This is caused by a communications failure of some kind. If you get this problem:
make sure you are connected to internet. Our software attempts to connect you automatically but in some cases you must connect before running the software. AOL is a good example. AOL users MUST connect to AOL first. (You may need to minmize AOL after you connect to see the game icon on your desktop.)

Windows 95 / Netscape users
Our software uses the same technology that Internet Explorer 4.0+ is based on. Windows 98 users have this software installed as part of Windows 98, however if you have Windows 95 and use Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.02 or earlier you should download and install the latest version of Internet Explorer. You'll find it herehttp://www.microsoft.com/ie. The minimum installation will do and you can continue to use Netscape without making Internet Explorer your default browser if you choose.

Our software uses SSL encryption to send your user information to our server. SSL is commonly used to encrypt credit card transactions over the internet. If you system is not configured to handle SSL then our software may fail. To make sure you system is configured for SSL, check the following:

• Click the windows START button, move to SETTINGS, and select CONTROL PANEL.
• Find and Double-Click on Internet Settings
• Click on the ADVANCED tab at the top and scroll down until you see SECURITY.
• Make sure that SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 are checked.

If these setting are correct, check with your ISP to see if there is a problem.

If you are behind a proxy, firewall or use connection sharing software then you must make sure that your software is configured to allow SSL. (SSL operated over port 443 by default)