Error pages?

[Spark]

My current web stats pack shows various error pages - some of which I can find and understand (and try to fix - missing links / pictures etc) but does anyone know what the following would be?

......co.uk/favicon.ico
......co.uk/tinc

It also shows 47 errors against the robots.txt - I know that this is the file searched by spiders & robots (does that mean the spiders won't find me?) but am clueless about why it would show in the error pages - have I done something wrong again?

Thank you

[David@MPL]

Not sure about .../tinc, but favicon.ico is called when people bookmark your site . . . or if visitors are using FireFox.

Google it and you'll find icon editors so you can make your own.

Either way, it's not a massive problem.

[jont]

The favicon.ico is a small image that appears against your URL in Firefox and Netscape etc (not used by IE) or when they bookmark you as David says

[David@MPL]

Oh, and the robots.txt is displaying because you don't have one, so it's a 404 error.

What robots.txt does is tell the bots where they *can't* go, again, a quick Google will help you out with how to format the file.

[Spark]

Thanks you both - it's a relief to know that the errors aren't really huge mistakes of my causing and can't do any serious harm as far as site visitors are concerned.

I'll take a look on Google - didn't know Spark could be made into a bookmark icon but that would be kind of cute. I've been trying to figure out a "click to bookmark my site" (1&1 have some codes to paste) but haven't quite got it right yet.

I'll figure this stuff out soon - thought after previous posts that the robot.txt was an automatic file that I still needed to figure out how to edit - oh well, better first find out how to create one. Thanks again - I'll take a look at Google.

[wjcampbe]

tinc is a reference used in setup of the 1 & 1 provided forum software - which is not customisable (cannot be adapted to match the website theme) - either you played with their software then discarded it or someone who knows 1 & 1 packages was having a nose around.

[jont]

For a Bookmark script try http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/addfav.html

The is a photoshop tutorial at http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tuto...r/favicon.html for the favicon - useful even if you don't have Photoshop

[Spark]

Thanks Jonty - Photoshop is another package I'm trying to grips with at the moment so the tutorial will really help - I've had a look at the hooverwebdesign script and think I might even be able to manage that - it looks a lot more straightforward than the 1&1 option that came with frames and all sorts of other things I really didn't understand.

Bill, thank you - I don't think I looked at the forum software from 1&1 (might have done though) but I did try to use their newsletter & send my site to a friend patches - could that be the problem? I didn't managed to get them to look or work properly so took them back out again for now. Do you know if all of the 1&1 add-ons are actinic incompatible? Can I also ask - you mentioned that if someone knows 1&1 they can nose around - does that mean that anyone can get into and perhaps alter things on my site without me knowing? Do I need to do anything to stop it from happening - if so, what?

I'm sorry to keep asking so many basic questions - each one seems to lead onto something else and every day seems to throw in new possibilities (with a large handful of mistakes & yet more questions).

Sonia

[wjcampbe]

Sonia,

I abandoned all of the 1 & 1 standard offerings after finding better (configuration and look and feel customisation) options in other free software areas. I was able to get some (only some) of the add-ons working with Actinic, but just found them all a bit dull and jaded.

On the nosing around, - I find people still look for the /tinc directory on my site, though I removed the software maybe six months ago. I also get 404 HTML error responses caused by people asking for files/directories that are created by frontpage (and I don't use frontpage) - some people just like to play.

I have all 404 errors redirected in an .htaccess file to a static slightly altered copy of my sitemap, saved off as 404.html - this catches all of the strange requests as well as the honest typing mistakes or any changes I make to the website that I don't set 301 redirects on (and seeing those as referrers in the calls to the 404 page remind me to make the needed entries).

Take your time - just look up the terms you are not familiar with (either here using forum search, or in your favourite search engine). Some things, it's a good idea to set up soon, others can wait till you have the time to do it right.

[jont]

error responses caused by people asking for files/directories that are created by frontpage (and I don't use frontpage) - some people just like to play.

They tend to be from automated software (or people manually)trying to hack known vulnerabilities at random.

I get a lot of calls to a CSS folder which does not/never existed which I put down to people trying to be nosey to see how certain things have been done

[Spark]

Thank you both again - I really wouldn't have a clue where to start looking or what to look for if it weren't for this forum. I'm starting to build up quite a large file of things done and still to do (quite daunting but slowly getting there). You're right though Bill - it takes time and the hardest part is knowing which bits to tackle first.

Bye for now.