What's New? - Help!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

For no reason that I am aware of, last evening my What's New? "button" has stopped working. When I click on it, instead of the list of new posts, I get sent to a screen that says I have "No Internet Connection", which is clearly not the case - all my other Windows are connected, and I can read and post to the Forum. I just have to go to Forum and click on each Thread/Board individually, which is a bit of a pain.

On the "No Int Conn" screen that appears, the first line says "Your router does not have an active Internet connection. (Lies - all lies!)
If your router has previously been working then click here to retry." When I click on "here", I'm taken to an advertising site for Zyxel. Now, I am, of course, convinced that my computer is being hacked from the Forum, and all my Bank Accounts are being drained by the Mafia (boy, are they going to be disappointed!) and horrible Malware is being put on.

Reassurance/advice gratefully received, thanks.

[Bryn]

How about "New Posts", does that function normally?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

How about "New Posts", does that function normally?

Hadn't thought of that - just tried it, and I get the same announcement of "No Connection" and the same advert when I "click here to retry".

[Bryn]

Hadn't thought of that - just tried it, and I get the same announcement of "No Connection" and the same advert when I "click here to retry".

Ouch! Can I take it you are using a present from a certain wicked witch? If so, let's hope a fellow malophile will come up with a solution that wakes the button form its sleep.

[french frank]

Hadn't thought of that - just tried it, and I get the same announcement of "No Connection" and the same advert when I "click here to retry".

Has any of your computer software been upgraded in the last day? It clearly isn't an issue with the forum.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ouch! Can I take it you are using a present from a certain wicked witch? If so, let's hope a fellow malophile will come up with a solution that wakes the button form its sleep.

Has any of your computer software been upgraded in the last day? It clearly isn't an issue with the forum.

This all just started happening in the middle of last evening - about 7:00pm - no changes to my computer that I know of. I was watching the documentary on Quizes on the i-Player when the screen froze and I was told that I'd lost my connection. I thought that I must have accidentally clicked on the function button (as sometimes happens when I'm typing a "2" or using inverted commas) though I didn't see how, as I wasn't using the keyboard. I got my connectivity back - but not for the "What's New?" button. I closed my computer (a laptop) down as usual last night, and when I switched on this morning, the problem is still there.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh! I've just deleted my browsing history (yes - I know I should've thought if that earlier - I have a cold) and everything's back to normal!

I ran an Avast scan (last night and just now) and no naughtiness detected ... I presume it's just one of those things technology chucks at us every so often to keep us on our toes?

[Serial_Apologist]

Glad to hear the problem's now solved, ferney - although having to delete your browsing record to get the result is a bit of a pain, surely?

One problem I sometimes find - which I think has not been thus far mentioned on here - is that when clicking back into the Forum, it states that there are "no new messages", and an accompanying note states that the forum has not been updated since last viewing. Actually there usually are a number of interim posts, and the only way of accessing them is to upload each unemboldened one in turn, requiring much time-consuming backtracking.

[french frank]

Actually, S-A, if instead you go to Quick Links > Today's Posts (dark red band just under FORUM and WHAT'S NEW?, and under the brighter red band), it will show you all the latest posts, with a line above all the ones it thinks you've accessed. You can see from the timings if there's been anything new. I don't know why this happens sometimes, but may be in the settings (it happens to me too!).

The line says "The threads below have not been updated since your last visit or since forums have been marked read", though after a long break away from the forum I can see that there are posts I haven't read yet)

Glad to hear the problem's now solved, ferney - although having to delete your browsing record to get the result is a bit of a pain, surely?

One problem I sometimes find - which I think has not been thus far mentioned on here - is that when clicking back into the Forum, it states that there are "no new messages", and an accompanying note states that the forum has not been updated since last viewing. Actually there usually are a number of interim posts, and the only way of accessing them is to upload each unemboldened one in turn, requiring much time-consuming backtracking.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Glad to hear the problem's now solved, ferney - although having to delete your browsing record to get the result is a bit of a pain, surely?

Thanks, S_A - I tend to delete history once a week (if I don't, I find the i-Player starts to "stick") and had already done this only on Tuesday. It is a bit of a faff "reminding" sites who I am, but ...

One problem I sometimes find - which I think has not been thus far mentioned on here - is that when clicking back into the Forum, it states that there are "no new messages", and an accompanying note states that the forum has not been updated since last viewing. Actually there usually are a number of interim posts, and the only way of accessing them is to upload each unemboldened one in turn, requiring much time-consuming backtracking.

Now that's interesting: now you mention it I had noticed this happening a couple of times earlier in the week, too.

And - just in case I needed even less sleep - I did notice this story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38167453

... my ISP is the Post Office, and my router is a ZyXEL model, though not the one in the article!

[Serial_Apologist]

Actually, S-A, if instead you go to Quick Links > Today's Posts (dark red band just under FORUM and WHAT'S NEW?, and under the brighter red band), it will show you all the latest posts, with a line above all the ones it thinks you've accessed. You can see from the timings if there's been anything new. I don't know why this happens sometimes, but may be in the settings (it happens to me too!).

The line says "The threads below have not been updated since your last visit or since forums have been marked read", though after a long break away from the forum I can see that there are posts I haven't read yet)

Thanks for the advice, ff - I'll try that next time!

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks, S_A - I tend to delete history once a week (if I don't, I find the i-Player starts to "stick") and had already done this only on Tuesday. It is a bit of a faff "reminding" sites who I am, but ...


Now that's interesting: now you mention it I had noticed this happening a couple of times earlier in the week, too.

And - just in case I needed even less sleep - I did notice this story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38167453

... my ISP is the Post Office, and my router is a ZyXEL model, though not the one in the article!

French frank has kindly directed me to what seems to be the solution, ferney.

Oddly enough, a possibly related problem just happens to have popped up on the BBC weather site, where those very user-friendly maps showing synoptic charts and weather happening wherever one chooses worldwide have now stopped functioning. Their problem solving page admits to this happening for some viewers, then goes on to add that although their technicians can't attend to individual user problems, the advice is to empty one's browsing cache, which presumably is the same thing as one's browsing history. But why this should suddenly have occurred in the past week, following several years of unproblematic access, remains a mystery, and my computer whizz insists it is up to the BBC to fix it, and not me.

[oddoneout]

Unintended (beneficial) consequences from these posts, so thank you peoples.
I now know how to deal with the 'No new posts' message(rather than what I had been doing), and also why I was having problems with the internet at the weekend. I have in the past had the XyZel message when the internet connection has dropped out but not done anything with it, partly through mistrust and partly because trying to find the relevant numbers is such a faff it's easier to switch off and come back later when it's stopped having a tantrum.

[Zucchini]

For no reason that I am aware of, last evening my What's New? "button" has stopped working. When I click on it, instead of the list of new posts, I get sent to a screen that says I have "No Internet Connection", which is clearly not the case ...

I had the same about 21.00 last night on my way to internet Xmas shopping. I rarely panic over glitches; didn't come back; all ok today

[Pulcinella]

Sort of related......I don't really understand the relationship, if any, between What's New? and New Posts, and also sometimes get odd/wrong messages (there ARE new posts), but no screen freezes.
My iPad had a fit of crashing or freezing while replying to or writing new posts, but that seems not to have happened for a while now.