I very much doubt that it's your computer hardware. This happens to everyone once in a while when the request for a new page gets garbled on the Internet. It is more likely to be a problem with your ISP or your browser, especially since it's intermittent. I would suggest:

1) Downloading a new browser, like Firefox, for your computer and seeing if that solves the problem.

2) Calling the Tech Support number of your ISP and having them troubleshoot it.

Also, who is your ISP, what kind of connection do you have (dialup, DSL, cable, etc.?), and what speed are you supposed to get from them?

Finally, exactly how frequently does this occur, say percentage-wise...10%, 50%, 90%, what?

There are some other possibilities, but let's start here.

Also,

In the Internet Explorer browser at the very top click on tools, in the window that opens click Internet options at the bottom, in there delete browsing history, temp files etc , reboot / restart the computer.

And if you're using a router unplug it for a min or so and reboot it.

yes definitely clear the cache as zep suggested that will often times clear that type of error.

Thanks so much for the input. I will definitely try the suggestions.

Frontier is our Internet provider, since July, when Verizon sold their WV customers to them! (I didn't experience this problem when Verizon was the provider.) We have DSL, but I'm not sure about the connection speed. Percentage wise, I'd say this happens about 50% of the time I'm on line.

Again, many thanks for the help.

You have a DSL Modem then, the little box where the phone line connects and some other yellow or blue wires called Ethernet cables. So make sure you do try an unplug that little box too, just need to un plug briefly then replug in. That resets the DNS \ IP and may help.

I, too, am a former Verizon, and now Frontier, customer, but I recently upgraded to fiber optic. When I used to have Verizon DSL, the main problem was that the connection would sometimes slow down, or, all of a sudden, I couldn't connect to anything at all. This could happen once every 2 months, or 10 times a day. Re-booting your DSL router, as zep516 suggests, would generally clear the problem. This doesn't mean DSL is bad, it just means that some people have problems with it. In any case, I've found that having Frontier as a provider is an improvement over Verizon. The Frontier tech support folks are friendlier and willing to spend more time with you, so don't hesitate to contact them if this problem persists. For example, it's possible that there are some simple changes to the router settings that would help, and maybe they could assist you with that.

Again, many thanks for all your responses. Deleting the browsing history seems to have helped. When it happens, again, I'll try to remember to unplug the modem, then replug. Fiber optics isn't yet available in my area of WV, so I can't try that.