# "Page cannot be displayed"- Why??

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 1, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106 "2003-01-01T23:33:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sonicsink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@sonicsink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sonicsink)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106/1 "2003-01-01T23:33:44Z")

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Hi everyone,  
Hope I don’t sound too computer illiterate with this question…  
Sometimes after having been on the computer for a few hours,I will take a break and leave it running for about an hour or 2 while I putter around the house,take a nap etc…anyways, when I come back and try to visit a new page I get “page cannot be displayed” and I end up having to restart the whole comp which really pisses me off. Could somebody tell me why this happens? ( I use Windows XP) Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106/2 "2003-01-01T23:45:09Z")

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Perhaps your modem has been disconnected due long periods of inactivity. Do you really have to restart the whole computer?

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**Author:** ![sonicsink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@sonicsink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sonicsink)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106/3 "2003-01-01T23:55:32Z")

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Nope the modem is still connected as I leave the computer connected all day(well just about anyways) It seems I can use other stuff like Word or any other programs I have that don’t require a connection,but when it comes to the internet,nothing can be “displayed” I use IE but even if i exit that and try Netscape, I get the same message.

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**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106/4 "2003-01-02T00:18:17Z")

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Maybe your ISP has “timed-out” your connection, rendering it inactive after so many minutes of no activity. Have you tried disconnecting and having your computer redial your ISP instead of rebooting.

You didn’t say, but I am assuming you are on a dial-up connection. If not, an “ipconfig /release” follwed by “ipconfig /renew” from a command prompt should do the trick on a cable or dsl connection.

MC$E

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**Author:** ![sonicsink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@sonicsink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sonicsink)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/page-cannot-be-displayed-why/146106/5 "2003-01-02T00:27:59Z")

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Yup,tried the disconnecting and then reconnecting trick too…didn’t work:(