1.5.0.6 and "Server not found" is still with us

Discussion of bugs in Mozilla Firefox
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IDontKnow
Posts: 50
Joined: June 6th, 2006, 1:20 pm

1.5.0.6 and "Server not found" is still with us

Post by IDontKnow »

In the past I have seen so many posts with unwarranted "Server not found" errors, or others which always come after a timeout of some sort. So somehow I actually hoped this would go away with this release, but it - unfortunately - has not.

A new one I came across when accessing this page now was "Unable to connect". As with the other, similar occurances, a click on Try Again resolved the issue.

I'd love to know how many users still have this problem (after clearing obvious reasons as per FAQ).

Remark: I need to stress that this bug will not deter me from using Firefox, it's just annoying.

//AndyB
aka IDontKnow
billiebass
Posts: 3
Joined: August 10th, 2006, 11:25 am

Post by billiebass »

I am having the same problem thought it was my computer since I just upgrade to a new computer with windows XP, and was not having these problems with my older computer. I also at time have issues with closing the browser and not being able to reopen it without doing a restart???? go figure.
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

It's not a Firefox problem. It's your firewall.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firewalls
The top 12 ways to get fooled by firewalls

Billiebass, your second problem is something altogether different. You need to start a new subject for that.
IDontKnow
Posts: 50
Joined: June 6th, 2006, 1:20 pm

Post by IDontKnow »

Thanks for trying.

The links you posted are useful, but I've tried all that and more. And so have a lot of other people more knowledgeable than me.

If it were the firewall, then I have just one question: why does one click on "Try again" load the page?

Does ZoneAlarm or Symantec or any other firewall only block the access by FireFox once?

I'm looking forward to hearing the REAL reason...

//AndyB
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

"If other Internet programs work and Firefox (Fx) seems normal in every respect except that you can't load <i><b>any</b></i> Web pages, then a firewall is the first thing to suspect."
From Top 12 ways to get fooled, first paragraph

OK, sometimes we have to guess what's going on at your end. And my second guess it that the error message is almost certainly right.

Sometimes this site gets busy and doesn't respond for a minute or two, or even a few minutes. Happens all over the Internet. It's just like the driver's license bureau. Take a number and wait. There are other causes, but most of them don't have anything to do with your browser either.
IDontKnow
Posts: 50
Joined: June 6th, 2006, 1:20 pm

Post by IDontKnow »

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Am I understanding your message correctly? Are you saying it is normal that 30% of all read attempts must fail initially and require a retry?

Just to clarify: I am NOT talking only about the Mozilla pages, but every page on the Net.

And that you sometimes need to guess what's going on here I can understand and I sympathise with you.

BTW: I remember reporting a VERY detailed step by step problem with this "error message" in June and received no answer or explanation. This is why I am looking forward to a report of the cause of this curious behaviour.


//AndyB
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

OK, that's different. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Error_loading_websites See how it kinda helps if you put all the pertinent facts in the first message? :)

If you use another browser for a while and have the same problem, it's likely to be your DNS server. There are other possible causes, most of which are not Firefox.
MaHubs
Posts: 6
Joined: August 13th, 2006, 11:13 am

Post by MaHubs »

I think my problems with the "Server not found" messages started infrequently with the prior release. But now with 1.5.0.6 it's rare for me to be able to open a site without getting this stupid popup.

I see above that uninstalling and installing a lower or the same version may cause me to lose all of my bookmarks. Swell!

Is there a retract button where I can retract all of the praise I gave Firefox earlier??\

What is one to do to protect bookmarks easily now?

Is there a new upgrade on the way that's going to solve this terrible problem???
IDontKnow
Posts: 50
Joined: June 6th, 2006, 1:20 pm

Post by IDontKnow »

I agree that the "Server not found" messages are getting worse over time.

I tried all the different "remedies", alas, none worked for me. It's now normal for me to put the mouse into the expected "try again" area when opening a new page as I expect to be hitting the button, or I alredy have my fingers on Ctrl+R keys when clicking on a link.

I save/export the bookmarks once a month as a dated file in my Internet Setup folder. I lost them once and realised how dependant you become.....

Cheers and happy clicking.

//AndyB (IDontKnow)
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

IDontKnow wrote:I agree that the "Server not found" messages are getting worse over time. I tried all the different "remedies", alas, none worked for me.

You keep dribbling information out over many posts. You're not making it easy. :)

What do you mean by "all"? Just saying you've tried "everything" tells us exactly nothing about what you did try.

