Trying to 'reclaim' an old web page

[XV490]

I hope someone can help with this.....

About 15 years ago, I set up a simple webpage for a friend's bed & breakfast business - using what was then BT Internet's free e-mail account and webspace offer. It is still there, and comes up high in Google searches for the relevant B&B criteria.

The page has this format:

www.btinternet.com/~****.****/

(where * represents a lower case letter).

When I last updated the content (some years back), I used an FTP program with no problems - it took me straight into the relevant files.

But now that the old service has been transferred to BT Yahoo GeoCities, I can't get in with FTP. The new service seems to be telling me I don't have any existing web pages, and is encouraging me to start from scratch with a new one.

The help pages are useless, and just send me round in circles - and I can't find any area of BT where I can seek help over the phone. I can't believe a live web page can simply have been cast off into cyberspace with no means of controlling or even deleting it.

As may be apparent, I have limited computer experience. Can someone 'in the know' suggest how I can reclaim this page? Even if it means paying for it?

Thanks!
XV

[Scott Diamond]

XV490,

If it is still there then send me a link please to the google search with the criteria already entered to my PM box and I'll try my best to help you out. (google.co.uk, enter the criteria, search for it then paste the link with the results page please)

Hopefully I can advise you further.

Scott

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I can't believe a live web page can simply have been cast off into cyberspace with no means of controlling or even deleting it.

Why not? - I find that exceedingly easy to believe.

Sometimes you get what you pay for ...

[jimtherev]

I can't believe a live web page can simply have been cast off into cyberspace with no means of controlling or even deleting it. Why not? - I find that exceedingly easy to believe.

Ah, but XV says it's still there!

What happens if in IE you right-click the page(s) and select <View Source>? Can one just copy the raw HTML and paste into a new doc?

[Tinstaafl]

There are any number of programs that can save a website onto your local hard drive, many free, others part of a browser and others 'stand alone'. Find one of these, copy the website to your drive, gain a new web host account somewhere & upload what you saved.

I suspect that will be simpler than trying to get through a system that doesn't seem designed to know anything about a no longer supported system.

[Avtrician]

It may be that you no longer have the correct permissions to gain access to the page root directory. You probably need the user name and password to access it.

[XV490]

Thanks for all the tips. I still have the page content and access codes - but were I to set up a new page, the old one would still be there with its out-out-date info. It would also carry on hooking all the Google searches because of its strong position.

What gets me is that there must be thousands of other people's old-style btinternet pages similarly marooned forever.

[airborne_artist]

Write to the BT Chief Executive's office in Newgate Street - bet you get an answer then. I did when the call-centre droids told me black was not even a colour, lete alone white. I called his office (in reality a bunch of people with their heads screwed on) and had success in hours, after days of three hour calls to Bangalore with people who assumed I was even stupider than their char wallah.

[green granite]

But now that the old service has been transferred to BT Yahoo GeoCities, I can't get in with FTP.

This might help you:

BTopenworld - BTYahoo! Geocities setup for ftp

[XV490]

Problem now sorted. There are some odd pauses, delays and messages in the FTP process for the site - which never used to be there - making it appear access was denied.

Thanks for all the help.