<![CDATA[SlotRacer Forum - About the Forum]]> https://slotracer.online/community/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 03:06:00 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Site problems]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5432 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 20:18:08 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5432
Unfortunately I couldn't find any problems, but the recent outage meant I could put in a request to our web hosts technical department, who got back to me today.


Quote:We have now examined the server logs in detail and identified what is happening.

What is actually happening is that your site is being crawled very heavily by automated software, and it is being caught in a loop that generates an effectively unlimited number of pages.

These are not real pages on your site, but because of the way the site is built, the server accepts them and runs the page code anyway. Each one appears to the crawler as a new page containing further links, so it follows them, and the process repeats without end. The result is a limitless supply of addresses for automated software to work through.

The scale of this is considerable. During the period you reported the site as unavailable on 24 August, our logs recorded over one million requests in a single hour. That is what caused the timeouts. The server was not down, it was simply unable to keep up.

This is still happening. Today the site is receiving around fifty thousand requests per hour, and just over 182,000 requests so far today are for these invalid addresses.

The traffic comes from a very large number of different internet addresses, with no single source standing out, so it cannot be resolved by blocking individual addresses.

Basically the site is being overloaded by automated software. For a site like ours, a low key site, to have a million hits in an hour is ridiculous. The purpose of it is unclear, but the effects seem obvious enough.

I will be making some changes over the next few days, as the tech team have suggested, but they are site wide permission changes so if they don't work as expected it could have some unexpected consequences. But, we don't have a choice, our regular members are being put off by log in problems, so....

Here we go.]]>
Unfortunately I couldn't find any problems, but the recent outage meant I could put in a request to our web hosts technical department, who got back to me today.


Quote:We have now examined the server logs in detail and identified what is happening.

What is actually happening is that your site is being crawled very heavily by automated software, and it is being caught in a loop that generates an effectively unlimited number of pages.

These are not real pages on your site, but because of the way the site is built, the server accepts them and runs the page code anyway. Each one appears to the crawler as a new page containing further links, so it follows them, and the process repeats without end. The result is a limitless supply of addresses for automated software to work through.

The scale of this is considerable. During the period you reported the site as unavailable on 24 August, our logs recorded over one million requests in a single hour. That is what caused the timeouts. The server was not down, it was simply unable to keep up.

This is still happening. Today the site is receiving around fifty thousand requests per hour, and just over 182,000 requests so far today are for these invalid addresses.

The traffic comes from a very large number of different internet addresses, with no single source standing out, so it cannot be resolved by blocking individual addresses.

Basically the site is being overloaded by automated software. For a site like ours, a low key site, to have a million hits in an hour is ridiculous. The purpose of it is unclear, but the effects seem obvious enough.

I will be making some changes over the next few days, as the tech team have suggested, but they are site wide permission changes so if they don't work as expected it could have some unexpected consequences. But, we don't have a choice, our regular members are being put off by log in problems, so....

Here we go.]]> <![CDATA[Recent Issue with Access Forbidden 403]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5301 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:34:38 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5301
It seems that the culprit was an unidentified gizmo which switched off access whilst updating, which is standard procedure and usually only lasts a matter of seconds. The problem in this case was that the pesky little critter forgot to switch the access back on again when it had finished.

I haven't yet managed to identify the guilty gizmo, but rest assured we'll be having a little chat when I do.

That particular problem has certainly been solved, otherwise I wouldn't be able to write this post and you wouldn't be able to read it. 

But I suspect that other issues have also popped up as a result, with my access to the site yesterday being incredibly slow, and peppered with security warnings, probably caches and all that nonsense. 

Anyway, last night things calmed down and we now seem to be back to normal, as far as I can tell. Let me know if you're still having problems.]]>
It seems that the culprit was an unidentified gizmo which switched off access whilst updating, which is standard procedure and usually only lasts a matter of seconds. The problem in this case was that the pesky little critter forgot to switch the access back on again when it had finished.

I haven't yet managed to identify the guilty gizmo, but rest assured we'll be having a little chat when I do.

That particular problem has certainly been solved, otherwise I wouldn't be able to write this post and you wouldn't be able to read it. 

But I suspect that other issues have also popped up as a result, with my access to the site yesterday being incredibly slow, and peppered with security warnings, probably caches and all that nonsense. 

Anyway, last night things calmed down and we now seem to be back to normal, as far as I can tell. Let me know if you're still having problems.]]> <![CDATA[Reporting spam posts]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5191 Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:08:32 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5191
One small request - if there are a bunch of them from the same spammer there is no need to report each individual post. A single report is sufficient to notify admin and we will automatically wipe out the rest of them. This will save you time and effort in reporting multiple posts and will also keep our inboxes unclogged.

