Anyone know how to set it so that the default setting is the "thread start time". I'm having to reset it at the bottom of the page everytime i finish reading a thread.
That only affects how you view the posts within a thread. The OP wanted to know how to order discussions by thread start time. I have the same problem and as far as I can see, none of the settings on the Settings page make a blind bit of difference. The only way to order by thread start time is to use the Thread Display Options at the bottom of a particular forum - but there's no way to make the change permanent.
I just realised that probably the only way to do this is to set the page with the required 'order by thread start time' and then once you're viewing the posts in that order (the page url will be something like http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/fo...=&pp=20&daysprune=30&sort=dateline&order=desc), bookmark the page. Then next time you click the bookmark, it'll automatically take you to the page with the posts in the order you want.