# Web surfing question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597 "2000-07-14T20:38:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/1 "2000-07-14T20:38:13Z")
I notice sometimes that when I go to a link, the ‘back’ button won’t work anymore. How is this done? For the person who surfs to such a site, is there any way they can set up Netscape so that the back button will always work? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/2 "2000-07-14T20:46:00Z")
Most of the time this is becuase the link created a new browser window. It is usually set so that the new window doesn’t get the history of the creating window, so it can’t go back cause it doesn’t know of a previous site. In this case just close the second window, and look at the first one again. If its on the same window then there are several possible reasons, one being that there is no space for cacheing on your computer, so it can’t maintain a history at all. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2000, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/3 "2000-07-15T00:37:45Z")
One other thing that can screw up the Back button is a ‘redirect’. The link you clicked originally points at a page that immediately sends you to another one without waiting for a click. Then going back just takes you to the one that redirected you, and you seem to be stuck. To get out, you need to go back two steps at once, by using the history list from the menu (under ‘Go’ in Netscape, someplace else in that other browser). ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2000, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/4 "2000-07-15T00:44:49Z")
Also, I ran into a bug with a recent version of IE (it was at work, I didn’t have a choice) where the back button would simply not work anymore. The browser had to be restarted to fix it. Just relating, there is a very small possibility that it’s actually a bug. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/5 "2000-07-15T00:52:10Z")
There are also certain javascripts that can turn off the Back button. Some porn sites use them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2000, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/6 "2000-07-15T04:28:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjk \* > \*\*To get out, you need to go back two steps at once, by using the history list from the menu (under ‘Go’ in Netscape, someplace else in that other browser). > \*\* I’ve found that pressing the back button twice really quicly usualy also works. Another problem that I’ve noticed is that somehow the browser thinks that that the previous website is the one that I’m on, and pressing the back button just keeps bringing me back to the same page. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2000, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-surfing-question/25597/7 "2000-07-15T14:07:36Z")
On Netscape, you have three, easy available choices. Back button, history list, GO history list. Try them all, Im sure youll find one that works.