Thanks again and keep up the good work.]]>
One small request - if there are a bunch of them from the same spammer there is no need to report each individual post. A single report is sufficient to notify admin and we will automatically wipe out the rest of them. This will save you time and effort in reporting multiple posts and will also keep our inboxes unclogged.

Thanks again and keep up the good work.]]> <![CDATA[New sub forum]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5101 Sat, 13 Dec 2025 11:43:25 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5101 LINK]]> LINK]]> <![CDATA[Imgur now useless in UK]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5011 Tue, 30 Sep 2025 23:25:34 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=5011
The new UK age verification rules are in play here I believe.

Anyway, the point is that any images on the forum from imgur are now no longer visible, and we have no idea how long that might last, it could be permanent.

Personally, I would always advise adding any photos or images here on site, using the attachment box underneath the reply section. 

That means they are stored on our servers. It doesn't make them bombproof, but it does at least mean that it's a lot less likely that a corporate decision will suddenly wipe out a whole thread's worth of images.]]>
The new UK age verification rules are in play here I believe.

Anyway, the point is that any images on the forum from imgur are now no longer visible, and we have no idea how long that might last, it could be permanent.

Personally, I would always advise adding any photos or images here on site, using the attachment box underneath the reply section. 

That means they are stored on our servers. It doesn't make them bombproof, but it does at least mean that it's a lot less likely that a corporate decision will suddenly wipe out a whole thread's worth of images.]]> <![CDATA[New Server]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=4994 Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:16:18 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=4994
They claim that the process will be quick, and trouble free and that the site will only be down for around five minutes.

I obviously hope they are right, but if you do experience any problems accessing the site on Friday, rest assured it will be getting dealt with.]]>
They claim that the process will be quick, and trouble free and that the site will only be down for around five minutes.

I obviously hope they are right, but if you do experience any problems accessing the site on Friday, rest assured it will be getting dealt with.]]> <![CDATA[Forum Issues]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=4412 Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:09:10 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=4412
Attached pdf files are showing a 503 error, image enlargements aren't working, and we have one member who can't upload photos, though whether that's the same issue  or not I don't know.

The 503 error usually indicates a server problem, and therefore it's more an issue for our hosting company whom I have contacted, and who are trying to fix it. But it's not a given that the problem is with the server. As always with any website, it can be a bit of a mistake to point the finger at any one element, as it's almost inevitably some sort of communication problem between the various technologies which serve up this hopefully coherent whole that we know as a website.

For this site, we have forum software, wordpress software, and hand coded pages. Behind that we have the server where we host it all, we have two mySQL databases which serve up the forum, and the wordpress content, we have the PHP which works it all, and I'm sure there are many elements I'm not even aware of behind that.

I guess all of that is leading up to me asking for a little patience, whilst we try to sort this out. We have to let our hosting company look at things first, because although communication is painfully slow, and progress is so far non-existent, they do have a dedicated tech team who are far more knowledgeable than I.

They have made a couple of changes to the backend tonight, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have worked.

Whilst we wait for them to sort it out, if anybody has a pdf they desperately need to work, just PM me and I will sort it it out. Thumbup]]>
Attached pdf files are showing a 503 error, image enlargements aren't working, and we have one member who can't upload photos, though whether that's the same issue  or not I don't know.

The 503 error usually indicates a server problem, and therefore it's more an issue for our hosting company whom I have contacted, and who are trying to fix it. But it's not a given that the problem is with the server. As always with any website, it can be a bit of a mistake to point the finger at any one element, as it's almost inevitably some sort of communication problem between the various technologies which serve up this hopefully coherent whole that we know as a website.

For this site, we have forum software, wordpress software, and hand coded pages. Behind that we have the server where we host it all, we have two mySQL databases which serve up the forum, and the wordpress content, we have the PHP which works it all, and I'm sure there are many elements I'm not even aware of behind that.

I guess all of that is leading up to me asking for a little patience, whilst we try to sort this out. We have to let our hosting company look at things first, because although communication is painfully slow, and progress is so far non-existent, they do have a dedicated tech team who are far more knowledgeable than I.

They have made a couple of changes to the backend tonight, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have worked.

Whilst we wait for them to sort it out, if anybody has a pdf they desperately need to work, just PM me and I will sort it it out. Thumbup]]> <![CDATA['likes' not working]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3812 Sun, 09 Jul 2023 16:22:05 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3812 <![CDATA[Happy Birthday.]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3689 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:26:43 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3689
It's great to have you all here, so thanks for joining us. Long may it continue.

