Did I do something bad?

[Victoria]

I've been posting in a forum for a couple of months, and all of a sudden, I get the 'forbidden' line when I try to log on. Did I unwittingly shove my foot so far down my throat that I'm shitting piggie toes, or could it be a problem with my computer? Yes, I am that computer illiterate. :Hammer:

[jjdebenedictis]

Perhaps it got locked by a mod? I haven't seen the "forbidden" message you're talking about, so I don't quite know what you mean.

If you want to PM me a link to the thread, I can try to get in and see whether it's just you or not.

[Silver King]

We'll move this thread to Tech Help from Office Party, where the folks there have more experience with this type of issue.

Good luck. :)

[Medievalist]

I've been posting in a forum for a couple of months, and all of a sudden, I get the 'forbidden' line when I try to log on.

We have no way of knowing, honestly.

Forums come and go; there have been some fairly major problems in the last year or so. It's not easy to maintain or mod or otherwise keep forums going.

You could look for your old posts. You could see if you're mis-remembering your login/password.

You could actually ask someone at the other forum--who will know much more about it than we will.

[Victoria]

Thanks for the move, Silver King. Okay, techy people, I can't even get onto the site. I click on it, and bam, I get a page with 'forbidden' on it in big bold letters. I've seen this page a couple of times while trying to access other sites, but never one I've previously joined with a login and password and all that. I'm just a little confused.

[Cyia]

Does it say something like "FORBIDDEN: 404 ERROR"?

with a white screen and black block letters?

[Cliff Face]

Maybe the site's been shut down?

[robjvargas]

Thanks for the move, Silver King. Okay, techy people, I can't even get onto the site. I click on it, and bam, I get a page with 'forbidden' on it in big bold letters. I've seen this page a couple of times while trying to access other sites, but never one I've previously joined with a login and password and all that. I'm just a little confused.

Try it from a public WiFi location, McDonald's, Starbucks, your local library.

That sounds like an IP-address-based ban. If you can at least access the site, then see if there's a "contact us" page to get in touch with someone.

There could be any number of things going on, but it looks like someone thinks you dunked someone else's kid in the pool.

[Devil Ledbetter]

Thanks for the move, Silver King. Okay, techy people, I can't even get onto the site. I click on it, and bam, I get a page with 'forbidden' on it in big bold letters. I've seen this page a couple of times while trying to access other sites, but never one I've previously joined with a login and password and all that. I'm just a little confused.This used to happen here at AW with my work IP, (IIRC) and there was a key sequence I could use to bypass it. I think it was CTRL + F5 (the function key). It refreshes the server or something.

Worth trying.

[Victoria]

Does it say something like "FORBIDDEN: 404 ERROR"?

with a white screen and black block letters?
Yarp, that's it except it's 403 error.

[Medievalist]

403 often means that a particular directory is protected. I'd try going to the home page of the site, and then try logging on to the forum--in case they've changed where the forum actually lives.