# Safari/Firefox - Can't connect to the server.



## mkoivula (Aug 26, 2006)

Hey everyone. I'm a new Mac user and I am having a problem in my month old MBP.

Safari and Firefox won't open certain webpages. Theres plenty of them so I'll use www.youtube.com as an example. When I try to go there Safari says:
Safari cant connect to the server. Safari cant open the page http://www.youtube.com/ because it could not connect to the server www.youtube.com.

and

Firefox says: Unable to connect. Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.youtube.com.

In my house we have PC and another Mac (Macbook) and every page opens with them so it cannot be my router. I can't connect to www.youtube.com with my MBP at my work either. (PC's and iMacs there connects just fine) So problem has to be in this computer. I tried to search for an answer but nothing helped. One thread in this forum looked like my problem but solution there was proxy setting. In my proxies everything is unchecked.. at least what I can see. link to that thread: http://macosx.com/tech-support/safari-support/214.html

Thank you for this great forum.. it has been big help for me!


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## MisterMe (Aug 26, 2006)

My first suggestion is to launch *System Preferences* on the MacBook where things work and on the MacBook Pro where they don't. Duplicate the settings in the _Network_ preferences pane of the MacBook on the MacBook Pro.


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## mkoivula (Aug 26, 2006)

Thanks for the reply. I did what you told and settings were identical. All proxy settings are unchecked (I have never touched them). Pretty much only difference in softwares between these two computers were that I had Azureus and Colloguy installed but now Azureus is gone.(I still have Colloguy) Did my mac automatically turn something on when it saw program like that being installed.. I mean just to protect from harmful intruders or something?


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## MisterMe (Aug 26, 2006)

I infer from your original post that you are using the default (out-of-the-box) settings of your computer. If you installed something to change the defaults, then indeed this may explain your problem. If you are willing to state how you are connected to the Internet, perhaps I or someone else will tell you how to restore your communications.


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## mkoivula (Aug 26, 2006)

I'm connected wirelessly to Linksys WRT54G v.6 router. One thing what is pretty interesting is that I have Parallels installed so I can run Windows XP when I need it. So I tested www.youtube.com in windows and it worked. I also did little test in local coffee shop today and I cannot connect to these sites there either.


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## MisterMe (Aug 27, 2006)

The Linksys router does not connect you to the Internet; it connects you to your broadband modem. You are connected to the Internet through a cable or DSL modem.

Launch *System Preferences*.
Click the _Network_ preferences pane.
At the _Show:_ pop-up menu, which item do you have checked?


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## mkoivula (Aug 27, 2006)

oh yeah I have cable connection. At work I have cable also.. I think.

Ok my Network settings are:
Location: Automatic
Show: Airport

Under AirPort button:
By default, join: Automatic

Under TCP/IP button:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
all the boxes where I could type are empty(DHCP Client ID, DNS Servers, Search Domains)

Under PPPoE button:
Nothing is checked and every input box is empty.

Under AppleTalk button:
Nothing is checked.

Under Proxies:
"Configure Proxies" drop box says: Manually.
Nothing is checked in "Select a proxy server to configure".
Only "Use Passive FTP Mode (PASV)" is checked.


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## MisterMe (Aug 27, 2006)

Compare these to your Mac  where everything is working.


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## mkoivula (Aug 27, 2006)

All of those are identical. Also both computers have firewall on. Is there any "deeper" settings for network or firewall where something could cause this problem. I'm new with macs so I don't know whole lot about configuring network settings.

I really appreciate you trying to help me... please don't give up


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## mkoivula (Aug 27, 2006)

Ok I finally found the reason why some web pages didn't open. Week ago I installed software called PeerGuardian and I uninstalled it right away but obviously it didn't uninstall everything. Spotlight found some files related to PeerGuardian and once I deleted them web pages started to open.

Thank you MisterMe for trying to solve this!! I actually learned alot of Macs network set up because of this.

Thank you for the great forum!!


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## theanthropos (Nov 1, 2006)

I've recently been having the same "Unable to connect" message/problem for the last couple of days.  I have DSL that runs from my ZyXEL router.  Two computer set-ups at home: Alienware laptop with windows xp runs everything just fine but my G4 with the latest Tiger OS release has the issue.  The pages used to work before I did a reformat and reinstall of the OS.

Network settings are:
Location: Automatic
Show: Built-in Ethernet

Under TCP/IP button:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
-DNS Servers filled in with info from internet provider
-Search Domains left empty

Under PPPoE button:
Nothing is checked and every input box is empty.

Under AppleTalk button:
Nothing is checked.

Under Proxies:
"Configure Proxies" drop box says: Manually.
Nothing is checked in "Select a proxy server to configure".
Only "Use Passive FTP Mode (PASV)" is checked.



My internet provider tech support had no idea what to do besides fill in the DNS but that didn't change anything.


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## theanthropos (Nov 1, 2006)

I just noticed that I missed page two with the info relating to PeerGuardian which is installed right now.  That seems to have been a few peoples problems from other forums too.


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## mkoivula (Nov 1, 2006)

Hey Theanthropos. When you uninstall PeerGuardian remember to use spotlight to search "peerguardian". Delete those couple files what it finds. My problem was solved after I did that. Let me know if it worked (and if it didn't).


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## theanthropos (Nov 1, 2006)

Everything seems to work now that PeerGuardian has been erased along with the four files found by spotlight.  

Maybe I'm imagining things but it seems as though, now that I can load the google frontpage, google seems a little messed up.  The google banner at the top isn't displayed in the center of the page as usual and it takes a little longer to load google.  All of the other web pages that wouldn't load work fine though so I'm happy.


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## eric2006 (Nov 1, 2006)

theanthropos said:


> Everything seems to work now that PeerGuardian has been erased along with the four files found by spotlight.
> 
> Maybe I'm imagining things but it seems as though, now that I can load the google frontpage, google seems a little messed up.  The google banner at the top isn't displayed in the center of the page as usual and it takes a little longer to load google.  All of the other web pages that wouldn't load work fine though so I'm happy.



You might want to try reseting safari, option located in the Safari menu.


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## theanthropos (Nov 1, 2006)

Everything is working now.  Restarted computer and all is fine.  Thanks.


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