Common Internet Explorer Error Messages

When browsing the Internet it is common to come across error messages displayed in the browser.

The 20 most common Internet Explorer Error messages are:..

52 Runtime Error

This is a "bad file name or number" error in JavaScript.

It means that the script cannot find a file it is looking for (web-page, course component) and is most likely a connectivity problem.

Try to clear your temporary internet files which should resolve any further problems... If this does not then speak with the website administrator as there may be a problem with the websites server.


400 Bad File Request

Usually means the syntax used in the url is incorrect (e.g. uppercase letter should be lowercase letter; wrong punctuation marks)


401 Unauthorised

The website server is looking for some encryption key(s) from the client (your computer) and is not getting it. Also, a wrong password may have been entered. Try it again, paying close attention to case sensitivity..


403 Forbidden/Access Denied

Similar to 401, special permission is needed to access the website A password and/or username may not be correctly registered on the websites database. Other times the website server may not have the proper permissions set up on its directories...


404 File Not Found

Server cannot find the file you requested. Refreshing the page (F5) should resolve this problem, although continued error messages may mean the page is no longer available, that there is considerable internet congestion (in which case the user should try again later).

Alternatively the file could have been either been moved or deleted, or you entered the wrong URL or document name. Look at the URL. If a word looks misspelled, correct it and try it again. If that doesn't work backtrack by deleting information between each backslash, until you come to a page on that site that isn't a 404.

From there you may be able to find the page you're looking for. This has to be the most common Internet Explorer Error message on the Internet!


408 Request Timeout

Client (your computer) stopped the request before the server finished retrieving it. A user will either hit the stop button, close the browser, or click on a link before the page loads. Usually occurs when servers are slow or file sizes are large.


500 Internal Error

Couldn't retrieve the HTML document because of server-configuration problems.

Contact website administrator...


501 Not Implemented

Web server doesn't support a requested feature.


502 Service Temporarily Overloaded

Server congestion; too many connections; high traffic. Keep trying until the page loads. This can be a common occurrence at peak news times eg. the Twin Towers during September 2001 brought CNN and the BBC news sites to a slow crawl and many folks got this error.


503 Service Unavailable

Server busy, site may have moved, or you lost your dial-up Internet connection!


Bad File Request

Browser may not support the form or other coding you're trying to access.


Connection Refused by Host

Either you do not have permission to access the site or your password is incorrect. Try again!


Errors on Page

This error message is a catch-all statement meaning there is something on the web page that the browser either hasn't read properly (connectivity problem) or there are missing items in the web page itself. This problem normally affects the graphics on a web page.

This can be a temporary glitch (caused by insufficient bandwidth), and may be quickly resolved, or it can have a more complex and longer term problem. With regard to most cases of this Internet Explorer Error message, it is due to not having given sufficient time to download the page you are requesting.

It is necessary to wait until the bottom left hand corner of the page reads 'done' before selecting any other links on the page to move forward.


Failed DNS Lookup

The Domain Name Server can't translate your domain request into a valid Internet address. The website server may be busy or down, or incorrect url (web address) was entered.


File Contains No Data

Page is there but is not showing anything. Error occurs in the document. Attributed to bad table formatting, or stripped header information....


Host Unavailable

Host server down. Hit reload or go to the site later


Network Connection Refused by the Server

The Web server is busy. To resolve this problem, refresh the page. (Press Ctrl and F5).


Runtime Error

(The information in this solution applies to: Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP1) 95 / 98 / 98 Second Edition / NT4.0 / 2000). When you attempt to browse to various websites, you may receive an error message similar to the following 'A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug? Line number Error: Permission Denied.'

This can occur if you upgrade to IE 5.5 (SP1). The upgrade enables the script-debugging and script-error-notification options. (Note: Because there are several versions of Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, please consult your product documentation to complete these steps:)

To resolve this issue, disable the script-debugging and script-error-notification options. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
3. Click the Advanced tab .
4. Click to select the Disable script debugging check box .
5. Click to clear the Display a notification about every script error check box .
6. Click Apply, and then click OK.
Fortunately this is a very rare Internet Explorer Error message...


Script Error

Script errors are caused when something goes wrong when surfing some web pages. It is caused by VBScript or JavaScript code that is embedded within certain web pages. These errors are mostly due to connectivity problems, though can occasionally be caused by browser incompatibilities. Ensure that you have a compatible browser version (IE 5.5 and above or Netscape 4.76 and above).