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The Page Cannot Be Displayed (Error 404)

This is a very popular error message, being seen recently. And by popular, I don't mean well liked, as in
Chuck is a popular guy.

I wish.

I mean we are seeing it a lot, recently. Or it's being reported a lot. Or maybe, it's always around, but the other problems are down a lot, so this one is visible.

The problem here is, it's used so much we don't know what it means. It could be anything like
  • Your computer won't connect to it.
  • We don't know where it is
  • We know where it is, but we won't let you connect.


In Microsoft Windows Networking, it might be a combination of the old Error 5 aka Access Denied and the Error 53 aka Name Not Found. Both of these are very popular (and again not well liked) errors in Windows.

So how do we fix it? That's the bottom line.

You start by identifying who's responsible for it. The message itself is coming from your computer. Start with a little basic troubleshooting. If the problem is just you connecting to one or more web sites (like your blog, and maybe other blogs), then it's vaguely possible that the problem is in your computer or your network, or maybe your ISP's network. If either is the case, then the ball is in your court. Help is available, though.

If you can eliminate your computer or network, and your ISP's network, and the Internet as a whole, then the problem is probably in Blogger somewhere. This is a huge network in itself. Now you have two choices, and I recommend that you try both, simultaneously.
  • Report the problem to Blogger, directly.
  • Report the problem to your peers (and to Blogger indirectly).
And report the problem objectively, and calmly. Help the people who will try to help you.

When you report the problem, whether in a Blogger Help form, or to an open forum, try to include some description of the scope of the problem.
  • What are you trying to do? Read a blog, publish to your blog, publish a picture to your blog?
  • Just your blog, just some blogs (which blogs?), or all blogs?
  • (Currently relevant) Are the blogs in question Classic, or Beta, blogs?
  • What browser do you use? Brand and version will be useful.
  • Did you try from just one computer, or from multiple computers?
  • Did you maybe try from another location (another network, maybe your friends computer)?
  • Is the problem constant, intermittent, occasional? Did it just start, or have you always seen it?
  • Have you changed anything on your computer or your network recently?
These are all standard troubleshooting questions, and all are useful to anybody who has to help you diagnose the problem.

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