Google Reader Problems with unread items

Sometime yesterday my Google Reader started to act up. I haven’t added any new add-ons or made any changes to my Google account (well, I did install Flock but have uninstalled it now). The screenshot of the problem [click to enlarge]:

As you see, Atanu’s blog (or any other updated blog) clearly shows new unread items but when I click on it, the display window shows that it has no unread items. But the problem is that there clearly are unread items; they simply aren’t showing up. Of course, I click on View all items and then the posts show up, unread or otherwise. I have tried everything including emailing Google Reader help but to no avail. This is clearly only an issue on my laptop since it works fine on Ash’s laptop. Grrrrrr!

Anyone know what I might be doing or have done wrong?

Update: I may have discovered the problem. The Reader is working fine now. I had inadvertently moved the system clock ahead by a month and although I wasn’t using it, Google Gears was probably conflicting with the status of the items. I still don’t understand why would Google Reader rely on my system clock instead of the clock at its end.


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  • http://nullpointer.debashish.com Debashish

    Sometimes the Left Pane of Reader does not refresh timely. I presume in this case you indeed don’t have any unread items but the left pane has not refreshed and shows unread items. If you click the “Refresh” button on the pane you will see that the numbers will correctly reflect the unread posts.

  • http://pikeyspeak.com Piker

    You are not alone. It probably means that there are no unread items but Google reader hasn’t updated it. It’s happened with me before, several times.

    I usually log off and log in. It works at times, but at times even that doesn’t work. It’s a bug IMO.

  • http://vivekspace.com/ Vivek Kumar

    A fairly common problem, I think. It happens to me almost every day. Usually, it happens right after I have finished reading all the new posts in a feed and moved to another feed.

    Damn irritating, and no solution as yet.

    What I do – since I know that there is nothing unread – is that I go to “all items” view and mark everything as read.

  • http://ckunte.com/ Chetan

    I suppose you know that Google account is universal, i.e., if you log out of your Gmail, Analytics, Calendar, Blogger, Orkut or any Google based service, et al, it logs you out of Google Reader—different window or a tab don’t matter. (Complications and oddball behaviors begin when you login and out of multiple profiles.)

    “Clear Private Data” together with cookies once in a while; or use a cookie manager. If that doesn’t solve the problem, start with a new profile (Start > Run > “firefox -p” as a last resort)—assuming you use Firefox, applies to Flock as well, I suppose.

  • http://www.ashmu.wordpress.com Aseem Naphade

    Hello, my name is Aseem, im Abhijeet Nadgouda’s friend, he gave me your blog address. I need your help in one debate topic which will be held in New Delhi, the topic is “urbanization improves environment” and im for the proposition, it is organized by the ministry of ecology and environment. To prove urbanization improves environment is a little difficult, instead may be we can point out that it can minimize the damage done due to industrialization. I will be required to give some concrete evidence and hard facts which can prove my argument. Please help me out with this, thanks…..Aseem (tiger_canton@yahoo.co.in) ashmu.wordpress.com

  • http://www.ashmu.wordpress.com Aseem Naphade

    The improvement in environment has to be related to population and development, so i need information from that perspective.

  • http://www.suyogdeshpande.net/blog/ Supremus

    Does it occur in all browsers? Try IE, Opera or Firefox – if the same issue happens on all the browsers, then its prolly a google bug. If not, try clearing your caches.

    S

  • http://www.ipatrix.com Patrix

    Thanks, y’all. I’ll try it out when I get home. I have tried it in different browsers, cleared my cache and cookies, logged off and on, and even made sure that there are indeed unread items (works fine on Ash’s laptop).

    I had a Java update sometime before the problem started and had also exported the OPML file for use in Flock but that’s about it I did anything new or different. Guess have to just wait for Google to get over its mood swing.

  • http://changyang1230.blogspot.com Chang Yang

    Hey thanks for the info! I have been facing the same problem, and I came across this post by googling about the problem. I went and checked my computer clock, and for some reasons the date is set to 2008! I changed it back to 2007 and the problem was solved! Thanks for your information!

    I am guessing that the automatic time synchronization by Windows could be the problem. I didn’t change the date by myself so it must have somehow “synchronized” itself.

  • Rachel

    Hi — Can you clarify? The system clock on your own computer?

    I'm having exactly the opposite problem — my items continue to show up as unread, even when I've clicked past them, which creates a loop where I keep seeing items, again and again, and the panel never clears — but hey, maybe it has the same root cause.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Patrix Patrix

      Yup. I mean the system clock on my computer. For your problem, I would check the settings if you have disabled marking them as read as you scroll past unread items. Otherwise, just mark all as read and start afresh.

  • Pedro Lemos

    Hi,
    I was just experiencing the same problem you did…
    And you gave me the solution, for that many thanks!! :D

    I’m just disappointing for knowing that after all the time you experienced that problem, its still happens!!
    Either way, thank you. ;)