"Safari can't find server" -- but Firefox works fine!

[Sooz]

My iMac desktop has OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.6 and I'm running Safari 11.1.1--and everything has been running smoothly until last Thursday (it's Saturday now). 

I'll double-click to open Safari, and then I'll click on a website's icon that's bookmarked, and I get this message: Safari can't find server.  This will happen for just about any of my usual websites, although rarely, I'll get to the webpage and then when I click on a thread, I get the same message about the server... then I'll quit Safari, open it back up again, and the same thing happens.  By about the third time I click to open Safari again, and click on a web address, it will finally work and get me to that website.

I've opened Firefox (60.0.2) and copied the web address and then gone to Safari and pasted the web address, thinking maybe I had an "old" bookmark on Safari (like maybe they changed it when I was taking a nap!) but it didn't make a bit of difference with Safari and I still can't open the page.

Any suggestions that aren't too detailed for me to follow?? I'm used to Safari and would like to keep that as my primary browser.  Thanks!

Smiles,
Sooz

[jchuzi]

See if emptying Safari caches helps. You can do this via the Develop menu. (If you haven't activated Develop, go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and check the box that says "Show Develop menu in menu bar".) Restart Safari and see if that helps.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Option-Command-E.

[Xairbusdriver]

I agree with Jon, sounds like a cache problem. If you enable the Develop menu, it's Option-Command-T. Maybe I have changed the combo? That's possible, that's what I see in System Prefs->Keyboard->App Shortcuts->Safari->Empty Caches.

If you already have a fast Internet connection, there is a way to prevent most of the caching of things. If you have a slow connection, it's probably not worth doing that, however.

[Sooz]

Thank you both for your quick reply!  Jon, I did as you suggested and checked the Show Development box in the menu bar, and then I restarted Safari. So far, so good, knock wood!

Jim, I did visit System Pref under my apple    --->Keyboard-> (Shortcuts) ->App Shortcuts->----but nothing for Safari->Empty Caches.
Here's a screenshot.
Thanks, and I'll post again if I'm still having problems so let minds greater than mine, troubleshoot!
Smiles,
Sooz

[Sooz]

Update:  It's doing it again --and this time, it's during the time I'm already online with Safari... message for "cannot find server" for Google and for Gmail... yahoo mail connection works fine, as does Tech Survivors and Amazon.  Then, a few minutes later, everything is going just fine for Google and for Gmail.

It's a mystery!!!!

[Xairbusdriver]

im, I did visit System Pref under my apple    --->Keyboard-> (Shortcuts) ->App Shortcuts->----but nothing for Safari->Empty Caches.

That's because I created the setting myself on my machine. I may be using Option-Command-E for something else. If Jon's shortcut is working for you, great. You should see the Develop menu darken quickly when you use that shortcut. Of course, it should also show in the Develop menu when you simply click on "Develop". Is that key combo showing there, to the right of "Empty Caches"?

[Sooz]

I don't seem to have a Development menu, Jim, nor do I see "Empty Caches."

I have no idea if this is a workaround, but I went to Manage Website data and cleared all that.

I also do a "clear history" under the History tab for Safari that's the menu running across the top of my screen.

I'm going to bed.  This stuff makes me tired!

Smiles,
Sooz

[jchuzi]

Go back to my original reply in this thread and follow the instructions for activating the Develop menu. Unless you activate it, it won't be there.

[Xairbusdriver]

I went to Manage Website data and cleared all that.

That works, but enabling the Develop Menu is much faster and convenient. It's a simple checkbox in Safari Prefs->Advanced, the setting is at the bottom of that window.

[Sooz]

Jon, I did that but didn't notice that I had "Develop" on the menu bar across the top of my monitor's screen when Safari was open.  I selected "empty cache."  Thanks for the gentle redirect.  Also, thanks, Jim, for your help as well.

Same thing happened again just now -- Safari cannot find server-- but it was able load Amazon, yahoo mail, gmail, and for my fave cooking site --all of which I have bookmarked across the top menu bar of the Safari page. It took a couple of tries to open TechSurvivors.

Wacky, isn't it? I guess I'll just do my *work around* which is keep clicking until the website is "found."   
Smiles,
Sooz

[Paddy]

Sooz, there are a bunch of things to try here: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/01/23/websites-not-loading-in-safari/


Personally, I'd try changing the DNS to something other than your default to see if that fixes it.


http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/03/05/how-to-use-custom-dns-settings/


Try Google's or Open DNS. (IP numbers for both are in step 4). Let us know if that works.

[Xairbusdriver]

Paddy was typing faster than me (that no recommendation, however! ). Changing the DNS settings is one of the things I would recommend, but there are a few other steps that might help diagnose the system before going into that. "K.I.S.S." "One step at a time." "A stitch..." never mind...

If you are saving bookmarks in a browser, you are dependent that browser to never corrupt that file. I'd suggest you:

1. Delete your current problematic sites and Quit Safari.
2. Now start up Safari and type in a know good address for the sites you want to put back into that list.
3. Quit Safari (this should assure that the bookmarks file is updated).
4. Start up Safari again and try your new bookmarks.

There are other things we can try, if these steps have no effect.

[Sooz]

Thanks, Paddy, for the links... my kind of info-- words and pictures, step by step! It wasn't quite all geek to me!
Jim, you always make me smile (an yer dang hepfill two!).

I haven't done any of the recent suggestions, because so far (knock wood), it's working slick as you-know-what on a doorknob in July!

Smiles,
Sooz