Thanks for reply!

You have all probably noticed that we have a fresh new look. This thread is for all of your questions about how to use the new site.

I hope it's not too confusing for everybody, but the old software had reached its end of life, and was no longer receiving security updates.

So if you have any difficulties then fire away, and we will attempt to answer them.

403
Forbidden
Access to this resource on the server is denied!

Like the "spam" 403 errors that we were getting a few years ago [here], these errors are triggered by something in your post, but in this case it's not necessarily a name or a word, it's some random-looking character string (which could be any part of what you've typed).

If you get one of these errors, please let the staff know by telling us (here in this thread) what thread you were posting in (or if it was a private message).  Or if you've gotten such an error recently, please tell us as much as you remember.  Thanks for your help!

Meanwhile, you should be able to get past the error by rewording your post.  If it's a long post, you can narrow down the problem area by attempting to post it one piece at a time.  Once you get the error, you'll know which part you need to reword.

I'm gonna search on some more words that ought to be common here, and post my results below.  Would some of you please be so kind as to try the same searches and post your results?  Thank you!

just -- 0

make -- 9,972

John -- 14,340

must -- 0

bust -- 116

jest -- 22

It's not just four-letter words, either.  The other day I was looking for a post that I thought contained the word "mystic," and a search did bring up half a dozen hits -- but not this one, which does indeed contain the word (albeit inside a spoiler box).

There have been other times as well, when I've been sure that the post I was looking for contained a certain word, but a search failed to bring it up.  If any of you have had similar problems, please post them in this thread.  Maybe we'll start to see a pattern.

Thanks!

Added by Forum Staff:  Anything posted before late 2017/early 2018 was written when we had different software, so some details may no longer apply.  Also, the current software company sometimes makes changes that are beyond the forum staff's control.  If you have read the most recent information in this thread and are still having difficulty handling images, please add your questions to this thread, and the staff will reply as soon as possible.  Thank you!

It seems a waste of space to start a thread just to ask a question but I didn’t know where to post it. Perhaps a pm to a Mod might have been better?

; ) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yellow winking face (note that's semicolon, not colon, in this one)
: P . . . . . . . . . . . .Yellow smiley face with tongue sticking/hanging out
: D . . . . . . . . . . . .Yellow grinning face
: LOL : . . . . . . . . . Yellow laughing face
: ( . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yellow frowning face
: angry : . . . . . . . . .Yellow indignant face
: mellow : . . . . . . . .Yellow neutral face

: huh : . . . . .  . . . . Yellow puzzled face

Oops! and that's as many smileys (10) as the forum software currently allows in a single post.  So I'll add more in subsequent posts.
 
Notes:  Smileys are not case-sensitive (so, for example, you can type either LOL or lol and either SMILE or smile -- I've just used whichever I thought would be easier to read on this chart).
 
I should probably point out that the wordless smiley CODES themselves are probably the oldest emoticons -- if you rotate your computer screen ninety degrees to the right (so that "left" is now "up"), you may notice that they look something like faces -- which can make it easy to remember the wordless smiley codes!

)

So how do you change that from the default pastel background? Easy. Just go to your own profile, and within said background, there's an option (to the far right) saying "Cover Photo". Click on it, choose Upload, that opens an upload (surprise!) window. You either drag the picture of your choice there, or click Choose Single File then select the one of your choice (it has to be saved on your device). After it's uploaded you must not just close the window by clicking on the x, but instead use the "Save" button to the lower right. This sets the pic you just uploaded as the background, though it's probably awkwardly positioned. Not to worry though, now there's a new option under "Cover Photo", namely "Reposition Photo". Drag it to a position of your choice, save your labour, and you're all set.

I just tried uploading a picture to my profile but it said file too large. I'm a complete caveman when it comes to technology and have no way of reducing the size. I wouldn't even know how to do it. Computer talk is a foreign language to me. I had the same issue on the Jack The Ripper Forum which I'm a member of. The administrator got me to send the picture as an email attachment and he added it to my profile. Is there any way that could be done here please.

Thanks

i always have problems posting pictures on Forums ‘file too large’ is the usual issue. Is an app like PB the answer to my problems? 

Questions.

