# "Failed to connect to proxy server" (effin' AOL) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125 "2010-05-12T01:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/1 "2010-05-12T01:06:49Z")
My current temp gig lets me work at home one day a week – as long as I’ve got AIM. Yeah, it’s gotta be AIM. Just spent a ridiculous amount of time getting this loaded, tried to fire it up, and can’t get past a “Failed to connect to Proxy server” message. Tried auto-configure – no joy. I could set my settings manually, if I had a clue what to set them to. What do I do now, to either get this motherfucker loaded, or to in some other way get myself onto AIM? TIA. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/2 "2010-05-12T02:44:01Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > My current temp gig lets me work at home one day a week – as long as I’ve got AIM. Yeah, it’s gotta be AIM. > > Just spent a ridiculous amount of time getting this loaded, tried to fire it up, and can’t get past a “Failed to connect to Proxy server” message. Tried auto-configure – no joy. I could set my settings manually, if I had a clue what to set them to. > > What do I do now, to either get this motherfucker loaded, or to in some other way get myself onto AIM? > > TIA. I didn’t see this thread Twicks. I just started my own “AOL is full of Errors” thread. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/3 "2010-05-12T02:51:46Z")
Yeah, I linked to here from yours. We seem to be having different kinds of problems, so I didn’t merge them. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/4 "2010-05-12T03:15:08Z")
Does your employer allow you to use a different client, like [Trillian](http://www.trillian.im/) or [Pidgin](http://www.pidgin.im/)? In my experience, with Trillian at least, not all of the real client’s features work with these services (such as file transfer (sometimes) or video chat) but they definitely work to chat with people on the proper clients. I haven’t tried doing anything but chat and group chat on the latest version of Trillian, so those features might work. If nothing else, you can try one of those to see if you can at least connect to AIM - then you’ll know if it’s your computer/network or the AIM client itself. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/5 "2010-05-12T03:17:16Z")
Wait until after one of the connectivity gurus around here verifies or corrects my advice here – I had a similar problem two days ago with regard to using MSIE (I usually use Firefox but needed to look at something in a different browser owing to Firefox’s problems with Java scripts) and was given this answer, which worked. Start / Control Panel / Internet Options / Connections tab / LAN server button (near the bottom) – Uncheck “Use proxy server” – which Windows activates on its own for reasons known best to it, even when you don’t have a LAN or a proxy server. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/6 "2010-05-12T06:10:13Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Wait until after one of the connectivity gurus around here verifies or corrects my advice here – I had a similar problem two days ago with regard to using MSIE (I usually use Firefox but needed to look at something in a different browser owing to Firefox’s problems with Java scripts) and was given this answer, which worked. > > Start / Control Panel / Internet Options / Connections tab / LAN server button (near the bottom) – Uncheck “Use proxy server” – which Windows activates on its own for reasons known best to it, even when you don’t have a LAN or a proxy server. That’s close, but the proxy settings in Internet Options in Control Panel are really for IE. Chances are it won’t help, as long as IE is working. If it isn’t, try **Polycarp** ’s suggestion. It won’t hurt, and you can always check it back. But likely what you need to do is mess with the proxy settings in AIM itself. Here’s the [official instructions](http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/microsite.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=218924) on how to do that. (The pics make it easier than me trying to tell you.) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/7 "2010-05-13T01:45:26Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But likely what you need to do is mess with the proxy settings in AIM itself. Here’s the [official instructions](http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/microsite.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=218924) on how to do that. (The pics make it easier than me trying to tell you.) I tried that a couple of dozen times last night before writing the OP. Nope, that’s not it. > [@Polycarp](#): > > Start / Control Panel / Internet Options / Connections tab / LAN server button (near the bottom) – Uncheck “Use proxy server” – which Windows activates on its own for reasons known best to it, even when you don’t have a LAN or a proxy server. That was the trick. Many thanks to both of you! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/8 "2011-08-12T21:54:45Z")
This is an old thread…and I know I’m zombifying it but I do so with a purpose. I had this exact same problem and did a Google search asking what to do; the very first thing listed was the link to this thread. I did **Polycarp** ’s suggestion and it worked right away. Seriously…you guys are the best. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/9 "2011-08-13T17:53:14Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That’s close, but the proxy settings in Internet Options in Control Panel are really for IE. Nope, tons of windows applications draw from it rather than try to manage their own. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failed-to-connect-to-proxy-server-effin-aol/539125/10 "2011-08-13T18:08:01Z")
I see that this is an old thread, but since it is active, and in case anyone is currently have AOL troubles, I thought I’d post here that [AOL has been hacked](http://boingboing.net/2011/08/13/aol-hacked.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29).