# Operation timed out??another computer question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712 "2002-11-20T07:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/1 "2002-11-20T07:21:47Z")
I ,very often,get the message “Operation timed out when attempting to contact(insert name here)” I’m paying my isp for unlimited internet access so who is doing this timing and who said they can do it? I was going to check a message board late monday night,really very early tuesday morning, and got that message and finally gave up after trying several times. Also the message can show up while moving around on a site. I also get the same message on ebay which makes me wonder even more. Here on SDMB I often get a" try later we’re busy" screen and I’m used to that but very often only 10 or 12 persons are on the other board . So where is this message coming from? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/2 "2002-11-20T07:46:58Z")
I believe that your computer is generating this message. If the website is not available within a certain amount of time, you will get that computer generated message. Often when I try to post here, I will see my hard drive light up for a while, and then the light will go out. I know then that nothing further is incoming and I will get that message. Sometimes when I try to access this board, I will get that message within a second or two, which is very strange. I can see a time limit when the message will be generated, but I don’t understand those quick messages. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/3 "2002-11-20T10:53:57Z")
The message just means the the brower has waited long enough for a website to respond and is now giving up. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/4 "2002-11-20T11:02:32Z")
The reasons for not being able to reach teh site can be many and varied, including: bad internet connection; web server (hosting the site you’re looking for) is down (for servicing, or it crashed, or something; busy message board; your computer or modem is doing weird stuff (that happened to me today - I had to reboot the broadband modem to solve it); and many more. But Urban Ranger is correct, it is your own browser generating the error message, as it has given up trying to reach the currently unreachable. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/5 "2002-11-20T15:27:19Z")
Their used to be a setting in IE options where you could control how long this timeout was… alas, it seems to have vanished into the Black Hole of dumbingdownness that is Microsoft… ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/6 "2002-11-20T15:28:48Z")
\ i meant to say ‘there’ not ‘their’… really… \ It could have been worse… originally I wrote “they’re”… must get new brain… ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/7 "2002-11-21T03:34:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShadowWarrior \* > **…desperatley…** Even more shame! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/8 "2002-11-21T04:00:52Z")
[Here](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q181050) is how you change it if you must. Caution is advised, back up the registry before editing. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/9 "2002-11-21T09:13:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*Even more shame! 😃 \*\* \ \ \ ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/10 "2002-11-21T11:52:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*[Here](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q181050) is how you change it if you must. Caution is advised, back up the registry before editing. \*\* Is there a way to change it in Navigator 4.7? It’s annoying to have my machine give me a time-out message - like it has something more important to do and can’t be bothered waiting for a slow website. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/operation-timed-out-another-computer-question/137712/11 "2002-11-21T20:17:31Z")
The link states a time limit of 5 minutes, but I sometimes get the message after only a few seconds when I try to access this board. Very puzzling. Does anyone know why? It happens only occasionally.