There are lots of error messages you could see while connected to the internet, but below are some of the more common ones most people run into. You might see them when your device isn’t connected to the internet at all, or if a web page is down or not responding properly. Use this list to decipher what’s going on, and be sure to follow the links to the full troubleshooting guides for more information. The number one fix is to double-check the URL to make sure it’s been entered correctly. If that doesn’t help, use a search engine like Google to find the page, which will more often than not lead you to the correct URL. This error doesn’t mean the page isn’t available at all, but just that it’s not available to you. It’s inaccessible because you’re not on the “approved” list of visitors. You might also see a message about permission access, or it might mention that you’re unable to list files in the directory because you’re not an authorized user. For example, a university might not want non-university students accessing its library reference desk, so it requires credentials to limit access. If you don’t authenticate with the page, you’ll see a 403 Forbidden error. This could happen for a variety of reasons, like if the page has been moved without a forwarding address, if the page has been deleted from the server, if an incorrect URL has been entered into the browser address bar, or if the page is temporarily unavailable due to high web traffic or lack of server space. To fix a 404 error, first check that the page address is valid, and then work your way to the site’s home page to see if you can find the page from there or through a search tool on the site. There’s usually no need to try fixing this error because it’s more often than not a temporary problem. Wait a few minutes (or longer), or try refreshing the page. It also wouldn’t hurt to make sure the URL has been entered accurately. Although possibly a stretch, you could also try reaching the page with a VPN if the connection is refused because of your location. You might also see this error as network connection refused by the server or network connection timed out. This error is usually temporary. Check the URL for mistakes, hit the refresh button to try again to contact the server, and check the physical network connections to ensure that they’re properly attached. You might also see this described as unable to locate domain, unable to locate network, or unable to locate the address. Like some online error messages, this one is usually not a permanent issue. Refresh the page to try again, clear your cookies, or simply wait a while and try again later. You might also see this as domain unavailable, network unavailable, or address unavailable. To fix it, start by checking the URL for problems (maybe it was typed incorrectly). Refresh the page a few times and then try rebooting your network hardware.
