Google error message - search blocked
Thread poster: tazdog (X)
tazdog (X)
tazdog (X)
Spain
Local time: 13:21
Spanish to English
+ ...
Aug 14, 2005

Has anyone else had this message come up when doing a search in Google?

"We're sorry... but we can't process your request right now. A computer virus or spyware application is sending us automated requests, and it appears that your computer or network has been infected.

We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your computer is free of viruses and othe
... See more
Has anyone else had this message come up when doing a search in Google?

"We're sorry... but we can't process your request right now. A computer virus or spyware application is sending us automated requests, and it appears that your computer or network has been infected.

We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your computer is free of viruses and other spurious software.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google."

I've gotten this message several times in the last few days. The first time, I ran a virus and spyware check as they suggested, even though I was pretty sure my computer was clean, and came up with nothing; the next time it appeared, I was able to search again after a few minutes without doing anything (in other words, it went away by itself). I have tried to find information about this on the Internet (when Google was working, of course!); some sites suggested it may be related to certain search strings, but I've been blocked on all sorts of searches, no matter how innocuous.

Meanwhile, I have found that when I get the error message on my computer, the other computer on the same network is usually fine; we've also had the reverse problem, where the other computer is blocked from Google searches and this one is OK.

Does anyone know what this is all about?
Collapse


 
Jack Doughty
Jack Doughty  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:21
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Many questions and few answers on Web Aug 14, 2005

There are many webpages where questions are being asked about this, not only in English but also French, German, Spanish and other languages. Try searching for "A computer virus or spyware application is sending us automated requests" and you will find a lot of them, but no clear explanation of the matter that I can find.
Here are a couple of forums where the topic is under discussion:
... See more
There are many webpages where questions are being asked about this, not only in English but also French, German, Spanish and other languages. Try searching for "A computer virus or spyware application is sending us automated requests" and you will find a lot of them, but no clear explanation of the matter that I can find.
Here are a couple of forums where the topic is under discussion:
http://www.webworkshop.net/seoforum/viewtopic.php?p=52348
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/26822-9-10.htm

What browser are you using? One person reckoned that the reason he hadn't been bothered by this was because he was using Firefox as his browser. I use Firefox too, and though I use Google a lot, I have never seen this, so unless you use it too, he could be right.
Collapse


 
Natalie
Natalie  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 13:21
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...

MODERATOR
SITE LOCALIZER
Hi Cindy Aug 14, 2005

You seem to be not the only one, please take a look at this:
http://tinyurl.com/d4jrj

Maybe you will find an answer at one of this links.
Good luck,
Natalia


 
German Services
German Services
Local time: 06:21
English to German
+ ...
Captcha Aug 14, 2005

This is Google's captcha page ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha ).

I have heard recently from a few people that they had the same problem. It could be:

1) You have a virus/trojan ghost/other malware on your PC (or someone in your network has) and your AV software doesn't detect it. Try a different AV software or update the virus definitions of the one you have.
... See more
This is Google's captcha page ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha ).

I have heard recently from a few people that they had the same problem. It could be:

1) You have a virus/trojan ghost/other malware on your PC (or someone in your network has) and your AV software doesn't detect it. Try a different AV software or update the virus definitions of the one you have.

More likely:

2) It can be a Google's mistake... A German friend of mine got the same message using a Debian system (Linux -> no virus) on a stand-alone system. Google had problems with that some time ago, I remember.



Work-arounds (just ideas):

Go to www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en and try other Google pages.

Or try this URL 216.239.59.98/

If your IP has been blocked, try a proxy.

Use a different search engine until Google has solved the problem, Yahoo is not that bad... Or Alltheweb.
Collapse


 
Balaban Cerit
Balaban Cerit  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 14:21
Member (2004)
English to Turkish
+ ...
It may be a problem related to Google Aug 14, 2005

Yes, there are too many questions floating around.

It may be not something to do with your computers/network (in the sense that "Google's radars" may have blacklisted one of your network IPs and that may be the reason why sometimes one computer has this problem and sometimes the other).

I would suggest that you post this problem in Google's "user support discussion forum"
... See more
Yes, there are too many questions floating around.

It may be not something to do with your computers/network (in the sense that "Google's radars" may have blacklisted one of your network IPs and that may be the reason why sometimes one computer has this problem and sometimes the other).

I would suggest that you post this problem in Google's "user support discussion forum" at:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/google.public.support.general

And you can also directly contact them at:
http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py


And while checking spyware, did you use the software listed at:

http://www.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=8091&ctx=en:contact1

I would select Spybot and/or Ad-Aware and run a check again to be sure, some software do not detect all spyware.


