[Burning Aroma]

Whenever I try to use the 'Chat' feature, this message pops up:

''The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted access to the web.''

Any ideas what might be causing this? Because I really want to participate in the chat.

(Note that I've already tried disabling the firewall, but nothing's changed.)

Thank you.

[Gus1234U]

it's very unlikely that it's your Windows or Security Firewall that is the problem. most likely it's your browser. i don't know which one you are using, but i had to put PC on my list of "Exceptions for Cookies" using Google Chrome. i have forgotten already what adjustment Firefox needed. one of the other members or a moderator will see your message soon, if not, write to them directly (look at the bottom of the "Community" page to see who's online, their name will be in color). best wishes,, Gus

[Burning Aroma]

Originally Posted by Gus1234U

it's very unlikely that it's your Windows or Security Firewall that is the problem. most likely it's your browser. i don't know which one you are using, but i had to put PC on my list of "Exceptions for Cookies" using Google Chrome. i have forgotten already what adjustment Firefox needed. one of the other members or a moderator will see your message soon, if not, write to them directly (look at the bottom of the "Community" page to see who's online, their name will be in color). best wishes,, Gus

Thank you for your advice, and I'm sorry I forgot to add what browser I used on the original post (it's Firefox).

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by Burning Aroma

The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted access to the web.

That looks like the Firefox timeout message. It seems to get displayed if the site that I'm trying to connect to doesn't answer at all within a certain time period -- i.e., if the status message at the bottom of the browser window never gets past "Connecting..." That message does not come up if the server is busy (doing backups or something). In that case the status message will say "Waiting..." instead, sometimes for several minutes.

It isn't usually easy to tell whether a timeout is caused by something at PC's end of the internet, something at your end, or something in between. Sometimes you can make an educated guess, going by what other sites are affected and how long the problem persists.

[DocJohn]

Chat uses port 8080. If your computer can't reach port 8080, it will display that message.

The most common cause of your computer not being able to access port 8080 is either a firewall or virus software running on your computer. You can usually allow an exception for specific sites (like ours), rather than needing to shut down your firewall or virus software altogether.

Sometimes pop-up blockers might be causing the issue as well, which is why there's an option for the "No popup chat."

Hope this helps,
DocJohn

[DocJohn]

Chat uses port 8080. If your computer can't reach port 8080, it will display that message.

The most common cause of your computer not being able to access port 8080 is either a firewall or virus software running on your computer. You can usually allow an exception for specific sites (like ours), rather than needing to shut down your firewall or virus software altogether.

Sometimes pop-up blockers might be causing the issue as well, which is why there's an option for the "No popup chat."

Hope this helps,
DocJohn