Bad Request

[FunkyDexter]

I've started getting a Bad request when posting to the forum. This started on my laptop about a month ago but I also got the problem on my desktop yesterday. It doesn't seem to affect any other site, only VBF.

Screenshot attached.

[Steve R Jones]

And I get this error on a few certain sites with my desktop but only with Chrome.

The portable version of Chrome is fine....and so is MS Edge. I've spent hours searching for solutions.

Have you tried other browsers?

[Steve R Jones]

Clear Cookies and Cache: This is the most common fix, as large or corrupted cookies for a specific site cause this error.

Check the URL: Verify for typos, special characters, or incorrect syntax.
Use Incognito/Private Mode: Open the site in a private window; if it works, a browser extension or cookie is likely the cause.

Disable Extensions: Extensions can interfere with requests, particularly ad blockers or security tools.
Reduce File Size: If uploading a file, it may exceed the server's limit.

Flush DNS: Clear your local DNS cache to ensure you are not hitting an old server address.

[2kaud]

I had a similar error with an unrelated site a few months ago. It turned out to be a dns server error (with 9.9.9.9 - quad9) and changing the used DNS server to another fixed the issue.

[FunkyDexter]

I haven't tried a different browser yet. I'll try that over the next few days. FWIW I'm using Edge on both machines at present.

Clearing the cookies doesn't work. Well, it does... but only for a single request. So I have to reclear them every time I navigate of submit.

[Steve R Jones]

FD - are you still getting the error?

Since no one else has chimed in, it'd appear to be on your end?!?!?

The 504 errors that we were getting here yesterday appear to be gone...

[FunkyDexter]

I'm still getting the problem and the forum has become effectively unusable for me. I can [I]sort of[I] work around it as follows:-
1. Navigate to new page
2. Get the error
3. Clear cache
4. Refresh the page
5. I get the cloudflare malarky validating me
6. I finally get to the page I navigated to.
...but I'm having to do this every single time I click a link

The fact that nobody else seems to have a problem does imply it's at my end but 1. I'm getting this on both my lap top and desk top and 2. I'm not getting it on any other web site.

It sort of feels like this might be cloudflare related as clearing the data forces it back though a validation. So I wonder if perhaps there's a lack of validation on other requests? That a total guess though.

[FunkyDexter]

OK, a bit more info:-
It works fine in private mode
When I get the bad request I can browse the cookies in use (Click the lock button to the left of the url and select cookies and site data) and delete specifically the _an_uid cookie under www.vbforums.com and refresh. The page appears. I click refresh again and get the bad request. So it seems like that specific cookie is to blame.

At least this means I can use the site in private mode for now though.

[dday9]

@FD: If you've narrowed it down to cookies breaking it for you, try using Cookie AutoDelete: https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/...efpdllknjdmmmo

After installing, open the extension then open the settings. Check off "Enable Automatic Cleaning".

[FunkyDexter]

Yay, that seems to have worked

Thanks as ever DD

[Crapahute]

I'm still getting the problem and the forum has become effectively unusable for me. I can [I]sort of[I] work around it as follows:-
1. Navigate to new page
2. Get the error
3. Clear cache
4. Refresh the page
5. I get the cloudflare malarky validating me
6. I finally get to the page I navigated to.
...but I'm having to do this every single time I click a link

I have the same problem (Firefox v150.0.2)

[Steve R Jones]

I have the same problem (Firefox v150.0.2)

Did you see the post from dday9 that appears to solve the problem?

[Crapahute]

Oh yes, I saw it. However, I find it strange that something that worked perfectly well for years now requires adding a plugin to my browser. I'll explore this option nonetheless, as I don't plan on switching to Chrome anytime soon.

[dday9]

However, I find it strange that something that worked perfectly well for years now requires adding a plugin to my browser.

The plugin is only there for convenience; you could manage the cookies yourself via the browser's developer tools in the Storage tab.

Keep in mind that for years we had serious issues with bots, not simply with bots posting content but with bots clogging up traffic by sitting there (presumably scraping data). If you look at the bottom of the home page, it shows the number of people visiting the website and it distinguishes between members and "guests". It was not uncommon to see ridiculous numbers like "3 members and 209,114 guests", even if none of the bots were posting content, they were hogging bandwidth which had the unintended side effect of making the forum unbearably slow.

Something had to be done and the Cloudflare security validation has considerably improved the site performance and functionality. Unfortunately, we have seen some edge cases like FD's and yours where it's not perfect; however, as long as you continue to bring them to our attention, we will do our best to find a workaround.