"Safari can't find the server."

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I have a rather strange conflict when surfing the internet from home.

No matter what website I go to, I'll find that anywhere from between 1/3 to 2/3rds of the images or video on any given page refuse to load. If I attempt to right-click on any to open in a new tab, or if I view my browser's activity, I receive your average "Safari can't find the server." page.

However, it also does this for websites that I know are completely accessible. Google, YouTube, Facebook, just as examples. One second I'll be on the website, the next it can't find the server. Or one second it says that it can't find the server, and when I refresh a few times, it shows up fine, or shows up with the broken images and videos.

And it's not just Safari that does this. Google Chrome, Firefox, and Camino also do it as well. The only browser that I've found that seems to bypass this problem is Opera, however I'm not terribly fond of Opera and would prefer to use Google Chrome or Safari.

Here's the clincher: It only has this problem in two places: My apartment, and the home of my grandparents. If I go anywhere else, from my campus to a friend's house, it's just fine and I don't get these errors. And if a friend connects to my internet at home, they don't get these errors either.

I would be super delighted if any of you knew what would cause this problem, and/or how to fix it, since no one I know seems to know what on earth it could be.

I am currently running: Mac OS X 10.6 on a 2.53 GHz MacBook Pro. It's from 2009, so it is of the aluminum build, and this is the first actual problem I've had with it thus far.

If any of you happen to know the answer to this problem right off the bat, then you're more than welcome to hit me up on Skype, but I will continue to keep this tab open in my browser and check back often.

Thank you!
 

chscag

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The only suggestion I have at the moment is to try using different DNS servers to see if the problem is resolved. It's easy enough to switch servers:

Open System Preferences, Network. Click on the Advanced tab, and then select the DNS tab at the top.

In the dialog box that opens, click on the small plus sign at the bottom and add these two servers:

8.8.8.8.
8.8.4.4.

Those are the Google Public DNS servers which generally are faster and more responsive than that of a typical ISP. Let us know if it works for you.
 
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Well, it looks like that took care of the problem, for the most part. Thanks so much!
 
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Unable to View my Site

Apologies if this is not posted on the correct forum - brand new user - I am at wits end! I cannot phone a technician - I have 2 problems, I don't speak french (I am currently in Mauritius till year end), and the likely hood of me finding an english Apple technician in Mauritius is very slim! So I have tried LogmeIn services with Technicians in South Africa, but due to limited Mac knowledge they give up.

Please help! I have limited skills, so hence my user name :p So this is the vibe with my problem -
I cannot view my website iOrganise | helping you get stuff done (outdated link removed) and iOrganise | helping you get stuff done (outdated link removed) from my computer or my netbook.I was able to view my site on both devices in beginning of July then it stopped working. I cannot view it from any browser such a Mozilla Firefox, Safari, (Internet Explorer on my netbook).
I have internet connection, and can view other sites - international, .coms, South African but just not my own two.
My web guy in South Africa says there is no issue as far as he can see
The site is not blacklisted
I had assistance in viewing the IP Trace and it leaves home, but gets blocked before it reaches South Africa.
The message I get is that the server is not responding.
I can view the site on tp://www.pagewash.com (outdated link removed)
Other people can few my site, in Mauritius and South Africa

If anyone is willing to talk me through it on Skype? or post a detailed reply... I think I have enough know how to follow through.
 
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Thank you, chscag. That solved my one week's problem. Facebook is now working perfectly like before. Many thanks.
 
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Hi,

I'm a new user and I'm not too sure if this thread is still active, but here goes.

I've been having a similar problem with Facebook. For the last few days, it refuses to load on my macbook pro.

Have tried Google Chrome and Safari, both say the page is not available.

Could someone please help me with a solution?

Thanks
 
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My cousin had this problem too. but when he tried opening Facebook using incogni it worked.
 
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This seems to be a DNS problem. Entering OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220) or Google DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) in advanced network settings seems to solve the problem. If you need to know how to set them up on a Mac or an iOS device, you can see the following link:
Techno Voltage: How to remove "Safari cannot open the page because the server cannot be found" error on Mac (outdated link removed)

At the end of this page, there is also a link to a site which lists many more free public DNS servers that can be tried if OpenDNS or Google DNS servers do not solve the problem.
 

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