What Is A 404 Error Message?

by: Ron Eletrick

There are many Internet web server error messages. One such is the 404 error message. This error is a result of some problem with the Web server and not your terminal/computer. If you encounter a 404 error message, then the cause might be that the server is not able to locate the file that has been requested. It might be the case that the file that is sought has been moved to some other location or has been deleted. This causes a 404 error message to appear on you terminal screen.

Generally, when sending messages or requesting files using HTTP you get response from the server and each of this response has a numeric code associated with it. Here is a great technical site http://www.techiehut.com. Also this code has message in English that appears as the message along with the number. This message for a 404 error message will be “Not Found”. The usual scenario is that with a 404 error message a short HTML document which has the numeric code with the associated string is included. But not all the web browsers have this kind of facility. Some browsers are more user friendly in that they even have a humorous 404 error messages!

A 404 error will also occur and get displayed if the file that is requested is spelt wrong. Always see to it that you type in the correct spelling. Even if you have spelt it correct and you get a 404 error message, then possibly the file has been shifted or deleted altogether. One another alternative is to remove the information between each backlash. Try this until you land up with the required file. In many cases this helps to reach the information you need.

Microsoft Outlook Web Access has various kinds of 404 error messages. They can be “File Not Found”, “Not Found”, “Object not Found”, “Page cannot be found “ and a few others.

The possible causes for this error message to appear are DNS name resolution, proxy server configuration, exchange virtual directory configuration, Uniform Resource Locator (URL) creation, problem with URL Scan component of IIS(Internet Information Server) lockdown tool and/or the wrong port allocation on the OWA Web site.

Always keep in mind that there is way to find the page you require. A 404 error message just indicates that the wrong instructions have been given to the server to locate that page, similar to you being on the wrong route to reach a city. You just have to correct the route!