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User profile for user: septi
septi Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Problem with some websites

This problem is not really Safari-only, but it fits in this category...

Sometimes, when I try to connect to the university-website (www.uni-erlangen.de), Safari starts to load, and after 1-2 seconds it stops loading. After a minute or so I get the error-message:

Safari can’t open the page.
Safari could not open the page “ http://www.uni-erlangen.de” because the server is not responding.

I have the same behaviour on Firefox and other Browsers. When I start Windows on Bootcamp, it works fine! Also other computers in my network can load the pages. I tried it on different WiFi-Spots, also over LAN, but it doesnt work.

Also the VPN-connection is broken, I simply can't connect.

Here is the output of ping:
*whitebox:~ septi$ ping uni-erlangen.de*
*ping: cannot resolve uni-erlangen.de: Unknown host*
*whitebox:~ septi$*

And here is a screenshot, with the output of the Activity Window in Safari
http://esistaus.de/sr/safari-error.png

This already happened to me in the past several times, and I couldn't access the university-server for several days, and then suddenly everything worked fine.

I tried different DNS-servers but no luck. It seems to be related with some OS-intern networking problem, since every other computer and OS in the same network is able to resolve and load the pages.

I hope you can help me!

Message was edited by: septi

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Aug 4, 2008 2:47 AM

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17 replies
User profile for user: Mulder
Mulder
User level: Level 6
8,990 points

Aug 4, 2008 7:06 AM in response to septi

I had no problem connecting to that site, although I did have to remove the "/" you had included as part of the URL link, since it's not part of the actual URL.

What version of Safari are you running? Have you tried creating a new User Account and testing Safari from that one? Maybe you should try using the OpenDNS servers for your network preferences:

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Mulder
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User profile for user: manuel lopes
manuel lopes
User level: Level 1
0 points

Aug 4, 2008 8:10 AM in response to septi

I am experiencing similar problems to ones Septi talks about.
I'm using Safari V. 3.1.2 with Leopard 10.5.4 and a Huawei usb modem to connect to the web.
This difficulty in opening some web pages begun just a few days ago and I don't see what could have caused it. I made no app installations recently, no changes in any network configurations or anything fancy. All I did was the last security upgrade from apple.
I can't open www.youtube.com or www.apple.com/downloads/, for example.
I get this in safari:

"The error was: “Operation could not be completed. (kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork error 302.)” (kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork:302)"
or
"Safari can’t open the page “ http://www.publico.pt/” because the network connection was reset, which sometimes occurs when the server is busy. You might be able to open the page later."
The problem persists in the Guest account I've created just to test the web connection.

I also tried web browsing in a friend's WLan network and I had NO problems at all.
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User profile for user: Mulder
Mulder
User level: Level 6
8,990 points

Aug 4, 2008 8:28 AM in response to manuel lopes

I had no trouble opening that site, although the URL is actually http://www.publico.clix.pt/ instead of the one you provided in the link.

The error message means that the connection was lost somewhere; there's nothing you can do about it except try some other time. The server for that web site could very well be having some issues that cause it to drop the connection.

Mulder
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User profile for user: manuel lopes
manuel lopes
User level: Level 1
0 points

Aug 4, 2008 9:22 AM in response to Mulder

Sorry Mulder but it's not just the http://www.publico.clix.pt/ web site that I can't open.
It's www.msn.com, and apple.com/downloads/ and http://www.latimes.com/ and http://www.mozilla.com and a couple hundred thousand sites more I guess.
Firefox is not working for any of these sites either.

I noticed that Septi and I are using osX 10.5.4.
Are you on Leopard too?

And thanks for your reply, really. Thanks.
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User profile for user: Mulder
Mulder
User level: Level 6
8,990 points

Aug 4, 2008 9:29 AM in response to manuel lopes

I noticed that Septi and I are using osX 10.5.4.

Are you on Leopard too?

No, I'm on 10.4.11, but I've received that message before, and I usually wait a bit and try again, because it can be (and probably is) a server problem. But it could also be related to the DNS servers your ISP uses in failing to lookup that site, which is why I suggested changing them to those used by OpenDNS. Try it; you have nothing to lose.

Mulder
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User profile for user: manuel lopes
manuel lopes
User level: Level 1
0 points

Aug 4, 2008 9:54 AM in response to Mulder

Tried the openDNS. There was no improvement.
I see what you mean because I've also received this kind of message before. The difference is that, these days, half the web sites I'm trying to open seem to have the server down. And that is just to much of a coincidence to believe true.
As an example: for 2 days now that I'm unable to watch a single youtube video because they simply don't load, not even with the openDNS.
Thanks anyway.
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User profile for user: Mulder
Mulder
User level: Level 6
8,990 points

Aug 4, 2008 10:00 AM in response to manuel lopes

I'm not saying the server is down, only that it could be having problems that we as users are unaware of and have no control over. I have no problem connecting to YouTube or MSN, so I do not know what could be preventing you from connecting now. Do you know when this started to happen; i.e., after a Mac OS X update?

Mulder
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User profile for user: manuel lopes
manuel lopes
User level: Level 1
0 points

Aug 4, 2008 10:11 AM in response to Mulder

It started 2 days ago. I noticed it last Saturday. I gave it little importance, but now it's getting annoying .
The apple security update 2008-005 1.0 was installed last friday.
I just use the macbook to surf the web, email, and listening music. I made no major or minor software installations since friday and till now I had had no problem at all with the network.

M Lopes
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User profile for user: Klaus1
Klaus1
User level: Level 9
52,811 points

Aug 4, 2008 10:31 AM in response to manuel lopes

All the sites you mention open instantly for me with no error messages.

Something is wrong with your settings. Try this:

The following usually works on both Tiger and Leopard:

(First, if yours is an Intel Mac, check that Safari is not running in Rosetta, which is enough to slow it to a crawl.)

Empty Safari's cache (from the Safari menu), then close Safari.

Go to Home/Library/Safari and delete the following files:

form values
download.plist

Then go to Home/Library/Preferences and delete

com.apple.Safari.plist

Repair permissions (in Disk Utility).

Start up Safari again, and things should have improved.

If not, MacFixit have published a very detailed (very!) article on speeding up a slow Safari, here:

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070416000657464

Many, including me, have also followed the advice given by others here to add DNS codes to their Network Settings, with good results in terms of speed-up:

Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu. Click on TCP/IP and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' enter the following two numbers:

208.67.222.220
208.67.220.222

Click on Apply Now and close the window.

Restart Safari, and repair permissions.
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User profile for user: manuel lopes
manuel lopes
User level: Level 1
0 points

Aug 4, 2008 10:56 AM in response to Klaus1

Hi Klaus1.
Safari is not running in Rosetta.
I followed your instructions. The openDNS addresses I had already added as Mulder suggested.
Permissions repaired and Safari reset.
The problem is stubbornly here still. No improvement.
Thanks.

ps: I don't suppose there's a "easy" way to remove the last security update I got from apple? Just to check if it has any relation to my safari problem...

Message was edited by: manuel lopes
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Problem with some websites

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