Wrench Wavegreen Thumbup Yes Cheerleaderkid Rally Drinkingcheers Handshake Bigsmile Checkeredflag Beer Drink Heart Cake Ambulance]]>
It's great to have you all here, so thanks for joining us. Long may it continue.

Wrench Wavegreen Thumbup Yes Cheerleaderkid Rally Drinkingcheers Handshake Bigsmile Checkeredflag Beer Drink Heart Cake Ambulance]]> <![CDATA[Adding photos to posts - full guide]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3672 Wed, 12 Apr 2023 14:33:50 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3672
1) At the bottom left of the reply/post thread page you will find this:
.jpg Browse.jpg Size: 134.36 KB  Downloads: 170
   

2) Click on the 'browse' button, locate the photo you need on your device and open. You can add multiple files at once using the control key if you wish.

3) On right hand side click on 'add attachment' and wait for it to upload.
.jpg Add.jpg Size: 122.96 KB  Downloads: 163


4) Place cursor where you want it to appear in your post.

5) Click on 'insert into post'
.jpg insert.jpg Size: 189.42 KB  Downloads: 175
Job done - simples.

6) Important - if you make an error do not use the 'remove' button.
.jpg remove.jpg Size: 193.8 KB  Downloads: 173

There is a glitch, it doesn't work and may muck up your post. If you need to remove anything then read THIS.

7) If you are using pictures from a smartphone/tablet they may possibly appear sideways or upside down. Read THIS to avoid the problem.

8) You are not restricted to photos only. Several other types of files such as Word documents, Excel files and pdf sheets can be added to your post using the same method.

9) If you want to add videos rather than photos there is a different procedure. Instructions can be found HERE.]]>
1) At the bottom left of the reply/post thread page you will find this:
.jpg Browse.jpg Size: 134.36 KB  Downloads: 170
   

2) Click on the 'browse' button, locate the photo you need on your device and open. You can add multiple files at once using the control key if you wish.

3) On right hand side click on 'add attachment' and wait for it to upload.
.jpg Add.jpg Size: 122.96 KB  Downloads: 163


4) Place cursor where you want it to appear in your post.

5) Click on 'insert into post'
.jpg insert.jpg Size: 189.42 KB  Downloads: 175
Job done - simples.

6) Important - if you make an error do not use the 'remove' button.
.jpg remove.jpg Size: 193.8 KB  Downloads: 173

There is a glitch, it doesn't work and may muck up your post. If you need to remove anything then read THIS.

7) If you are using pictures from a smartphone/tablet they may possibly appear sideways or upside down. Read THIS to avoid the problem.

8) You are not restricted to photos only. Several other types of files such as Word documents, Excel files and pdf sheets can be added to your post using the same method.

9) If you want to add videos rather than photos there is a different procedure. Instructions can be found HERE.]]> <![CDATA[Sideways/upside down photos - how to avoid]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3597 Mon, 13 Mar 2023 09:41:57 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3597
The easy way to avoid this is as follows:

always take your photos and videos by holding the device in landscape mode with the home button on the right.
.jpg Sideways 1.jpg Size: 33.38 KB  Downloads: 193
This is the only way these devices know how to take pictures without rotation issues.

Correct way to hold an iPad when taking pictures
.jpeg Sideways 2.jpeg Size: 18.21 KB  Downloads: 199
]]>
The easy way to avoid this is as follows:

always take your photos and videos by holding the device in landscape mode with the home button on the right.
.jpg Sideways 1.jpg Size: 33.38 KB  Downloads: 193
This is the only way these devices know how to take pictures without rotation issues.

Correct way to hold an iPad when taking pictures
.jpeg Sideways 2.jpeg Size: 18.21 KB  Downloads: 199
]]> <![CDATA[Password frustration]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3551 Sun, 12 Feb 2023 21:18:27 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3551
I used my saved password but no go.

I clicked on reset password but no reply from the forum mechanism.....several attempts made.

Could an admin message me with my actual password so I can update it and share some pictures once I am in again?
The password saved in my google account doesnt work.

Thanks in advance.
John]]>
I used my saved password but no go.

I clicked on reset password but no reply from the forum mechanism.....several attempts made.

Could an admin message me with my actual password so I can update it and share some pictures once I am in again?
The password saved in my google account doesnt work.

