I can't connect to any servers. Any time I try to connect, I recieve the same error

* Unable to connect to server (Connection refused)

does anyone know why I would get this error and how i can get around it?

Normally connection refused indicates that a setting on the network will not allow you (or more likely your ISP) to connect to the network. If you've used that network before, you might try their website to ask for a reason.