First of all, you should know what the error messages mean. Different browsers and servers (web site servers/ hosts) will return different messages for different problems. Basically, you just need to know the site is not found. If you're curious...
400 Bad File Request - The syntax of the URL was incorrect. Try typing it in lower case letters; remove any spaces or punctuation, etc.
403 Forbidden/Access Denied - Usually this means the site has restricted access and/ or you need a password.
404 File Not Found - This is the most common error. It just means the file (URL) you typed in can't be found on the server. It's possible the page has moved or been deleted.
500 Internal Error - There was an error on the server. Try the URL again a few minutes later, the next day, etc. Most other errors are server related. They can be temporary as the site may be getting updated, moved or the server (host) itself may be doing some maintenance to their software.
Most errors (other than the 401, 403 and 404) are just a road block, not a detour. But, when you do come across one of those detours you can still try some options to locate the site from the pile of link rot. First, check the URL carefully. If you typed it in yourself go back to the source and make sure you typed it in exactly as it was shown. Spelling definitely counts, so do upper and lower case letters and any extra spaces. Make sure you don't have a space before the URL.
If you know you typed it in correctly go ahead and search for it with your favourite search engine or web directory. You can cut and paste it in exactly or if you know the name of the site try using that as your search term. Adding quotation marks around it will help, such as, "The Internet Unplugged" or "dragon ASCII art" or "cheesecake recipe". Quotation marks will help isolate text in any search you do. Don't limit your search to exactly the site you want. It's possible another site will refer to it with the correct (new) URL.
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