Problems with official Minecraft forums

[Katrinya]

Ok, I feel a little dumb for asking this, and I'm not sure this is the right place for it, but... well, I haven't been able to visit www.minecraftforum.net for over a month now. Every time I attempt to browse MCF, I get this message:

The connection has timed out
The server at minecraftforum.net is taking too long to respond.

At first I thought the site was down temporarily. Then I thought the problem was my internet connection. Then the problem persisted for a really long time, I haven't seen references to MCF technical issues elsewhere, and clearly, my internet is working fine. Is anyone else having this problem? It's starting to really annoy me, as without access to MCF, there are mods which I can't manually update.

So I hope someone will be able to tell me if it's some dumb thing I did and, if so, how to fix it.

 

[Affex]

wrong forum section...

 

[Katrinya]

I could have put it in the bug report or technical support section, but that's for problems with FTB, not problems with the forum website. Besides, I'm not sure if it's a bug at all.

 

[Poppycocks]

Works fine for me.

Try talking to your ISP perhaps?

 

[Guswut]

So I hope someone will be able to tell me if it's some dumb thing I did and, if so, how to fix it.

Try this link: http://68.64.47.185/

If that link works, if means it is a DNS issue (on your end, surely). If it does not, it means it is a routing issue (on your end, surely).

Report back either way, please, for further troubleshooting.

 

[Katrinya]

Try this link: http://68.64.47.185/

If that link works, if means it is a DNS issue (on your end, surely). If it does not, it means it is a routing issue (on your end, surely).

Report back either way, please, for further troubleshooting.

That link gives me the same error.

 

[khorozm]

i always have probelm with MCF as well
It usually takes way too long to load, and sometimes not even working

 

[Guswut]

View attachment 2619

That link gives me the same error.

Alright, routing most likely.

Try this link: http://3.hidemyass.com/ip-4/encoded/Oi8vd3d3Lm1pbmVjcmFmdGZvcnVtLm5ldC8=&f=norefer

If that link does not work (same error), try this link: https://7.hidemyass.com/ip-1/encoded/Oi8vd3d3Lm1pbmVjcmFmdGZvcnVtLm5ldC8=&f=norefer

Go to http://www.hidemyass.com/, and then enter http://www.minecraftforum.net/ in the text field. Try it first without SSL, and if that does not work, use SSL.

If neither of those links work and give you the same error (server is timing out), we'll try moving down a turtle.

 

[Katrinya]

Hide my ass does work, though it kind of messes up the forum's lay out and is excruciatingly slow. Also, when you click on anything in the forum, it brings you back to the proxy's main page. Which is weird.

How does one fix a routing error? MCF

 

[Guswut]

Hide my ass does work, though it kind of messes up the forum's lay out and is excruciatingly slow. Also, when you click on anything in the forum, it brings you back to the proxy's main page. Which is weird.

It's an issue with the way HideMyAss works. But by it working, that means that your internet connection is being disallowed to that system.

At this point, it is likely something outside of your control but it warrants testing that, first.

Are there any other computers on the same internet network as you (be it wireless or wired, just so long as both computers are going through the same modem)? If so, can they connect to http://www.minecraftforum.net/? Also, if you have a smart phone, try disabling your mobile internet and enabling wireless on your network, and trying to connect to http://www.minecraftforum.net/ (if you cannot get another computer for this).

Is your computer a laptop? If so, can you use another internet network (library, coffee shop, friend's place, etc) to verify that you are able to directly connect to http://www.minecraftforum.net/ there?

The answers to those will likely be "No other computer can connect on the same network", and "Your computer can connect from other networks".

 

[Katrinya]

After disabling my phone's wifi, I can browse to MCF using 3G. My boyfriend's computer can't connect any better to MCF than mine can (yes, they're using the same wireless router). My computer is not a laptop, so I can't test it elsewhere without disassembling it.

So if that means it's the router, I guess it's the router. Why would my router be hatin' on MCF?

 

[Guswut]

So if that means it's the router, I guess it's the router. Why would my router be hatin' on MCF?

Not the router (well, at least, most likely not. You can test this by plugging a computer directly into your modem [assuming it has a DHCP range set up and your router is using that for its own address] and seeing if connections to http://www.minecraftforum.net/ work).

What it means is that connections on your network are being blocked from reaching http://www.minecraftforum.net/. This COULD be your router with a rule (can you access the administration of your router? Verify that no rules have been set to disallow connections to http://www.minecraftforum.net/?), or it could be http://www.minecraftforum.net/ having banned your IP from connecting (often done when an account ban is not strong enough, such as when a spammer starts slamming the forums).

I'd suggest, first off, calling your internet service provider (ISP) and asking them if they can give you a new external IP. You can try and obtain one by power cycling your modem (verify this by first going to http://www.whatismyip.com/ and seeing what it thinks your current IP is, and then unplugging your modem and plugging it back in, and seeing if that value changes), but depending on how your ISP has set up your connection, that may not work.

It could also be a large range IP block (for example, if your IP was 64.8.0.1, and they blocked 64.8.*.*, that would block you) you may not be able to get a new IP outside of the block. In that case, you'll need to appeal to the website to review your IP and verify why it was blacklisted.

 

[Katrinya]

That does not sound good. I'll try some of the things you suggested and get back to you.

Just one thing... if it's the website that blacklisted me for some reason (I received no notice of being banned, and can't think what I might have said that would earn me Das Banhammer), then how can I best appeal it? Obviously I can't post a general message on the forum, and outside of the forum I'd have no idea who to contact.

 

[Guswut]

Just one thing... if it's the website that blacklisted me for some reason (I received no notice of being banned, and can't think what I might have said that would earn me Das Banhammer), then how can I best appeal it? Obviously I can't post a general message on the forum, and outside of the forum I'd have no idea who to contact.

This wouldn't be a banning from the website, but from the server or possibly even the network the server is on. Specifically, your connection is not being allowed to connect to the web server that http://www.minecraftforum.net/ is on.

If your router looks clean of such things, and a new external IP does not fix it, I think the next step would be to see if this website works: http://curse.cursesupport.com/ as that'd be the next place to find assistance. If it does not, I will see if I can start a trouble ticket for you (no idea about the process).

 

[Enderbolt360]

same thing happened to me I need my mods!!!