Object reference not set to an instance of an object

Problem reported by Montague WebWorks - 12/19/2024 at 8:06 AM

Submitted

I can go for months and months without any issues, then suddenly one or two customers will contact me that they can't access the webmail, getting this error "Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

I usually tell them they need to try loading the login page without anything after the .com/ and if that doesn't work to completely restart everything, including modem and router, make sure the OS is updated as well as browsers, and try multiple browsers. Sometimes this fixes the issue, though I have one customer today that none of these fixed the issue. She's using an old Mac laptop that is as up to date as it can be. Worked fine for reading email yesterday, now, today, it doesn't.

We upgraded to Build 9091 (Nov 21, 2024) a couple weeks ago

Mik MullerMontague WebWorks

4 Replies

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Brian Bjerring-Jensen - VonBjerring GmbH Replied

12/19/2024 at 9:13 AM

downgrade to 8930 and see if it works. If not upgrade again.

Montague WebWorks Replied

12/20/2024 at 8:29 AM

This has actually been happening for years, before and after many updates and upgrades. My guess is people come back to their email tab, still open hours after their last encounter, and something has changed such that the URL and session variables no longer jibe with the current screen, and so the error happens.

The instructions I give, above, typically get my customers back in. As a coder myself, I know that capturing errors like this one is very hard, but if it can be figured out, perhaps a simple dumping of session variables and sending the browser back to the root / URL would be the best way of dealing with it.

Mik MullerMontague WebWorks

Curtis Kropar www.HawaiianHope.org Replied

12/20/2024 at 1:59 PM

Yep. That is the answer. We have a web product that same thing sort of would happen. Clients leave it sitting for hours and then come back to it and expect it to work. I set a time out and then at the end of the timeout kill off all of the session variables and make them log back in again, tossing them out to the main domain. That was about the only way to solve it and even then they would STILL try to hit the back button and keep going where they left off.

www.HawaiianHope.org - Providing technology services to non profit organizations, low income families, homeless shelters, clean and sober houses and prisoner reentry programs. Since 2015, We have refurbished over 11,000 Computers !

Montague WebWorks Replied

8/20/2025 at 8:02 AM

I tell some clients to go to another browser. One such user tried three different browsers with the same results.

Going off their home/office wifi and hotspotting from their phone works most of the time. Not the best solution.

Mik MullerMontague WebWorks

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