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Is the website down?

You are trying to get to a website but you keep getting an error message! Ugh! Well let's see if we can figure out what is going on.
  1. Can you get to another website? Try Google.com or Yahoo.com.  If they answer is no, your problem is probably your connection. You will need to troubleshoot your internet connection and possibly contact your ISP. If the answer is yes, you can see the search engine website, move onto the next step.
  2. What is the error message you are receiving?
    - The webpage cannot be found (HTTP 404) - This means this page is no longer there. Try going to the website's home page. Were you able to view the home page? Yes? Great. If the answer is no, move onto the next step.
    - The website cannot display the page (HTTP 500) - If you get this message, the website is having server problems. The website could be having server problems or it may be shut down.  Try again later and see if your results are the same.
    - Is the website requiring some sort of plugin or additional software (such as FLASH) to view the site? Install the software needed to view the site. Can you see it? Yes! Great!
  3. On rare occasions, you might need to try another browser.  Do you see the webpage in another browser? Yes? Great! No, move onto the next step.
  4. You might need to clean your browsers cache. This is different for various browsers but usually found in the options section of your browser.  Do a search for your particular browser to find this answer as there are so many versions and configurations and not enough room to list them all here. Did this work?  Yes? Great! No, move onto the next step.
  5. Do you have parental software or security software that is blocking the site? You might want to reconsider viewing the site. If you absolutely know it is ok, contact the software company to let them know about the problem.
  6. On some rare occasions, the ISP will block websites. Try accessing the website through a proxy server.  go to a proxy server such as http://www.unblock-proxy.net/. Can you see the website? Great!  If not, move onto the next step.
  7. If after all these attempts, the website most likely isn't accessible. You might want to contact the company via phone and let them know about the problem. You might also want to talk to a web professional that might be able to do even more detailed research on the problem.

    Happy Surfing! ☺

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