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Saturday 20 November 2021

Sharing Some "Techspertise" — How to Find Lost Web Content

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Looking for something that's no longer there?
It's been awhile since I've offered up any technical advice. Having recently found myself in need of same, however, I'm here to share.

Read on for a couple of fixes that will allow you to regain access to online content that may have "disappeared", whether overnight or long ago.

A couple of months back, I was suddenly unable to load Spoonflower's blog. It was bizarre because I could still access the other parts of the domain and website. I performed the usual "fixes" (logging out of my account and then going into Chrome's — my browser of choice and therefore the upcoming solution will pertain to it — settings to delete recent cached items) to no avail.

Not in the right mindset to dig deeper,  for several weeks, I instead resorted to using Microsoft Edge to check Spoonflower's blog.




Then about two weeks ago (after updating Chrome), I experienced the same page error — the extraordinarily nebulous "this site can't be reached" error — on another website and figured it was time to chase down an actual solution.

The laundry list of things to do to try to fix this error is long and drawn out and quite honestly, I didn't want to do some of them. (Like reset my modem, disable the firewall and change DNS servers.) It made sense to me that for something to work one day and not the next and for it to work on another browser, such drastic measures weren't required. In fact, process of elimination led me to the conclusion that it absolutely had to do with browser settings.

Here's what worked, and perhaps you can save the solution for the inevitable time in future when this happens to you. (Keep in mind that updates to Chrome will invariably change the Settings menu over time and this sequence of commands may not be exactly the same by the time you need it.)

The fix involves deleting site specific cookies.

Suddenly Unable to Access a Site?


Open up Chrome's "Customize and Control Google Chrome" drop down menu by clicking on the "traffic light" set of three dots in the top right corner of the browser. Select "Settings" from the menu to open up a Settings tab.

Select "Privacy and security" from the left hand side navigation and then click on "Site Settings".

Fix Page Error Solution for Chrome
Select Site Settings from the Privacy and security option...

Scroll down past Recent activity and Permissions to get to Content.

Fix Page Error Solution for Chrome
Select Cookies and site data...

Click on Cookies and site data and then scroll down until you get to See all cookies and site data.

Fix Page Error Solution for Chrome
Select See all cookies and site data...

When you click on See all cookies and site data, it may take time to generate the results. Be patient and let the browser work through the process.

Eventually, you will see a long list of data pertaining to websites that you have visited. To filter out the one that is giving you trouble, enter its name in the search box.

Fix Page Error Solution for Chrome
Filter out the site that is having the issue...

Once the related website data is filtered out, you can click the button to remove all or click on the individual "garbage cans" to delete specific ones individually. (I think I removed all of them.)

This particular fix ended up resolving my problems with both Spoonflower and the other site.


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Okay, so that was for a situation where you know the site you are trying to access is still alive and well. What if what you're searching for is something that's dead and gone?

Looking for a Dead Link?


For that, you'll need to use the Wayback Machine, the internet's archive of things from long and not so long ago. I keep forgetting about this archive so will use a couple of examples from my blog to highlight its usefulness and limitations.

I recently communicated with a reader about Denise Clason's sunglasses visor. Seems Denise's website has been taken down and therefore the link to her tutorial is no longer "there". While this is a simple project and I was able to provide some extra photos of the construction process to this reader, I totally forgot about checking the Wayback Machine.
Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the Wayback Machine...

Here's how you use it. From the home page — the actual URL is web.archive.org — enter the link that you're searching for in the text box provided.

Results (if any) will be returned to you in the form of a bar graph of applicable years with calendar months shown further down the screen.

Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the WayBack Machine...

The highlighted day in this case (June 6, 2017) indicates the last time the webpage was captured. Click on it and you'll see even more specific information regarding the time of day in which the data was collected.

Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the WayBack Machine...

Click on the desired time (there could be more than one listed) and the actual web page should finally appear.

Here is the tutorial from Denise's website as captured in June 2017:

Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the Wayback Machine...

The template for the project also appears as part of this page, so if you scroll down a bit, you'll get that too.

Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the Wayback Machine...

This is therefore an example where everything that's necessary to replicate this particular sewing project is actually still accessible.

That's not always the case.


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In my last post of 2020, I wrote about how Sew Mama Sew no longer exists and referenced using the Wayback Machine to look up the tutorial for Thread Riding Hood's Scalloped Edge Fat Quarter Baskets.

While I was able to find the tutorial itself...

Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the Wayback Machine...

... locating the PDF for the template was another matter altogether:

Using the Wayback Machine
image courtesy of the WayBack Machine...

Generally speaking, if a file was stored as a download, it'll likely be impossible to find via the Wayback Machine. This PDF was obviously not offered up on/as a web page. (Note to anyone interested in this pattern, however: I can send you the template if you want. Just contact me via the widget on the sidebar at left.)

Both of these resources/fixes have helped me out a great deal, so they're well worth keeping track of for future reference.

Of course, don't forget that the best way to keep web content accessible is to save it to your device. As soon as you see something that you like, download any actual files and PDF the rest. And then don't forget to back it up!
I've never ever held a shop-wide sale, but next Monday through Thursday (November 22nd to 25th), everything in my Makerist shop will be 20% off. They are celebrating "Black Friday" by extending it into something called "Colourful Week". (Oh, and on that note, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers.)

Those of you who know the full story are aware that my PDF patterns sell for much less here on my blog than on Makerist, so even with a 20% discount, most prices will still be better directly from me. But a few may be a tiny bit cheaper, so I'm doing my due diligence by telling you about it.

Not only that, Makerist is hosting a subsequent 50% off event from November 26th to December 1st, if you're interested in checking out patterns by other folks. (I'm not taking part in that second sale.)

'Til next...

3 comments:

  1. So informative, thanks to you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you - very informative! I'm always hesitant about digging around in Settings, and I've never heard of the Wayback Machine.
    Kathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net

    ReplyDelete

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