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General discussion

Cannot access site

Apr 4, 2004 4:19AM PDT

Hi
Sorry if I am in the wrong forum.
I have had a web site hosted with 0catch for the last 2 years but am unable to access my site or 0catch for the last 3 days. At first I thought it was 0catch that was down, but they confirmed that there is nothing wrong with their site. I have tried on someone else's computer and it worked fine, which makes me think that it is something on my computer that is the problem. I have typed in the URL, I have searched on Google, then followed the link and all I get it the "This page cannot be displayed" page. I have cleared my cache and history. I even downloaded netscape navigator because I thought it might be my browser IE but that wouldn't display it either. Anyone any ideas.
Jean

Discussion is locked

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Re:Cannot access site
Apr 4, 2004 5:26AM PDT

Jean,

Just a couple of thoughts since you really didn't give us much info about your computer....

Are you using a HOSTS file that is blocking the site?

Have you tried reinstalling Java?

I know you said Netscape didn't work either, but which version of Internet Explorer do you have and have you tried updating it?

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Re:Re:Cannot access site
Apr 4, 2004 5:40AM PDT

Hi Grif
I am using Internet Explorer 6, and Windows 98SE. Not sure what you mean by Hosts file blocking the site, and I have to admit I would not know how to reinstall java?? I know how to design a simple web site and how to upload it and how to use certain programs but thats about all. I was rather hoping it would be something simple.

Jean

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The hosts file ...
Apr 4, 2004 5:53AM PDT

is file c:\windows\hosts (without any extension). You might have a c:\windows\hosts.sam explaining how it works.

If it exists, simply open it in Notepad. After editing save it with the filename enclosed in quotes (like "hosts") or Notepad will save it as hosts.txt, leaving the unchanged version working.

A line like
127.0.0.1 www.ocatch.com
would explain everything.

Nothing really difficult here. Neither, by the way, is the use of ping, in my next post.

Hope this helps.


Kees

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Jean, More Info For You
Apr 4, 2004 5:58AM PDT

Read the link below to gain some knowledge about HOSTS files. If you didn't place one on your computer, you probably don't have one, but you can do a "Search/Find" for a file named: "HOSTS" (with no file extension). (There may be a number of files with "HOSTS" in their name, but the correct one will have no file extension and if you have a working HOSTS file, it will reside in the "C\Windows" folder of your Win98 machine.)

What is the Hosts file?
http://accs-net.com/hosts/what_is_hosts.html

If you would like to update your Java, you can do so easily from the link below:

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

Click on the link, then scroll to the "Download J2SE v 1.4.2_04" section, then click on the "Download" link that is below "JRE" and to the right of "32-bit/64-bit for Windows/Linux/Solaris SPARC 32-bit for Solaris x86" listing. At the next page, you'll need to "Accept" the license agreement, then click on "continue". At the next page, in the "Windows Platform" section, click on the "Windows Offline Installation" link and download the 14.2 MB file to your desktop. Once it's there, scan it for viruses, (just to be sure), then shut down all background programs, including your antivirus, (Ctrl-Alt-Delete, then "End Task" on all listings except for Explorer and Systray), then double click on the download Java installer file.

AFter the file installs Java, then restart the computer.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Re:Jean, More Info For You
Apr 4, 2004 7:06AM PDT

Grif,

It seems unlikely to me that a 'page cannot be displayed' message (which is something else, of course, than the 404 page cannot be found) should be caused by Java on the page. There should always be some html around the jave which shows. But this is just a feeling; I didn't follow all the links below.

An interesting page for this error:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/support/IE/ie5/topics/PCBD.asp
with links to "why do I get ..." and "what are the basic trouble shooting steps for ...", a on demand webcast on this issue, and if all of this fails a link to "All known page cannot be displayed issues in Internet Explorer". This sounds very promising, doesn't it? There might be more to it then both of us thought.

And if everything fails:
- repair IE from config panel
- ieradicate and reinstall IE
- turn to Mozilla
- format and reinstall Windows
I don't recomment this last step, normally, but not being able to view your own web site obviously is an emergency!