But tell you what. How about Google? Can you reach Google every time, or does that sometimes give you trouble too?
Mordwin
Posts: 653
Joined: June 8th, 2005, 6:10 am

Post by Mordwin »

Only time I've seen this sort of behaviour was when going through some sort of proxy.
IDontKnow
Posts: 50
Joined: June 6th, 2006, 1:20 pm

Post by IDontKnow »

Ooops, where am I dribbling? I am only aware of one single post here about the version 1.5.0.6 and server not found. I posted this error in June about an earlier version without a single reply, I have confirmed to another poster that I have the same problem he has, but nothing else. I don't normally cross-post.

I tried the points you linked to.
I have cleared the cache.
The site is not down.
I have disabled pipelining.
No idea where DNS is, but if there is an error there, why only once?
I don't have IPv6 disabled.
Safe mode does not help in determining this behaviour - I reckon.
A mis-configured firewall or other security software can maybe cause pages not to load at random, but not only once and not release it once I retry.
Equally, I went and followed the points listed in "Error loading some websites" like comparing settings, checking ZoneAlarm (clearing and manually allowing), toggled IPV6 - to no avail.

Google: yes, even Google sometimes needs a re-try. I now conducted a test:
I used one ISDN-Channel, i.e. 64 Kbps.
I opened Google and searched for a TV set to ensure results have pictures and thus, longer load times. Then I clicked on 20 links while holding down the Ctrl-button. Out of the 20, 9 came back with Server not found.

Now, while the other pages were still loading, I clicked on Try again on those 9 sites and they all loaded quite happily the second time around. All this while all the other 11 sites were busy, to exclude any ISP or DNS effects. If this little test is irrelevant, so be it. I just thought I'd try this.

If you really want to go into more detail, I am happy to give you any input or feedback required. Just to try and get rid of this annoyance.

//AndyB
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

OK, it's becoming clearer now with more info.

The next time you have trouble connecting to Google, try connecting to 72.14.203.104 . Also, get a command prompt (Start > Run > cmd.exe) and type
ping www.google.com

I'm not sure, but I still think it's your DNS. Read http://kb.mozillazine.org/Error_loading_websites again. Your DNS is not even located in your computer. Maybe it fails only once because the DNS is a little slow, and by the time you try a second time, your computer has the returned IP address. It's common for DNS to fail gradually and get slow if they get a lot of new business.

Also try this:
After those 9 sites fail:
1. close all those sites and type
ipconfig /flushdns on the command prompt
2. load all the same sites again. See if they fail again.

Now try this:
1. Load the same 20 sites with Opera (or maybe another 20 sites). See if that fails too.
2. Now type ipconfig /flushdns again and type
nslookup [url] for each of 20 sites
(substitute the actual url and don't type the brackets)

If it fails this last test, that proves the problem is not Firefox.

Your alternatives are contact your ISP, try another DNS, or cache DNS locally. Follow the links. I think there may be a way of making Fx wait a little longer (not sure), but that's really not much of a solution.

If you still think it's Fx:
1. It could also be proxy settings??? Make sure you don't have some funny third-party software configuring your Internet or Firefox settings for you.
2. You can get a guaranteed new setup just by creating a new profile.
MaHubs
Posts: 6
Joined: August 13th, 2006, 11:13 am

Post by MaHubs »

I would be more willing to consider my DNS being the problem, as you advocate in your message, if it were not for the fact that with each upgrade of the Firefox version I did not immediately notice a pronounced difference in performance. Speed, and now the Server not found notice. I notice that if I type google.com it tends to say it's busy, but I click on my home page icon, which is google, it's never busy. I find it hard to believe that my DNS is failing and failing more as I change versions of Firefox. I can check with other users of my ISP who use IE and ask them if they've had any of these problems. If they don't, I think the finger has to be pointed at Firefox. With the installation of 1.5.0.6 the degradation was instantaneous and pronounced.

However, I have printed your suggestions to IDontKnow and will try them. Thanks for taking time to post them.
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

MaHubs,
Did I say you have a DNS problem? As it turns out, your symptoms do seem to match, , but check the third link I posted for other possibilities.

Point the finger wherever you want, but until you make the diagnosis or fix the problem, you won't know. In the future, please try the posted solutions <i>before</i> you tell us what's not going to work, OK? ;) It helps you write well-informed questions and saves a lot of wasted messages. Thanks.

By the way, consider this possibility. Suppose Fx stores your home page by IP address, thereby bypassing the need for a DNS server? Seems like a possibility, doesn't it?
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