# 404 on SDMB? Whaaat?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2000, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820 "2000-09-03T00:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/1 "2000-09-03T00:23:39Z")
I tried logging to SDMB a few minutes ago and I got a 404 message. Now I know full well that this board existed (I posted 4 hours ago) and it is highly unlikely that a server would shut down so completely so quickly without some notice. I refreshed and it downloaded, and I am thinking “What is this ridiculousness?”. I received a lot of 404 messages lately while surfing my favorite websites, only to have the same page that triggered the 404 message show up when I press refresh on Netcaptor. Each time, 4-10 seconds are wasted refreshing when the page should have loaded up the first time. This has not happened before. Yes, I do powersurf (8 pages on at the same time as we speak.) Does my powersurfing have something to do with getting the false 404’s? I tweaked a 255 TTL (Time-to-Live), but the 404s still pop up before I can snap my fingers. Is there some anti–powersurf protocol my ISP establish that is not known to the public? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/2 "2000-09-03T01:27:38Z")
Powersurf? Is that anything like a poweruser? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/3 "2000-09-03T01:42:45Z")
Now that you mentioned it, yes it does. I may have stretched the limits of my 56K connection, and may go to a cable modem as my next step. That could be the cause of the instant-and-wrong-404s. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/4 "2000-09-03T01:46:22Z")
Who sends the 404, our ISP? I loaded up four Netscap’s and got very slow at 28.8, but no 404. I’ll be very happy when I can get a cable modem here. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/5 "2000-09-03T02:56:24Z")
You got only 28.8 in your area? I feel sorry for you. Good thing that online games today are geared to balance among the speeds of different connections. Sometimes this area of Brooklyn is not much better. Wish I live near Metrotech, mmm, mmm. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/6 "2000-09-03T04:19:24Z")
Can’t go wrong when Johnny Dvorak, the Chris Berman of computing, [spouts off on the 404](http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/insites/dvorak/jd970224.htm). ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/404-on-sdmb-whaaat/31820/7 "2000-09-03T06:45:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > Who sends the 404, our ISP? 404’s (or any other server message) are sent by the web server. If you get a 404, it’s because a: something on the site is messed up (likely…the SDMB does odd things sometimes) b: you typed a URL in wrong (also likely)