when using anything except a browser to view the sig graphics i get a 404 error, i noticed this when running a "link checker" on my site, multiple services have shown this (for example if i use an HTTP head reader, i get a 404 error too)

I know, this is by design.

On my previous server/setup this was the only way to let forums 'think' the signature is a image file instead of a (not accepted) php script.

I know there is another way of doing this but that didn't work back then, and I copied the Apache config one on one of the previous setup.

ah, ok

i wondered if it might be for bandwidth issues or something like that, but that doesn't apply because with the link checker i use it requests HTTP HEAD instead of HTTP GET