# Why can't I search? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 7, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487 "2008-09-07T15:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/1 "2008-09-07T15:21:33Z")
I keep getting an error message whenever I try to search. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/2 "2008-09-07T15:25:56Z")
> [@Captain\_Socks](#): > > I keep getting an error message whenever I try to search. Advanced Search works. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/3 "2008-09-07T15:32:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Advanced Search works. Right. There’s a link to it in the Search dropdown box. Try [This link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?), in case it doesn’t show up for you. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/4 "2008-09-07T18:18:26Z")
Advanced search also isn’t working for me. Whenever I type something in and hit search, it just refreshes the page. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/5 "2008-09-07T18:22:39Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Advanced search also isn’t working for me. Whenever I type something in and hit search, it just refreshes the page. Try clearing your browser cache. How you do that depends on which browser you have, of course. See [this tread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=482096) (near the end somewhere) for Firefox and IE. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/6 "2008-09-07T18:28:33Z")
I just cleared the cache and advanced search isn’t working for me, either. I just get a refresh like \*\*Freudian Slit \*\*described. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/7 "2008-09-07T18:29:30Z")
I didn’t clear my cache, but I tried again, and now I can search all of a sudden…I’m not really sure what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/8 "2008-09-07T18:30:37Z")
The “new posts” link is working for me, though. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/9 "2008-09-07T18:37:21Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I didn’t clear my cache, but I tried again, and now I can search all of a sudden…I’m not really sure what’s going on. Drunk hamsters. I dunno, really. I don’t _think_ it’s server side, since search works fine for me, but then I haven’t used it all that much. If I think of anything else you folks who still can’t search can try, I’ll post back later. ETA: I suppose you could try clearing cookies, too. I doesn’t sound like the sort of problem that would be caused by corrupt cookie files, but other than logging you out and maybe losing a few settings and such on various websites, there’s no harm in trying. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/10 "2008-09-07T19:18:45Z")
I tried just using the simple search, and this is what I got: > [@](#): > > Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/11 "2008-09-07T19:55:24Z")
I cleared my cache, and it still doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/12 "2008-09-07T20:04:24Z")
> [@Queen\_Bruin](#): > > I tried just using the simple search, and this is what I got: I get the same thing. There’s something in the announcement about it; Jerry suggests using Advanced Search for now. Obviously, that’s not an option for some people right now. Hopefully, he’ll be made aware of the issue in due time. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/13 "2008-09-08T01:15:42Z")
I can’t get search to work either, so you aren’t alone. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/14 "2008-09-08T14:03:53Z")
When I click the Search tab nothing happens, except that a message appears on the bottom bar: “Done, but with errors on page”. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/15 "2008-09-08T19:31:57Z")
> [@Queen\_Bruin](#): > > I just cleared the cache and advanced search isn’t working for me, either. I just get a refresh like \*\*Freudian Slit \*\*described. I’m suddenly unable to search again, hmm. Okay, I’m assuming this is some kind of website problem, and NOT a problem on my end, though. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/16 "2008-09-08T20:02:48Z")
Try it in the “Advanced” section; that seemed to work fine for me. ETA. Listen to Johnny LA. He knows what he’s talking about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/17 "2008-09-08T20:08:48Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Try it in the “Advanced” section; that seemed to work fine for me. > > ETA. Listen to Johnny LA. He knows what he’s talking about. 🙂 I was doing advanced search, and that one wasn’t working either. ETA: Okay, it suddenly is working again. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/18 "2008-09-08T20:10:26Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > ETA: Okay, it suddenly is working again. Weird. Erm…I fixed it. Yeah. _shifty eyes_ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/19 "2008-09-09T01:07:26Z")
When I click on Search to get to Advanced Search, it works in some forums and does nothing in others. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487/20 "2008-09-09T02:14:09Z")
Search (advanced) has stopped working for me suddenly, in any browser. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-search/462487.md?page=2)