How to fix error 404

How to fix error 404

Error 404

The 404 or Not Found error message is a HTTP standard response code indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server, but the server could not find what was requested.

The web site hosting server will typically generate a "404 Not Found" web page when a user attempts to follow a broken or dead link; hence the 404 error is one of the most recognizable errors users can find on the web.

A 404 error should not be confused with "server not found" or similar errors, in which a connection to the destination server could not be made at all. A 404 error indicates that the requested resource may be available again in the future; however, the fact does not guarantee the same content.

Here are some common ways in which you might see the HTTP 404 error displayed

• 404 Not Found"
• "Error 404"
• "The requested URL [URL] was not found on this server."
• "HTTP 404"
• "Error 404 Not Found"
• "404 File or Directory Not Found"
• "HTTP 404 Not Found"
• "404 Page Not Found"

404 Not Found error messages can appear in any browser and in any operating system. Most 404 Not Found errors display inside the Internet browser window just as webpages do.

In Internet Explorer, the message The webpage cannot be found usually indicates an HTTP 404 Internal Server Error but a 400 Bad Request error is another possibility. You can check to see which error IE is referring to by checking for either 404 or 400 in the title bar.

404 errors received when opening links via Microsoft Office applications generate a The Internet site reports that the item you requested could not be found (HTTP/1.0 404) message inside the MS Office program.

When Windows Update produces a 404 error, it appears as a code 0x80244019 or as the message WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_NOT_FOUND.

Cause of HTTP 404 Errors

A 404 error is an HTTP status code that means that the page you were trying to reach on a website couldn't be found on their server.

Technically, an Error 404 is a client-side error, implying that the error is your mistake, either because you typed the URL in wrong or the page has been moved or removed from the website and you should have known.

Another possibility is if a website has moved a page or resource but did so without redirecting the old URL to the new one. When that happens, you'll receive a 404 error instead of being automatically routed to the new page.

Note: Microsoft IIS web servers sometimes give more specific information about the cause of 404 Not Found errors by suffixing a number after the 404 as in HTTP Error 404.3 - Not Found which means MIME type restriction.

How to fix error 404 errors

- Retry the web page by pressing F5, clicking the refresh/reload button, or trying the URL from the address bar again.

- Check URL. Often times the 404 Not Found error appears because the URL was typed wrong or the link that was clicked on points to the wrong URL.

- Search for the page at a popular search engine. It's possible that you simply have the entirely wrong URL in which case a quick Google or Bing search should get you where you want to go.

- Clear your browser's cache. You might also consider clearing your browser's cookies.

- Change the DNS servers used by your computer but usually only if an entire website is giving you a 404 error.

Finally, if all else fails, contact the website directly. If they've removed the page you're after then the 404 error is completely legitimate.

Still getting 404 error

If you've followed all of the advice above but are still receiving a 404 errors. please write us in comments. We are ready to help you with your error.