id	summary	reporter	owner	description	type	status	priority	milestone	component	version	severity	resolution	keywords	cc
13476	Switching columns in screen options make you loose all your setting in the side column	wjm		"If you go to Add Post > Screen Options  and switch to 1 column, and then you go back to 2 columns, 
the 2nd column (SIDE column) will be empty

The only wat to fix this is MOVE BACK every single box to where it was and never again switch to one column.

I tried to understand why was that and changes are saved via admin-ajax.

Here are the http request logs. 
http://wordpress.pastebin.com/t3HKvHP6
I start with 2 cols and an empty side column, 1) I move the post-excerpt box to the side bar 2) I switched to 1 col 3) I switched back to 2 cols.

Look, in the 2nd request, ` order%5Bside%5D= order%5Bnormal%5D=...,postexcerpt ` order[side] is empty and postexcerpt gets set in order[normal] I don't know if that is the expected behaviour, but are the original settings for [side] saved somewhere so when we switch back to 2 columns, can they be reloaded?

here is what´s saved to the database

please read the full code in php serialized format
http://wordpress.pastebin.com/VN0LYGb7

but in plain english is as follow:
#Step 0: initial stage: 2 cols, side bar empty
#Step 1: move postexcerpt into the side bar
`Array
(
[side] => 
[normal] => ALLTHEBOXES
[advanced] => 
)
`
#Step 2: switch to 1 column
`Array
(
[side] => postexcerpt
[normal] => ALL THE BOXES except ""postexcerpt""
[advanced] => 
)`
#Step 3: switch to 2 columns
`Array
(
[side] => 
[normal] => ALLTHEBOXES
[advanced] => 
)
`
#Step 4: reload page:

`Array
(
[side] => 
[normal] => ALLTHEBOXES
[advanced] => 
)
`

It is clear that once you switch to 1 column, everything in the SIDE COL is moved to the end of the NORMAL COL, and all the changes are lost and switching back to 2 columns wont do anything.

this is happening in wp3.0-beta2
"	enhancement	closed	normal		Administration	3.0	normal	wontfix