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Internet Explorer (4.X):

If either "Manual Proxy Configuration" or "Automatic Proxy Configuration", or "Use a proxy server" is selected, you are probably connecting through a firewall. When you look at these proxy configuration tabs, you will see names or proxy servers or IP addresses through which you connect to the Internet.

Solution:

The only solution to this problem is to contact your system administrator at work and request access to port 443, the port that allows you to make secure web connections. This is a well-known and very "safe" port, and allowing connections to it does not impose any security risk to your company.

What is the name and version of the browser you are using?

It is also extremely important that you make sure you are using a secure and a tested browser. If you are using a browser version below Netscape 2.0, Internet Explorer 2.0 or AOL 3.0, you will not be able to make secure connections. Also, make sure you are using a "release" version of your browser and not a preview or beta version, as those versions often have bugs that can cause problems.

WebTV Users: We have experienced a number of problems with the two versions of WebTV's browser. The first version of WebTV's browser does not support secure connections. The latest version (1.2) truncates URLs, which prevents users from accessing our system. We highly recommend that you contact WebTV's customer support and encourage them to comply with current web standards in future releases of their browser.

Insecure Browser Error Messages:

If you try to connect to our secure server with one of these browsers, you may receive a variety of error messages, including various Security Errors. Or, your browser may just hang when attempting to contact our server, and nothing will happen.

• Security error: 123456 (or any combination of digits)
• Security Error
• Connection Refused

Browser Version Test:

If you're not sure the exact version of your browser, you can find out:

Windows Users: Click on the Help menu and choose About Netscape (or whichever browser you're using).

Mac Users: Click on the Apple menu and choose About Netscape (or whichever browser you're using).

You will see the browser name and the specific version, such as Netscape 2.02 or Netscape Navigator 3.01.

Solution:

We recommend that you download the latest release version of your web browser for best results. You can get the latest browser from Netscape, Microsoft or AOL. If you are using WebTV, we recommend that you contact WebTV's customer support and encourage them to comply with current web standards in future releases of their browser.

If you are using a secure browser, make sure that in your Security preferences or options, you have checked all of the boxes that say "Enable SSL."

Is your browser version or your corporate firewall imposing URL and redirect limits that are hindering your connection?

Whether you are connecting from work or from home, we also ask that you perform a few short tests to check the redirectability of your browser, as well as the tests of Link Length Limit and Redirect Length Limit.

URL and Redirect Limit Error Messages:

URL and Redirect length limits will give you a variety of error messages. You will need to perform the tests below to determine if this is your problem. Some of these error messages may include:

• Technical Error 500, Internal Server Error
• Connection Refused
• A Hanging Connection With a Timing Out or a Connection Refused message

URL and Redirect Tests:

To connect successfully to our server, your browser will need to pass each of the following six redirectability tests. When you click on each link below, you will be notified whether your browser passes or fails the test. If you pass the test, hit your Back button and try the next link. If you fail the test, please send an e-mail to our Help Form explaining the results of your test.

Test redirectability with a URL that is:

• Partial
• Absolute
• Partial-Absolute
• Absolute-Absolute
• Partial-Absolute-Absolute
• Absolute-Absolute-Absolute

For the next test, you will need to check your Link Length Limit to see if it is high enough to connect to our system. You will need to click on each link to see your link length limit and then click your Back button to return to this page. If your link length limit is below 8192, you may have problems with our system, and you should let us know by sending an e-mail to our Help Form explaining the results of your test.

• Go t o Link Length Checker Test

For the Redirect Length Limit test, you will also need to see if your Redirect Length Limit is 8192. You will need to click on each link to see your link length limit and then click your Back button to return to this page. If your link length limit is below 8192, you may have problems with our system, and you should let us know by sending an e-mail to our Help Form explaining the results of your test.

• Go to Redirect Length Checker Test

Solution:

If you are connecting from work, we have found that some corporate firewalls impose arbitrary URL or redirect length limits. Please take this up with your system administrator and request that the firewall be configures to allow more redirects and higher URL lengths.

If you are using a browser, such as WebTV's browser and early versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, which are known to truncate URLs, we suggest that you upgrade to the latest version of your browser, try a different browser, or contact your browser's technical support.

Have you passed all of the tests above and are still experiencing technical difficulties?

A number of people connect from home, using secure browsers, and still experience these strange delays, or "time-outs," when attempting to authenticate.

"Time-Out" Symptoms and Error Messages:

The large majority of people who "time out" use the Windows 3.1 operating system and local Internet Service Providers. Often, the user will try to post on a bulletin board or buy a product and the system will "hang" indefinitely while it tries to contact cgi.pathfinder.com. Sometimes, after a long time waiting, the user may see the following error message:

• Connection Refused: System is busy or not accepting remote connections.

Possible Solutions: We do not have any easy answers for many of these cases. The time-outs could be caused by the configuration of your TCP/IP connection on your operating system, or your Internet Service Provider could have an unstable connection or routing problems.