# Why do I get this error message at times?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-this-error-message-at-times/439672>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [February 29, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-this-error-message-at-times/439672 "2008-02-29T20:48:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-this-error-message-at-times/439672/1 "2008-02-29T20:48:39Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Error - 403
> 
> * * *
> 
> Failed to read headers to server:  
> 208.100.26.199 (80)  
> Reason: Headers were invalid or incomplete

Anybody know what that means?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-this-error-message-at-times/439672/2 "2008-03-05T16:46:07Z")

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No suggestions?

Anybody actually ever see this message before (maybe elsewhere than the SDMB)? I can’t find anything about it using my weak Google-fu. ☹

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**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-this-error-message-at-times/439672/3 "2008-03-05T16:53:43Z")

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403 is the forbidden error. If it’s an Apache server, it could mean dir listings are turned off. For an IIS server, it would be a denial of active directories.