Tech Yoda's Tip of the Week: Errors, Errors, Everywhere!

There are eight common error messages you may encounter while surfing the Internet, and you should know what they mean so that you know how to address them.  Most have a number associated with them, and the text is often jargon-y gobble-de-gook that we don't bother reading.  Here is a quick translation of what each one means, and what action you should take when you see them:

400: Bad Request
This browser error means that the request you sent to the website server was somehow malformed therefore the server was unable to understand or process the request.

1. Verify that you typed the URL correctly
2. Verify that the link you clicked on is sending you to the correct URL
3. If you're looking for a subpage, try going to the main page and going through the menus to find the original page.

401: Unauthorized or 403: Forbidden
The request requires user authentication. This is typically seen on networks or sites that protect their content and require a user account and password to access.

1. Make sure you have access with a valid user account and password
2. Contact the site's webmaster for assistance

404: Not Found

This one is the most common--it either means exactly that--the browser cannot find that page to display it.  Whether it's because you typed the URL wrong, the webmaster didn't get the page all the way uploaded, the page no longer exists, or the browser just couldn't find it in the fraction of a second it looked for it, it can't be displayed.

1. Refresh the page (F5)
2. Check for problems in the URL
3. If you're looking for a subpage (ie: www.coruralhealth.org/programs/hit/freeservices.htm), try going to the main page (ie: http://www.coruralhealth.org/) and going through the menus to find the original page.

408: Request Timeout
The 408 Request Timeout browser error typically means the request you sent to the website took longer than the site's server was prepared to wait. In other words, your connection with the web site "timed out".  Usually this is a temporary error, but sometimes it could mean there is an issue with the network connection between you and the remote site.

1. Refresh the page
2. Check your connection by seeing if you can connect to a different page on a different website
3. Wait 30 minutes and then refresh the page

500: Internal Error

This error message indicates that there is something wrong at the website itself (ie:, the site's server is not functioning correctly or it's unable to provide you with the requested webpage). 

1. Wait 30 minutes and then refresh the page
2. Contact the site's webmaster for assistance

503: Service Unavailable
This error message will appear when the remote server hosting the webpage is not active. That could mean gone permanently or just temporarily busy--maybe maintenance is being performed on that page right then, and you can't access it because of that.

1. Check your connection by seeing if you can connect to a different page on a different website
2. Wait 30 minutes and then refresh the page

Failed DNS Lookup or Host Unknown

If you come across DNS errors, it always means that the servers your computer/router is pointing to cannot connect the name of the domain you are looking for to the correct IP address. 

1. Check for problems in the URL
2. Wait 30 minutes and then refresh the page
3. Use http://www.whois.org/ to determine if that domain name is valid

Bad file request
This error indicates you've requested a page that contains a form with a feature your browser can't support.

1. Can't do much about this...contact the webmaster of the site you're trying to access for help.

Most browser error messages are simple to fix, once you understand their causes. There are many more errors that can occur, but for the most part, these are the most common errors you will come accross while surfing the internet daily.  If you ever encounter any errors on the CRHC website, please let me know ASAP so I can address them--thank you!