1) If I downloaded one of these apps (are they called ‘image hosting?) would that mean that I could take any image from there and post it on here, for example, without it telling me that the file was too large?

2) Would it also mean that I would be able to post more pictures before being told that I was at my capacity.

3)  Which is the best app to go for?

4)  Do you need a PhD in Computer Science to use them?

I don’t have any real need to post loads of pictures but it would be nice to to do it. I was even thinking of a thread of photographs if I have my annual London break later this year. I was going to call it “Herlock’s London Odyssey 2018.

What I need help with is the autocorrect on my phone (I'm using Chrome). I do appreciate the suggestions, because clicking on one of them can save a lot of "keystrokes" on the virtual keyboard. But if I'm happy with what I've typed, it'll sometimes go ahead and "correct" it anyhow in some imaginative (but not appreciated) way. Is there any way to turn that "feature" OFF? This is particularly annoying because it occurs sort of randomly, when I have no reason to be on the lookout for it.

Then I'd just like to bitch about one other thing (which appears to be a bug, so presumably no help for it) -- when I choose one of the autocorrect's suggestions, it sometimes decides that I actually meant something else altogether. (I need to write down some of those gems!). But at least that occurs when I'm aware that I'm using autocorrect, so I can be on the lookout for it.

1.  Normal "bad" words are basically the kind your parents don't want you to say.  The more common ones will be caught automatically by the forum software, which will substitute asterisks for one or more of the letters: for example, "sh*t."  Some of the less-common "bad" words may not be on the software's list just yet, but if anyone uses them, that post will be edited by a Moderator.

Use of "bad" words is against forum rules.  If the software changes a word for you, you may feel free to substitute a milder word, but please do not try to circumvent the software by misspelling the word.  If a Moderator changes a word in your post, you may feel free to rephrase it more politely, but please do not try to circumvent the Mod's edit.

The forum software is not currently checking for the other category, so I've put information about it into a spoiler box (so it's accessible if you're curious, but won't be in your way otherwise):

If you have any questions about this, please post them here.

We have recently discovered that the forum software is rejecting posts which contain certain product names -- popular pharmaceuticals, expensive watches, and other items (added: or services) that are apparently suspected of indicating spam activity. Unfortunately, this is nothing that the forum administrators have any control over -- it's built into the software.

When such words are used, the software doesn't even come right out and say, "You can't use that word." It merely generates a generic-looking error message:

 

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /forum/index.php on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error* was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

* now corrected to "a 403 Forbidden Error"

If you suspect your post is being rejected on these grounds, try deleting the product name and see if that helps. (Hint: Misspelling the name may work -- e.g., using the numeral 1 in place of the letter i or zero in place of the letter O or putting spaces between letters. Or you may be able to mention the type of product rather than the name.)

If you have questions about this matter, the staff will be glad to answer as best we can. And if you have additional suggestions for dealing with it, please post 'em here!

Here's a list of the "forbidden" words and phrases that people have stumbled over so far (intentionally misspelt in order to circumvent the filter):

A n a l
An1mal V1deo
Cas1n0
C1alis
Cuck0ld
Degree 1n radiology
D1et Pills
D0minatrix
dr0p to the table before

gay s3x

gl@ss sex

lesbian s3x
pen1cillin
P0ker
P0kery
Pr0zac
R0lex
Synthr0id
Tidsep0ker
V1agra
X-a-n-a-x

I am brand new to this forum and before I even try to read up on all the Sherlocky goodies here I have to ask - is there a way I can change the colours of the site? I need a light background and dark text or I can't read it at all without getting a headache. Is it possible to change? I can't find this particular setting, but I am new, so I thought I'd ask.

The website you are trying to open can't be accessed through this network

It has been included in the list of websites that can't be accessed through this network as it has been identified to carry content of the following nature:

Pornography

Gambling

Phishing/Malware

The strange thing is, I can access that thread from page 1 - 46 but page 47 will produce that white page. My carrier sometimes blocked certain sites but never only a specific page. I'd test it again when that thread reached page 48.

I was just admiring some of your little quotes and things you have under your comments, and I was wondering how I could get one for myself!  Sorry if I'm being a little dense, but I can't seem to find out how to do it!

Thanks!

Is anyone else having this problem?

Thanks in advance