Failed to Read... : Connecting to Xara.com

[Burpee]

My XX will not connect to the Xara site, I can't get fills or clipart, etc. I keep getting error messages that it can't connect or retrieve the information.

This is what it says when I try the 'update' link in Help:

Failed to connect Xara.com or failed to read update information.

The fills says:

Unable to download fill folder information. Click on 'get fills' to try again.

I assume it's something I did or didn't do when I installed this?

Is there a way to get any updates without going through the link in the help menu or to get fills, etc. manually?

Thanks, Nancy

[Soquili]

Hi Nancy,

Welcome to Talkgraphics.

Those messages usually indicate that you either do not have a connection to the internet or you may be on a network that uses a proxy server that is blocking access.

What type of internet connection do you have?

[Burpee]

Hi, thanks for responding. I am on a DSL connection at home. I am the only user. None of my other programs has trouble connecting. Could I have denied something when I setup Xara? Would a reinstall help possibly?

I prefer not to uninstall if it is not necessary though.

[Soquili]

Nancy try removing power to your DSL router for a few seconds then power it up again.

My DSL router sometimes will act up especially after a thunderstorm. It will decide to block some IP address. One time it decided I did not need to read any wikipedia pages and blocked them all. Pulling the power cord out of the socket and counting to 30 then plugging it in again clears the problem until the next power fluctuation or thunderstorm.

[steve.ledger]

Bill is dead right about rebooting your modem/router - definatley worth trying.

Another thing to check that I come across all the time, is a third party firewall is installed. You may have inadvertently given it the wrong answer when it asked about allowing the new outgoing connection when installing XaraXtreme.

If this is the case, you will need to find and edit the rule. This will depend on which firewall software you might be using.

Hopefully Bills suggestion will be the winner

[Burpee]

Thank you both. I reboot my DSL modem occasionally but will try that again. The ZoneAlarm rule sounds truer to what may have happened. I don't like my programs trying to access the net when they open so I may have said remember 'no' to Xara.

I don't know how to edit the rule but I'll look around the ZoneAlarm program and see what options it gives me. Thanks. Nancy