Thanks in advance.
John]]> <![CDATA[Reviews section moved]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3434 Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:29:00 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3434 HERE.]]> HERE.]]> <![CDATA[Printable SlotRacer Calendar]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3398 Mon, 28 Nov 2022 19:05:13 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3398

By which I mean that Brian reminded me that I forgot to do one this year, and should probably sort it out for 2023, especially now that we're all getting back to actually doing stuff, rather than just sitting at home.

.jpg calendar-2023-03.jpg Size: 132.23 KB  Downloads: 200
.jpg calendar-2023-04.jpg Size: 149.88 KB  Downloads: 193


It has a year to a page frontispiece for easy reference, then separate pages for each month with plenty of room for your notes, reminders and the dreaded 'to do' list. Each page features one of Doug's fabulous slot car photos, and the calendar prints at a standard A4 size. 

https://slotracer.online/graphics/slotra...lendar.pdf]]>

By which I mean that Brian reminded me that I forgot to do one this year, and should probably sort it out for 2023, especially now that we're all getting back to actually doing stuff, rather than just sitting at home.

.jpg calendar-2023-03.jpg Size: 132.23 KB  Downloads: 200
.jpg calendar-2023-04.jpg Size: 149.88 KB  Downloads: 193


It has a year to a page frontispiece for easy reference, then separate pages for each month with plenty of room for your notes, reminders and the dreaded 'to do' list. Each page features one of Doug's fabulous slot car photos, and the calendar prints at a standard A4 size. 

https://slotracer.online/graphics/slotra...lendar.pdf]]> <![CDATA[Calendar]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3339 Wed, 02 Nov 2022 17:17:48 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3339
But from next Monday, we are also going to start posting a list of upcoming events from the Calendar in The Digest, our round up of news and features, which appears weekly on our Home Page.

The Home Page is one of the most visited pages on site, and we're hoping that by featuring your events so prominently, we might be able to promote and publicise them to a wider audience. 

So, don't be shy, get your club races, proxy races, swap meets, or any other slot related events into the Calendar and it will get a mention on the Home Page. The Digest is also promoted on Facebook and Instagram, so that's another audience, and any events with a great photo, or poster might even be featured in its own right.]]>
But from next Monday, we are also going to start posting a list of upcoming events from the Calendar in The Digest, our round up of news and features, which appears weekly on our Home Page.

The Home Page is one of the most visited pages on site, and we're hoping that by featuring your events so prominently, we might be able to promote and publicise them to a wider audience. 

So, don't be shy, get your club races, proxy races, swap meets, or any other slot related events into the Calendar and it will get a mention on the Home Page. The Digest is also promoted on Facebook and Instagram, so that's another audience, and any events with a great photo, or poster might even be featured in its own right.]]> <![CDATA[Messages]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2384 Wed, 25 Aug 2021 10:50:44 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2384
I keep getting a notice that it's 100% full and I can't send any messages. I emptied it last night but it's full again this morning. I just sent Jason a message telling him and that doesn't appear in the sent box and neither do a couple of chats with Anthony!!

Help!]]>
I keep getting a notice that it's 100% full and I can't send any messages. I emptied it last night but it's full again this morning. I just sent Jason a message telling him and that doesn't appear in the sent box and neither do a couple of chats with Anthony!!

Help!]]> <![CDATA[Ignoring/Avoiding Threads]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2132 Wed, 28 Apr 2021 11:46:53 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2132
Leo]]>
Leo]]> <![CDATA[Slotracer Facebook query]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1906 Sun, 31 Jan 2021 13:08:36 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1906 <![CDATA[Email as username]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1882 Sun, 24 Jan 2021 22:28:01 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1882
If you have your email address on display so publicly, you are inviting unscrupulous people to bombard you with spam. The bots will pick up on your email address, it will be listed, stored, sold on and used.

I would strongly recommend choosing a username which is not your email address. Message me, or let me know below if you'd like to change it.]]>
If you have your email address on display so publicly, you are inviting unscrupulous people to bombard you with spam. The bots will pick up on your email address, it will be listed, stored, sold on and used.

I would strongly recommend choosing a username which is not your email address. Message me, or let me know below if you'd like to change it.]]> <![CDATA[How do I insert a photo into a message?]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1778 Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:44:43 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1778
I have tried copying and pasting, sharing via google drive, using the 'insert image' option...

All I get is the filename in the message, or a little generic picture 'blob' icon.


Only asking because I receive messages with photos so I know it must be possible!]]>
I have tried copying and pasting, sharing via google drive, using the 'insert image' option...

All I get is the filename in the message, or a little generic picture 'blob' icon.


Only asking because I receive messages with photos so I know it must be possible!]]>