Setting Up your own ErrorDocument
Message
An "ErrorDocument" is the message that you see when you try to go to a web
page that does not exist. The default ErrorDocument message looks like this:
File Not Found
The requested URL /xxxxxx.html was not found on
this server.
(where xxxxxx.html is the name of the incorrect web page
that you tried to visit).
The above ErrorDocument is not very pretty, and you may wish to make one of your own.
This is how you do it:
Note: Microsoft® FrontPage® users,
please see below.
Make a web page, name it badurl.htm and upload it into the same directory as
your web pages..
If your account was first created in 1999 or later, that should be all you need to do.
If your account was created in 1998 or before, check the directory structure of your site,
to see if you have a file in your root directory (e.g., if your site is named xyz.com,
then the name of the root directory would be xyz) with the name .htaccess.
If you do not have such a file there, you will need to create the file with a
simple text editor (such as MS Notepad for Win95 users or Simple Text for Mac users).
If the file already exists, you will need to edit it with a simple text editor.
You will need to add the following line to the .htaccess
file:
ErrorDocument 404 /badurl.htm
Third, upload the .htaccess file to your root directory,
using an FTP program.
It's that simple!
Instructions for Microsoft® FrontPage® users:
Note: Microsoft® FrontPage®98 users,
please see further below.
First, using Microsoft® FrontPage® Editor, make a web page, and give it a name you
can remember, such as badurl.htm.
Second, check the directory structure of your site, to see if you have a file in your
root directory (e.g., if your site is named xyz.com, then the name of the
root directory would be xyz) with the name .htaccess.
This will require the use of an FTP program. If you do not have
an FTP program, or if you are unfamiliar with how to use one, please check the following
links on our site:
For links to free FTP programs that you may download, please click
here.
For a tutorial on the use of an FTP program, please click here.
If you do not have a .htaccess file in your root
directory, you will need to create the file with a simple text editor (such as MS Notepad
for Win95 users or Simple Text for Mac users). If the file already exists, you will
need to edit it with a simple text editor. You will need to add the following line
to the .htaccess file:
ErrorDocument 404 /badurl.htm
Third, upload the .htaccess file to your root directory,
using the FTP program.
It's that simple!
Instructions for Microsoft® FrontPage®98 users:
First, using Microsoft® FrontPage® Editor, make a web page, and give it a name you
can remember, such as badurl.htm.
Second, contact Tech Support, requesting
that we edit our root configuration file, to place the
ErrorDocument line in it. If you add the ErrorDocument directive to the .htaccess file in
your root directory, you will disable SSL for your entire site. Please tell us if you have
given the ErrorDocument a name other than badurl.htm.
It's that simple!
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