# Strange error message?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-error-message/463644>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [September 15, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-error-message/463644 "2008-09-15T01:35:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-error-message/463644/1 "2008-09-15T01:35:40Z")

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I am a Firefox user. When I tried clicking on the second link [in this post,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10196832&postcount=7) I got the following error message:

> [@](#):
>
> Server not found
> 
> Firefox can’t find the server at [secure.boards.straightdope.com](http://secure.boards.straightdope.com).
> 
> ```
> * Check the address for typing errors such as
> ww.example.com instead of
> www.example.com
> 
> * If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network
> connection.
> 
> * If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure
> that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.
> 
> ```

But I can’t find any way a “[secure.boards.straightdope.com](http://secure.boards.straightdope.com)” URL is involved at all. It seems like a simple, straightforward link to [mercurynews.com](http://mercurynews.com).

What seems to be the problem?

---

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**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-error-message/463644/2 "2008-09-15T01:47:30Z")

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> [@Leaper](#):
>
> I am a Firefox user. When I tried clicking on the second link [in this post,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10196832&postcount=7) I got the following error message:
> 
> But I can’t find any way a “[secure.boards.straightdope.com](http://secure.boards.straightdope.com)” URL is involved at all. It seems like a simple, straightforward link to [mercurynews.com](http://mercurynews.com).
> 
> What seems to be the problem?

[noparse]

> **[McCain comes under fire for untrue attack ads](https://www.mercurynews.com/2008/09/12/mccain-comes-under-fire-for-untrue-attack-ads/)**
>
> McCain comes under fire for untrue attack ads

if you enter that URL itself it redirects to  
[https://secure.passport.mnginteractive.com/mngi/servletDispatch/ErightsPassportServlet.dyn?url=http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci\_10450897?nclick\_check=1&forced=true](https://secure.passport.mnginteractive.com/mngi/servletDispatch/ErightsPassportServlet.dyn?url=http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_10450897?nclick_check=1&forced=true)  
[/noparse]

which seems to point to a page that is session dependent.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-error-message/463644/3 "2008-09-15T01:58:00Z")

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You can get to it by copy+pasting this:  
[noparse][http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci\_1045089[/noparse]](http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_1045089%5B/noparse%5D)

It doesn’t seem to like:

1. Links
2. the part that says ?nclick\_check=1