Help debugging a very mysterious problem please

[DaveRobbo]

Running vB 2.2.8 ....

On the forum I co-administer, we've just had a most bizarre occurence.

We had a poll from last Christmas time in one forum. It had been inactive and closed since then .. probably not even viewed ... it had dropped WAY down the forum list ...

Suddenly tonight for no apparent reason, it "reactivated" and the lightbulb for it came on.

Sadly before I had a chance to look at the database, someone replied to it in a jokey fashion asking where it had sprung from, so I couldn't check the datestamps on the thread, forum and post tables. I posted an apology on there .. but shortly after I did that it "lit up" again!

This time I was able to look at the database. The "lastdate" on the various thread and post tables was the date and time I had last posted .. yet the forum display showed a different (later) time!

I have the "bump thread" hack installed .. and the behaviour was EXACTLY like that - but I can guarantee that the thread hadn't been "bumped"

Where does forumdisplay.php get the date of last post from and decide to "light up" the lightbulbs?

I am familiar with the database structure and use of phpMyAdmin to interrogate it ... the datestamps coincided with the real time of my last post - yet forumdisplay STILL showed it was later.

This is phreaking me ... do I have ghosts in my forum? Help please gurus!!