[Edited at 2005-08-14 16:43]
Collapse


 
tazdog (X)
tazdog (X)
Spain
Local time: 13:21
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
more info. Aug 14, 2005

What's even worse than the "we're sorry..." message with the captcha (thanks, Patrick) is when I get the "404 Not Found" message--and what it can't find is the "sorry" message! No way out of that one, it's like a stone wall.

My browser is IE 6.0.2900, but the other PC on this same network has Firefox, and as I said earlier, has also had the same error message come up in Google searches. I know both PCs are completely clean (my husband has his own business working with PCs, fixing o
... See more
What's even worse than the "we're sorry..." message with the captcha (thanks, Patrick) is when I get the "404 Not Found" message--and what it can't find is the "sorry" message! No way out of that one, it's like a stone wall.

My browser is IE 6.0.2900, but the other PC on this same network has Firefox, and as I said earlier, has also had the same error message come up in Google searches. I know both PCs are completely clean (my husband has his own business working with PCs, fixing other people's hardware and software problems, and he checked them out himself). We used several different virus and spyware scans including Ad Aware.

Patrick, I tried the work-arounds you suggested and got the dreaded "404 Not Found" message (this is the most frustrating one of all).

We have a fixed IP, but our ISP (Terra) uses a proxy cache server, and my husband thinks that may be the problem--that Google is blocking some IPs that we just happen to be sitting under at the moment (I hope I'm explaining that right--this part is getting out of my depth!).

I guess I'll try Google support--thanks for the suggestion, Balaban. This is driving me nuts.

[Edited at 2005-08-14 17:04]
Collapse


 
German Services
German Services
Local time: 06:21
English to German
+ ...
Contact ISP Aug 14, 2005

If Google is blocking an IP range, your ISP should have received already support enquiries from other customers, give them a call to find out and to see if they are already on the problem. Google is maybe under attack (DoS), I am just guessing here.

I just tried to search on google using www.anonymizer.com (essentially a proxy) and received the same message as you, something sure is happening...... See more
If Google is blocking an IP range, your ISP should have received already support enquiries from other customers, give them a call to find out and to see if they are already on the problem. Google is maybe under attack (DoS), I am just guessing here.

I just tried to search on google using www.anonymizer.com (essentially a proxy) and received the same message as you, something sure is happening...

All I can think of is: search the web for proxy lists and try them one by one...
Collapse


 
tazdog (X)
tazdog (X)
Spain
Local time: 13:21
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Google's answer Aug 16, 2005

Here's what Google answered, in response to my support request (it only took them 48 hours):

"The captcha page you're referring to is served by Google when we experience a quick spike in traffic on Google.com. In order
to continue using Google, simply type the squiggly word into the box below. A captcha image helps us determine whether traffic is coming from automated robot software or individual users, since most robots aren't smart enough to read the squiggly text. We apolog
... See more
Here's what Google answered, in response to my support request (it only took them 48 hours):

"The captcha page you're referring to is served by Google when we experience a quick spike in traffic on Google.com. In order
to continue using Google, simply type the squiggly word into the box below. A captcha image helps us determine whether traffic is coming from automated robot software or individual users, since most robots aren't smart enough to read the squiggly text. We apologize for any inconvenience this page may have caused and thank you for taking the time to write to us."

It doesn't solve the problem of the "Not Found" message when I don't even get the captcha, but at least it's somewhat comforting to learn that this apparently has nothing to do with my computer or my ISP.

Thanks to everyone who provided input on this subject.
Collapse


 
spydermr2
spydermr2
English
and to me... May 7, 2007

Here's the best of all. www.google.com is my homepage. It comes up as I open the browser. I click on the link for Blogger...

AND that's all. Clicking on the link for Blogger brings up this stupid page.

So I go back. Click on the link for Adsense... all I'm trying to do is sign up for Adsense to use it with my Blog.

AND again, just clicking on a link on their own webpa
... See more
Here's the best of all. www.google.com is my homepage. It comes up as I open the browser. I click on the link for Blogger...

AND that's all. Clicking on the link for Blogger brings up this stupid page.

So I go back. Click on the link for Adsense... all I'm trying to do is sign up for Adsense to use it with my Blog.

AND again, just clicking on a link on their own webpage spawns this stupid message.

No, I'm not a machine. Nor am I even trying to do any searching! Just trying to use their own website the way it was designed to be used... by using their own links!

And yes, I tried using IE. Same thing. And I ran antivirus and anti-adware software, machine's clean (that's what happens when you run a good firewall and a good virus program and run adware scans weekly).

So right now, I can't click on the link on Google's homepage for Blogger, therefore I can't get to my Blog, which in turn means i can't get moving.

I can say this, though: Google was absolutely convinced me not to use them again. For anything.
Collapse


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Google error message - search blocked






Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »