Thread: Page not found (without www)

Hi,

A client contacted me to say that they can't access their site when they click from Google's results page because it doesn't have the www. They have to put in the www before it will show for them. I have no problem accessing it without the www and I checked their dns settings and all seems fine. They have an A record for the www and one for the wildcard. Does anyone know of any other reason this might be happening - maybe some setting on their own system?

Thanks

Maybe they mean it isn't showing up in the results when they search the url without the www. They could be explaining the problem in a confusing way, just a wild guess

See if you can get them to send you screenshots of what they are doing. It could be, as already suggested, that they are explaining their actions in an odd manner OR they're on a badly configured company network that is trying to use the domain as its local resolver .... (or whatever the proper term is)

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I went over it on the phone with them and I'm certain that they are putting the domain minus the www into google's search bar and then the site comes up in the results page, the link doesn't have the www and when they click it they get a 404 error. They also said that one of their clients said it happened to them.

Blacknight, I think your suggestion of the a badly configured company network is more likely to be causing the problem, although I haven't come across it before.

Incidentally, I've noticed a lot of people use the google bar instead of the address bar and they think this IS the address bar - tis most annoying...

Originally Posted by Dotwebs

Incidentally, I've noticed a lot of people use the google bar instead of the address bar and they think this IS the address bar - tis most annoying...

We get several irate support queries related to this most weeks

Originally Posted by Dotwebs

Incidentally, I've noticed a lot of people use the google bar instead of the address bar and they think this IS the address bar - tis most annoying...

This is almost the most annoying thing that people do with computers. I really really really hate it.

I see this on alot of websites, just do a a 301 redirect to the www and all should be fine

Originally Posted by n3tFl0w

This is almost the most annoying thing that people do with computers. I really really really hate it.

same here. arghhhh.

I have noticed it myself while at school. in our schools there's a proxy server cased in the computer room to speed up the internet connection, and it does tend to cause problems like this.

Err. did you try adding domain.com to IIS headers as well as www.domain.com?
That should solve your problem...