This message will appear if the web server can not understand the request it is sent. The request is the part of the address after the domain name. For example here is an address with the request highlighted in bold:

http://www.mysite.speedy.uk.net/index.html

This requests the file index.html from the server.

A bad request may be due to the request containing 'forbidden' characters. For example, '%' has special meaning when used in the web addresses. You should not usually use the % character, unless you understand how it works. For example:

http://www.mysite.speedy.uk.net/sales%.html

... would result in an error. Therefore in generally, first check that the address has been typed in properly. Secondly, ensure you name files correctly on your own website (a guide to this is beyond the scope of this document but information is available via a web search or in the manual to your web page generation software)..

You may see this if you are trying to access a web page which requires you to log in.

If a window opens asking you for a username and password, you should always be cautious regarding the security of your personal information. This website for example, will not use this method of requesting login information (you will enter your data into a secure webpage, not a pop-up window).

However, in some cases you may need to log in to a third party site which uses this method. If you cancel the request, or enter the wrong details, this error code will be displayed. Click refresh/reload in the toolbar (or press F5) to try again. If this fails, and you are sure you should have access, contact the administrator of that site.

This code is used to tell you that you specifically do not have access to a specific web page. Attempting to log in will not help.

However, if you type in your Speedy.uk.net address and get this error message, it means that you do not have a correct default page. Without this page being correct, the server does not allow access in order to protect your files.

The first page of your website, the one which appears when your website's address is typed, should be named one of: index.html, index.htm or default.htm

Perhaps the most common error you will see! It simply means that the page you have surfed to has either been removed or has never existed. It could also mean that the address you have typed is wrong, in which case double check what you have typed, or it could be that the link you have followed within a web page is wrong.

On your own website, ensure that the links are correct. Especially if you link to someone else's pages, who may remove them without knowing that your links will break.

Another reason for 'not found' on your own websites, even when it looks like the links are correct, is file name case sensitivity. With files names on the web server the upper and lower casing of the characters is significant. "FileName.html" is a different file to "filename.html" - make sure you write your websites with this in mind. On your home computer running Windows, you may not see this effect. Windows normally does not care about the casing of file names.

Some Internet Service Providers (ISP) and companies provide a 'proxy' for web access. This is a server which speeds up your internet access by holding copies of files which have already been requested once so that they do not need to be transported over the internet again.

Sometimes it is necessary to log in to this server. If this is necessary, the administrator of your network or your ISP will be able to tell you what username and password you require. This should be provided with the confirmation you received when joining that ISP.

Please note: this is not a common error, authenticated proxies are not very common themselves. If you don't see it then you don't need a log in for a proxy server.