HTTP 404 Page Not Found Error

Even for people with above average knowledge of computers, figuring out computer error messages can be a constant game of decoding. Most of us have seen error codes that look familiar, but that does not help us know what to do about them. For example, at some point while surfing the Internet, almost everyone will have been met with the words Not Found at one time or another.

The 404-Not Found message appears when a webpage has been changed, taken down or moved. This all too frequent message is otherwise known as HTTP 404 or the Not Found error. HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is an application protocol request that is used in Internet communication. These errors will not show up in other computer applications, such as Microsoft Word or Photoshop, because the code is used where information must be shared and dispersed through a server.

404 is basically an error message that tells you that the webpage you are trying to visit is not there. Of course it would be easier if it just said page not found, or page moved, rather than 404, but who can make sense of this confusing computer world anyway? The error can happen at any time and is particularly annoying when trying to visit a page you have been to before. It is different from a server not found error or 410-Gone error message. A 404 error is telling you that the server, which communicates the information to the page, has been successful located, but the page has changed moved or been deleted from the location that you once found it.

A 404 error does not necessarily mean that the page is gone forever. It may just be temporarily unavailable. It does not help to keep clicking to hope that it will reappear any second because that’s probably not the case. The best thing to do if you are met with a 404 -Not Found message is to try once or twice and then revisit it at another time to see if something has changed. You can also try visiting a different page on from the website you are on. This way, you can see if the site is up. Also, from there, you could attempt a different link to the page you want.

The page may or may not return. If it doesn’t, you will know that nothing is wrong with your Internet connection or your computer, but rather the message is just simply informing you that the page you are looking for is no longer in the same location.