Symptom
You see an alert message when opening a Web browser. Possible messages include:
"The specified server could not be found."
"The server could not be found."
"A connection failure has occurred."
Solution
You may see these messages when you open a Web browser before connecting to the Internet. If you have dial-up Internet service, and use the PPP option to "Connect automatically when starting TCP/IP applications," then the application returns these messages because the computer has not had time to complete the dial-up connection sequence. This does not indicate any issue with your computer or Internet service provider. There are two ways to address this:
1. Wait for your modem to finish connecting to your Internet service provider, then click Refresh or Reload in your Web browser to reload the page.
2. Connect to the Internet before opening your Web browser or other TCP/IP application. Use the Internet Connect application.
For more information, see technical document 106325, "Mac OS X 10.0: How to Disable or Enable Automatic Modem (PPP) Connections". For best results, do not enable this option.
Alternative cause
If this does not resolve the issue, these same messages may appear when you do not have correct DNS (domain name system) settings. What is correct depends on your Internet service provider. For more information on this possible cause, see technical document 106798, "Mac OS: Troubleshooting 'A connection failure has occurred', 'The specified server could not be found' or Similar Messages".