When I open my Web browser, I get an error saying something about an illegal operation has been performed. What does this mean?

I have bookmarks set up with my browser. I can get to most of the Web pages, but one I use frequently does not come up anymore. Why does this happen?

Every Web page I attempt to go to gives me the same error, "Unable to locate the server. The server does not have a DNS entry. Check the name in the Location (URL) and try again." What causes this?

When I try to view certain Web pages, I get messages saying that my browser version does not support this page. Does the version of my browser affect my ability to view different pages on the Internet?

I can open my browser and use it, but after awhile it will no longer find any pages. It keeps timing out. Why does this happen?



When I open my Web browser, I get an error saying something about an illegal operation has been performed. What does this mean?      top
An illegal operation error is usually a problem relating either to the application itself or possibly a memory conflict in the computer. Some key questions you will want to ask yourself are: Did I recently remove or add any software from my computer?, The last time I used my Web browser did my machine lock up and cause me to reboot?, and Do I have more than one version of a browser on my computer (e.g., Internet Explorer 3 and Internet Explorer 4)?

All of these issues can contribute to illegal operation errors. If you find that you have recently installed any new software or upgrades to existing software on your machine and now the browser does not work, try removing or uninstalling the application and see if the browser works again. If it does not, contact the software vendor of the new application you installed and ask them if they know of any conflicts between the browser you are using and their software. If your computer locked up while you were in the browser and you had to reboot, it is possible that the browser software may have become corrupted. In that type of situation, reinstall the software to try to correct the issue.
I have bookmarks set up with my browser. I can get to most of the Web pages, but one I use frequently does not come up anymore. Why does this happen?      top
A bookmark stores location information about a certain Web page. If the location of that Web page has been moved by the company that sponsors the page or if the server that hosts the page is experiencing problems, you may be unable to visit that Web page. Try visiting the page at a later time. If the server is experiencing technical difficulties, waiting a couple of hours, or even a day, will usually give the server time to fix any technical issues related to a given Web page.

The other major issue that can cause this type of problem, is if the location that the Web page is stored at has been moved. This can happen if a Web page changes its name, is purchased by another company, or if the company that maintains the page has moved the Web site to another ISP. To fix this type of situation, you must clear the cache of the browser. The cache acts like a map for Web pages. When you visit common pages frequently, information contained in the page, such as graphics and location of the page, are stored in the cache. When a company moves the location of a page, the cache is no longer pointing to the correct location. By clearing the cache, you wipe the map clean so that it can go out and find the location information again. Different versions of Web browsers will have various methods for clearing the cache. Check the settings to find where to clear the cache or consult the Help files of the particular Web browser.

Every Web page I attempt to go to gives me the same error, "Unable to locate the server. The server does not have a DNS entry. Check the name in the Location (URL) and try again." What causes this?      top

When you receive an error of this nature, the first thing is to determine if you are connected to the Internet. To determine this, open the e-mail portion of your Web browser or a separate e-mail application and attempt to get your e-mail. If you cannot receive e-mail either, your connection to the Internet is either not working or was never connected in the first place. With the latest enhancements in Web browsers, most browsers when they are opened will automatically dial out, connect you with your ISP, and then will attempt to bring up whatever you have selected as your Home page. If the last time you used your Web browser, you were either disconnected by the modem or if the computer locked up on you and you had to reboot, it is possible that the Web browser may be unable to automatically start your dialer. If this is the case, you will need to open your dialer and make sure that you are connected, then open your Web browser and see if you can bring up Web pages. It is also possible that even though you are dialed in and connected, you may still not be able to go anywhere. This can be caused by technical difficulties at the site. Disconnect from wonderWave.net, reboot the computer, and then attempt to get connected again. If neither one of these solutions work for you, it is possible that it may be settings related. In that case, refer to our configuration area to confirm that you have the correct dialer settings.

When I try to view certain Web pages, I get messages saying that my browser version does not support this page. Does the version of my browser affect my ability to view different pages on the Internet?      top
Advanced features are developed for computers everyday and so are advances in the Internet, specifically Web page design elements. These new design elements and enhancements require that you have the most current, up-to-date version of browser software to view them properly. There are many different versions of Web browsing software that span four to five years. If you are using one of the older versions of Netscape of Internet Explorer, it is possible that you may not be able to view certain pages that contain elements such as frames, ActiveX, Java, and so on. These types of enhancements come normally on commercial or business sites, and not so much on personal pages due to the complexity of the code that needs to be written to utilize these enhancements. WonderWave.net recommends that you get the most recent version of Web browsing software that will run on your PC, to keep up to date with developments in Web page display and presentation. A good thing to check for when shopping for a Web browser application is to make sure that the browser supports things like frames, Java, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), digital encryption, and ActiveX. All of these advanced features are becoming more common place on the Internet, thus the percentage of pages you will be able to visit will decrease over time if you do not upgrade your Web browsing software. On the Internet, being up to date and current with Web browsing software is very crucial. Be sure before purchasing or downloading any browser software that you confirm that it will run on your machine based on specifications such as speed of the computer (e.g., 486 or Pentium), available RAM memory (e.g., 16 MB or 32 MB etc), and operating system (e.g., Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98, or Macintosh OS 8).

I can open my browser and use it, but after awhile it will no longer find any pages. It keeps timing out. Why does this happen?      top
The loss of the ability to bring up Web pages can be caused by many factors such as server or site degradation, incorrect port settings for modem, or a full cache in the browser. If you find that occasionally you lose the ability to bring up pages, make notes about things such as time of day, how long you were connected, how long it worked, how frequently it happened, what access number was being dialed, and if you had tried other access numbers in your area. These are all questions that would be asked by Customer Support to determine if the problem is related to the page, the phone line quality in your area, or the given modem that you use to connect to WonderWave.net.

Although all modems are supposed to work with each other in principle, there are always going to be little variations in hardware and software that may cause this type of situation to arise. A common cause for a modem to lose the ability to bring up pages is the port speed or maximum speed of the modem. If you have the maximum speed set to high, it is possible that your connection may not be able to maintain the desired port speed, which will cause the modem to time out. We recommend that you view the Modem section of the FAQs to learn more about port speeds and how they affect your ability to use WonderWave.net.

Another common modem issue is called the initialization or init string of the modem. The string is a line of code that tells your modem how to communicate with the modem you are dialing into at WonderWave.net. Since there are thousands of different modems on the market, each with their own unique init string, WonderWave.net does not know the correct or specific string that you would need for your given modem. We do know a couple of generic init strings that we frequently give customers to try. To learn more about these strings and how to adjust them in your computer, visit the Modem section of the FAQs.

The last common reason that you may lose the ability to bring up pages is a full cache. A cache is a storehouse of information about the Web pages you frequently visit. Information about Web page locations and graphics for the Web page are located in this area. If you have had the browser for awhile and have never cleared the cache, it is possible that it may be full and needs to be cleared. Since there are different versions of browsers, WonderWave.net recommends that you consult the Help files of your Web browser software to learn how to clear the cache.