Troubleshooting

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Problem Index

• My post does not show up
• Text entry boxes reset when i resize windows
• Text entry boxes reset when i use the back button
• Text entry boxes don't fit entirely on screen
• Some links present "not found" messages
• Strange characters appear
• Text entry boxes don't show up properly

If you use the browser's back button several times after posting a message, you are looking at the page as it was before you posted the message. Clicking links from the Navigation Bar avoids this problem.

If you still have a problem, then your browser is pulling the document out of its cache instead of reloading the document, and it keeps displaying the old version of the document. To avoid this, set your browser to verify documents every time upon loading as follows:

• Internet Explorer: Click on Tools, then on Internet Options.... Under "Temporary Internet files" click the "Settings..." button. Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages," select "Every visit to the page." Then click on OK to exit the settings dialog box, and finally on OK to exit the options dialog box.
• Netscape Communicator: Click on Edit, then on Preferences..., and then on the + icon next to "Advanced." Then click on Cache from the expanded tree. Under "Document in cache is compared to document on network," select "Every Time." Then click on OK to exit the screen.

This appears to be a feature (or a bug) with some browser programs. The solution is not to resize windows when you are filling in a text box.

Text entry boxes reset when I use the back button

This appears to be a feature (or a bug) with Internet Explorer. Most screens in the user interface preserve the user's input even if an error occurs. In general, you do not need to use the back button when you are presented with a form to correct your mistake.

Text entry boxes don't fit entirely on screen

Unfortunately, text entry boxes cannot be resized within the document to fit on your screen. One option is to drag to the left the border between the main menu and the page containing the text box. Alternatively, you could increase your desktop size to 800x600 or higher. Warning: If you resize the frame, all text contained within the text box will be lost and must be re-entered.

Moderators can set up links that appear as subtopics but really link to a page that is outside of the discussion board. Likewise, anyone posting a message can include links. If links are entered incorrectly or change, you will get an error message. If you get an error message, contact the moderator (be sure to specify where the bad link was). The moderator can then fix or remove the bad link.

Depending on your browser and operating system, some special characters and formatting will not be displayed correctly. This is especially noticable with browsers below Netscape Navigator 3.0 and below Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0. Some fonts are specific to the Windows operating system and will not be displayed correctly on other platforms.

Netscape Communicator 4 appears to have a bug that prevents text entry boxes from showing up correctly in some cases. If you click the mouse under the "Add a Message" line, where you think the text entry box would normally be, you get a cursor. Otherwise, try using the NavBar to go back one page and then return to the page on which the text entry box does not show up.