Hope this helps.

Kees

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Kees, You're Probably Right But....
Apr 4, 2004 11:20AM PDT

...it can happen frequently when secure sites are involved because of the Java applet that's required to access the secure page. Because this particular issue is involving a self prepared webpage, and a secure link to the member's page might be having a problem, I thought that a new Java installation might be a possibility.

I guess we'll see.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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more info
Apr 5, 2004 6:31PM PDT

Thanks both of you for trying to help. I though I would start with the easy things first. I cannot find any Hosts files except Hosts.sam and Lmhost.sam which I presume are the sample files, I know I haven't put any files like that on.

I also went into MS-DOS and did as you said Kees. I typed in ping 0catch.com and it returned 4 packages with 0catch's IP address. When I typed this number in the address bar I got the "This page cannot be displayed" page again.


I don't know much about java but I also have another web site on another server and that is working OK. The problem only seems to be with 0catch.

Someone has suggested that my ISP might be blocking 0catch, is that possible and is it worth emailing them?

Any more thoughts
Thanks Jean

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'I don't know much about java '
Apr 5, 2004 7:51PM PDT

There really isn't much you should know about Java to install it from the site Grif told you about.

Ping shows the ISP isn't blocking 0patch, I should say. If you want to be sure: take your computer to a friend, and connect to his ISP (cable or adsl are location based), or let him/her configure his dialup to his ISP (no need to tell you the password, although you'll see the userid) at your machine. Or signon yourself to some free dial-up ISP. It's useful to have one for emergencies if your own ISP has problems.

If a new Java doesn't help, I suggested some other possibilities:
- repair IE
- eradicate and reinstall IE
- trying Mozilla

Time to start working to solve your problem, it seems to me. We can't do it for you, only try to guide you.

Hope this helps.


Kees

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(NT) I forgot to remind you of all those nice Microsoft troubleshooting links.
Apr 5, 2004 8:00PM PDT

.

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A basic diagnostic.
Apr 4, 2004 5:44AM PDT

Find a computer where everything works fine. Go into a MS-DOS window and type
ping <myhomepage>
or
ping <homepageofocathc>
so something like
ping reviews.cnet.com

Ping will answer with the IP-address and tell you how it takes to send a small message to and get an answer to the site. This is typically 15 to 200 ms, depending on your connection with the site.

You can check with pinging to the ip-address, something like
ping 216.239.115.141
which is the ip-address of reviews.cnet.com

Then repeat them on your computer. It's likely the ip-address will work and the url won't, which shows there is something wrong with the translation.
Most likely cause: your hosts-file (in your Windows-folder) blocking the translation. Far less likely: the dns-server of your ISP making the wrong translation.
Also possible: some malware which doesn't like your site, so blocks it.

Note ping is a basic ip-check. If that doesn't connect to a site it's useless to try a different browser, or anything else. What might work (if ping to the ip-address works) is typing the ip-address in the address bar of your browser.

Post your experiences.

Hope this helps.


Kees

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Re:Cannot access site
Apr 4, 2004 7:49PM PDT

Hi Jean,

Just a thought, have you tried disabling all your firewalls while you try to access your site? Sometimes this helps.

Regards

Bowler

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More info for Kees and Grif
Apr 5, 2004 1:06AM PDT

Thanks both of you for trying to help. I though I would start with the easy things first. I cannot find any Hosts files except Hosts.sam and Lmhost.sam which I presume are the sample files, I know I haven't put any files like that on.

I also went into MS-DOS and did as you said Kees. I typed in ping 0catch.com and it returned 4 packages with 0catch's IP address. When I typed this number in the address bar I got the "This page cannot be displayed" page again.

I am on dial-up so haven't bothered with a firewall so far, so it isn't that.

I don't know much about java but I also have another web site on another server and that is working OK. The problem only seems to be with 0catch.

Someone has suggested that my ISP might be blocking 0catch, is that possible and is it worth emailing them?

Any more thoughts
Thanks Jean

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(NT) Really no need to post the same message twice.
Apr 5, 2004 7:52PM PDT

.