> When the internet code tries to download a file, it connects 
> to the server in question and requests the file it is told 
> to. As long as the domain name resolves correctly, you will 
> pretty much ALWAYS get something back. If you type an 
> incorrect address in your browser (as long as the domain is 
> valid), you ALWAYS get a page back, even if it's "Not found 
> on this server" - the browser doesn't go blank and do 
> nothing. Any page you see in your browser, unless it shows a 
> local address to your machine (DNS error, for example), DID 
> come from the server.
> 
> Thus, as far as the internet code is concerned, it asked for 
> a page and was given one back. It can't possibly know it 
> wasn't the page you wanted - only the server knows that, and 
> it tells you in a browser-friendly manner - by sending back a 
> page you can see.
> 
> One way you can combat this is to make sure your file on your 
> server begins with a known piece of text, a marker - for 
> example, DOWNLOADPARAMS. If the returned file does not begin 
> with this, then you know it wasn't the page you requested - 
> the chances of a "Not found on this server" page beginning 
> with that are very, very small.

I understand this and thought that the reason.  But the page that displays
in a friendly manner way, as you put it, also says:

HTTP 404

And that seems to be common for ALL invalid or unavailable links...

Andrew

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