About 404 error

404 Error

Oops, I thought I was going to open a page I was looking for, but all I can see is “404 error”.  This is not helpful.  What does it mean?

404 error means you have tied to access a page and the computer said no.  That is, you have gone to the correct server but the page for some reason cannot display, sometimes called a ‘dead link’.  This could be for a number of reasons:

• • The page may have been deleted but associated links have not been updated.
  • There may be a ‘glitch’ on the server, so the page is not loading.
  • The URL is not correct.

Is there any way I can correct a 404 error?

You can:

• • Check the URL, to make sure it correct.
  • Reload the page, with F5, or shift + refresh.
  • Use a search engine and search for the page.
  • Try to navigate up a level to a previous directory to find the page or navigate to the home page.
  • Clear you cache and clear your cookies.

As a web developer can I customize a 404 error page? You can have your server point to a customised error page, you can style yourself with HTML and CSS.

At least when your page does not display they user can see a nicer error message.