A few days ago I started getting an error at the top of my Google Mail page. The error displays after I look at any message in my inbox, then attempt to return to the inbox. The error reads as follows:
Oops… the system encountered a problem (#825)
The error also displays a countdown notice that it will retry the operation in five seconds, and a button to retry the requested operation immediately. Neither waiting for the clock to count down and retry or retrying on command resolves the problem.
Workaround #1
I do not allow third-party cookies on my machine. Until recently disabling third-party cookies proved compatible with Google Mail. Now that seems not to be the case.
Changing my cookie settings to allow third-party cookies resolves the problem. Because I do not want to allow third-party cookies, and because I don’t think you should either, I do not recommend this workaround.
Workaround #2
When the error displays, clicking the refresh button will load the requested window, and seems to resolve the problem for the current session. Leaving GMail and returning reproduces the problem, but it can again be resolved with a single refresh of the window.
I don’t what change Google made to prompt this behavior. I found a thread on Google’s support site earlier today but both then and at the time of this posting no explanation was given for the error, or for any third-party cookies that Google may be allowing on Google Mail.
Update: I am no longer getting the error message as of 11/18. Hopefully the issue has been resolved, if not explained.
— Mark Barrett
Seem like this problem has been around for a bit, but exploded into live on the 17th Nov will a much wider cross section of the Google users being affected (one of my accounts being one of them).
Thanks for bringing these workarounds. I’d found out #2 by default myself, but #1 I’ll give a go to!
Paul,
You’re quite welcome. In the scheme of possible computer nightmares — of which I’ve had my share recently — this is obviously more a nuisance than anything destructive. On an overall basis, however, a widely-distributed and balky email system is definitely going to be an irritant.
My hope is that the problem is simply a bad cookie. If Google is allowing third-party cookies under their own name, and if this is a recent change, I think they should explain the change.