403 Forbidden - HTTP error message

[403sufferer]

Since the beginning of this month, March, I've get this error everytime I try to download a file. w3.org/Protocols says, "The server understands the request but is refusing to fulfill it. Authorisation will not help." I can get into websites and browse in them but clicking on a download immediately results in the 403 Forbidden error message. I've tried downloading from lots of sites but always the 403 error. Even Sourceforge.org, an open source site that has no restrictions, produces 403! Has ntl/Virgin been blacklisted?

I've been running XP Home, IE7, ZoneAlarm, AVG free and CA's EZ Antivirus for a long time. No recent changes that I'm aware of. I've tried lowering IE7's barriers. My local PC guru is puzzled. Any ideas, please?

[TheNorm]

Is this any help?

... if you have recently changed any aspect of your Web site setup (e.g. switched ISPs), then a 403 message is a possibility. Obviously this message should disappear in time - typically within a week or two - as the Internet catches up with whatever change you have made.

http://www.checkupdown.com/status/E403.html

Oh, and welcome to the forum! :welcome:

[403sufferer]

Thanks for your response, TheNorm. 14 days after I first encountered this problem it's still happening. I'm not aware that I changed anything to do with IE7, certainly haven't changed ISPs.

Anyone else have any ideas, please?

---------- Post added at 16:29 ---------- Previous post was at 14:41 ----------

PROBLEM SOLVED! In ZoneAlarm Pro, under Privacy, Mobile Code Control was ON. Turning it Off solved the 403 forbidden problem.

Hopes this helps someone else. No longer a 403sufferer!

Thread now closed. Thanks.