Getting access to Messages from Nov 2020?

mrcheez

Is it possible to get access to a conversation I had with another boards user via PMs back in Nov 2020?

Even just to know the user's name as I wanted to ask them another question, but I've no recollection of their username.

mrcheez

or is there someone I should ask directly?

Caranica

Don't think you can see any pms that go back before a certain date. It's frustrating as I'd saved a lot of stuff and have lost it

mrcheez

They probably have a backup somewhere where they might be able to do an export or search on my behalf?

Are helpdesk normally slow to respond on this thread?

Should I contact a mod instead?

Big Bag of Chips

Hi, I'm using the touch site on the mobile.

By tapping the envelope icon on the top right of the screen and then selecting "All messages" it brings me to all my PMs. I can scroll through screens using "Next" button.

I have PMs going back since before 2020. If you didn't delete the PM exchange it is more than likely still there.

(I assume you've tried this?)

Spear

These seems to be the same issue mentioned here https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058300264/can-t-view-old-messages#latest

I don't know what the final outcome is, some still have their messages some don't.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120755225#Comment_120755225

I don't think it matters using it on mobile or web, but my earliest message is April 2021, though I had messages going back to 2012.

So there's no backup somewhere that was created before migrating the site to the new system?

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120755559#Comment_120755559

The PMs were migrated but the Vanilla thread system uncovered an issue where if a PM was not deleted on both sides, it would reappear on the side that had deleted it. The solution if I recall was the nuclear one, any PMs from before a certain date were simply deleted.

mrcheez

Odd choice. Surely just better to make the old messages reappear and then people could re-delete them if they wanted

Caranica

I have messages going back to almost the start of my account but the ones I'm missing are the ones I'd forwarded from my old account so I wouldn't lose them before I closed that account. I'm guessing that's my issue

Big Bag of Chips

People got very annoyed that PMs they'd deleted years ago reappeared. Obviously with the move to Vanilla it became a PM thread, and if one side of the conversation had kept the messages then they appeared for both people.

This had people very annoyed wondering why deleted material belonging them was still available on the site. Obviously an option was taken to clear everything, because it didn't seem like people were amenable to deleting what they saw as already deleted content. There was a lot of discussion about it at the time.

Edit: Here's one thread about it