, **Tuba** , where do I apply to become moderator of forum number 9? Now there’s a job I might be able to handle. > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=8](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=8) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=9](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=9) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=10](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=10) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=11](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=11) \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tshirts \* > \*\*They are left over from the UBB board software days. > They were for moving “archive” threads to, ones seldom modified. > Only a few qualified, like that fancy coding tutorial of Louie’s. > > Actually, one of the extra forums could work for that purpose now. > Could be used to store notices of a permanent nature. The only ones suggested so far for that are > > 1. an announcement thread, including links to the people pages and the e-zine. > 2. an acronym/local terms thread > 3. and a fancy coding tricks thread. > > That would make for a short forum. Also, there are several alternatives, like boosting key threads from time to time, putting more info into the FAQ links, etc. > > \*\* [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=9&daysprune=1000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=9&daysprune=1000) > \*\* > \*\* [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=10&daysprune=1000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=10&daysprune=1000) > \*\* > \*\* [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=11&daysprune=1000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=11&daysprune=1000) > > * * * ---
**Author:** ![Wanderlust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc29f/32.png) [@Wanderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wanderlust)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlocking-locked-threads/43159/13 "2000-11-29T18:20:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*I don’t know if this is properly a question About This Message Board, or if it’s just Netscape, but I just noticed a rather peculiar bug in something or another. I was just looking at the topics list for the Comments on Cecil’s Columns forum, and the URL listed in the “location” line washttp://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1 , just as it should be. However, I then switched to another Netscape window and switched back to the topic list, and now, the “location” field reads [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=11&daysprune=1000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=11&daysprune=1000) , which is the URL for the archived version of that same forum. Nothing else on the page changes, and if I hit “reload”, it changes the URL back to what it should be. I experimented around with a bit, and I discovered that it didn’t seem to occur with any other pages, including other forum topic lists, but it does happen reproduceably with that one page. It works for maximized or non-maximized windows. > > I’m using Windows 95, and my browser is Netscape Communicator 4.72. \*\* He never got an answer. ☹