Home
>
Personal Technology
>
What Does That Error Message Really Mean?

What Does That Error Message Really Mean?

Surf the 'Net for about 10 minutes and chances rate very high that you'll encounter an error of one kind or another.

Whether the error message pops up on your own computer or on a website loaded in your browser, knowing what the error means can help you solve the problem much faster and avoid hours of frustration (especially in a situation where nothing you do will solve the problem).

The following represent some of the more common error messages you may encounter while surfing the Internet and what (if anything) you can do to correct the situation.

Error: 404 File Not Found

This means the web server cannot find the file or web page you tried to pull up in your web browser.

Almost nothing you can do will correct this situation. Try hitting your web browser's "Refresh" button to see if the page will load. If not, email the website operator to let them know of the problem and then move on.

Error: 500 Internal Error

This error usually occurs when you fill in a form on a web page (contact form, shopping cart, feedback form) and click the submit button.

This means the server or the script handling the form on the server has a major problem. Again, there's nothing you can do so just email the website owner and move on.

By the way, resubmitting the form a dozen times, banging your hand on the keyboard, and yelling at your monitor won't fix the problem!

Error: 408 Request Timeout

This error usually occurs when you try to download a huge file or large web page and, for whatever reason, the connection times out.

Simply hit your browser's "Refresh" button and it should pick up the download again where you left off.

If not, contact the website owner and inform them of the problem or check back later.

Error: Host Unavailable

Grab a cup of coffee on this one and fall back to reading the newspaper.

You can try hitting your "Refresh" button a couple of times, but, for all intents and purposes, this means the server has gone down.

Try again in a few minutes on the off-chance you tried to access the website just as the owners were restarting the server or temporarily disconnected it from the Web.

If this doesn't work, the phone rates your best course of action to contact the website owner since it's a safe bet their email won't work either.

Error: Unable to Locate Host

This message usually means one of three things: the web server is down; your Internet connection is dead; you typed in the web address incorrectly.

To correct the problem, first try retyping the web address into your browser's address bar. If that doesn't work, try surfing over to another website to make sure your connection is live.

If you can't load any websites, contact your Internet service provider (ISP) for technical assistance.

As a general rule, if you encounter an error while surfing the web, try these steps in order to fix the problem:

1. Click your Web browser's "Refresh" button.

2. Verify that you typed in the correct URL (web address)

3. Close down and restart your Web browser completely.

4. Contact the website owner to alert them to the problem or request help.

5. Contact your ISP for help.

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr-e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...

Simple "Traffic Machine" brings Thousands of NEW visitors to your website for weeks, even months... without spending a dime on advertising! http://www.thenetreporter.com

eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

What Does That Error Message Really Mean?

Personal Technology