This usually indicates that your computer is having trouble connecting to the "BYOND Hub", the server which lists games and handles logins. There are many possible causes for this, some of which are listed below:

• You may have a firewall blocking the connection. If you have any firewalls installed, make sure that they are allowing BYOND full access to the internet. Note that Windows XP and Windows Vista both come with a built-in firewall, which you can configure via the "Windows Firewall" entry in the Control Panel.
• If you connect to the internet via a router, you may need to configure "port forwarding" for the BYOND Pager. Select your router from this list and follow the instructions. (Note that these instructions are slightly out of date; the Preferences screen is now reached via the BYOND Pager, which normally appears as a blue BYOND logo near the clock on your screen.)
• The BYOND Hub may be temporarily down. This happens occasionally. Rest assured that when it does happen, we try our best to bring it back up as quickly as possible. Wait for a few hours and try again. If the problem persists for a day or longer, then this is probably not the cause.
• As a last resort, try renaming your "cfg" folder as instructed on this page.