| Franks method did not work for me. I had to go into user settings/edit options and change this:
Miscellaneous Options
Message Editor Interface
When posting messages to the forums or other members, there are three interface types available to you. The simplest of these is a simple text box, while the last is a fully-fledged WYSIWYG editor, which allows you to format your text as you want it and see the results immediately.
Depending upon the capabilities of your web browser, you may not be able to use all of these options. If you experience problems when posting messages, try switching to a different interface type.
Message Editor Interface:
To: Standard editor - enhanced interface (or something like that).
Then the smilies panel always comes up when replying | 
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