Index: wp-admin/includes/plugin-install.php
===================================================================
--- wp-admin/includes/plugin-install.php	(revision 20750)
+++ wp-admin/includes/plugin-install.php	(working copy)
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@
 	if ( false === $res ) {
 		$request = wp_remote_post('http://api.wordpress.org/plugins/info/1.0/', array( 'timeout' => 15, 'body' => array('action' => $action, 'request' => serialize($args))) );
 		if ( is_wp_error($request) ) {
-			$res = new WP_Error('plugins_api_failed', __('An Unexpected HTTP Error occurred during the API request.'), $request->get_error_message() );
+			$res = new WP_Error('plugins_api_failed', __( 'An unexpected error occurred. Something may be wrong with WordPress.org or this server&#8217;s configuration. If you continue to have problems, please try the <a href="http://wordpress.org/support/">support forums</a>.' ), $request->get_error_message() );
 		} else {
 			$res = maybe_unserialize( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $request ) );
 			if ( ! is_object( $res ) && ! is_array( $res ) )
-				$res = new WP_Error('plugins_api_failed', __('An unknown error occurred during the API request.'), wp_remote_retrieve_body( $request ) );
+				$res = new WP_Error('plugins_api_failed', __( 'An unexpected error occurred. Something may be wrong with WordPress.org or this server&#8217;s configuration. If you continue to have problems, please try the <a href="http://wordpress.org/support/">support forums</a>.' ), wp_remote_retrieve_body( $request ) );
 		}
 	} elseif ( !is_wp_error($res) ) {
 		$res->external = true;
Index: wp-admin/includes/theme.php
===================================================================
--- wp-admin/includes/theme.php	(revision 20750)
+++ wp-admin/includes/theme.php	(working copy)
@@ -283,11 +283,11 @@
 	if ( ! $res ) {
 		$request = wp_remote_post('http://api.wordpress.org/themes/info/1.0/', array( 'body' => array('action' => $action, 'request' => serialize($args))) );
 		if ( is_wp_error($request) ) {
-			$res = new WP_Error('themes_api_failed', __('An Unexpected HTTP Error occurred during the API request.'), $request->get_error_message() );
+			$res = new WP_Error('themes_api_failed', __( 'An unexpected error occurred. Something may be wrong with WordPress.org or this server&#8217;s configuration. If you continue to have problems, please try the <a href="http://wordpress.org/support/">support forums</a>.' ), $request->get_error_message() );
 		} else {
 			$res = maybe_unserialize( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $request ) );
 			if ( ! is_object( $res ) && ! is_array( $res ) )
-				$res = new WP_Error('themes_api_failed', __('An unknown error occurred during the API request.'), wp_remote_retrieve_body( $request ) );
+				$res = new WP_Error('themes_api_failed', __( 'An unexpected error occurred. Something may be wrong with WordPress.org or this server&#8217;s configuration. If you continue to have problems, please try the <a href="http://wordpress.org/support/">support forums</a>.' ), wp_remote_retrieve_body( $request ) );
 		}
 	}