.htaccess files on server with frontpage extentions

[Guest]

Right i have managed to get over a few minor hurdles and now have my shop installed. However I have got the section that recommends the password protection of the admin folder. Sounds like a good move. The instruction recommend using a .htaccess file.

 

This is fine, however my server has frontpage extentions activated and as I know nothing of htaccess files I did a bit of reading. The one site I found, gave a stark warning that microsoft frontpage extensions used .htaccess files and editing these for password protection could be fatal.

 

What are my options? Is there are a way of editing these safely? Or is there another protection system i can use?

Have read a bit more on htaccess files some of the anti bot functions and custom 404 pages sound like a good idea.

 

Cheers in advance.

 

John

[Guest]

Uninstall your Frontpage extensions. You can not change the .htaccess file at all or Frontpage extensions will not work. If you're using oscommerce, there is no reason to have them installed.

 

If for some reason you need to still use them, then you'll have to open up your site in Frontpage, browse to the admin directory and password protect it from there. Frontpage will add the necessary .htaccess info for you.

[Eighteen48]

another option and this is what I have done as I use FP extensions since due to the fact that osC is only a section of my site and the rest is designed using FP.

 

Make a back-up of your .htaccess files then log into your admin panel via your hosting provider and password protect that osC admin folder from there.

 

now copy and paste the new lines to the .htaccess files, I did this for both password protecting my folders as well as when I created my own error pages.

[Guest]

another option and this is what I have done as I use FP extensions since due to the fact that osC is only a section of my site and the rest is designed using FP.

 

Make a back-up of your .htaccess files then log into your admin panel via your hosting provider and password protect that osC admin folder from there.

 

now copy and paste the new lines to the .htaccess files, I did this for both password protecting my folders as well as when I created my own error pages.

 

I dont use any front page function on my site. I was thinking of it, and in so activated them on my server space (there was an enable them option in my admin option for my webspace). The problem is my server provider doesnt have a password protection function as part of their control panel. They directed my to htaccess files.

 

I think i might see if they can simply dissable them from that account.

 

Though it sounds like Eighteen48, you were able to successfully edit your .htaccess files even with front page extentions active. Interesting.

[Eighteen48]

I dont use any front page function on my site. I was thinking of it, and in so activated them on my server space (there was an enable them option in my admin option for my webspace). The problem is my server provider doesnt have a password protection function as part of their control panel. They directed my to htaccess files.

 

I think i might see if they can simply dissable them from that account.

 

Though it sounds like Eighteen48, you were able to successfully edit your .htaccess files even with front page extentions active. Interesting.

 

My hosting provider using .htaccess for password protecting folders and such, so what i did was just made a copy of the .htaccess file and password protected the folder, and in my case it completely overwritten the .htaccess file, so all I had to do was merge the code from both and it worked like a charm.

[Jack_mcs]

Right i have managed to get over a few minor hurdles and now have my shop installed. However I have got the section that recommends the password protection of the admin folder. Sounds like a good move. The instruction recommend using a .htaccess file.

 

This is fine, however my server has frontpage extentions activated and as I know nothing of htaccess files I did a bit of reading. The one site I found, gave a stark warning that microsoft frontpage extensions used .htaccess files and editing these for password protection could be fatal.

 

What are my options? Is there are a way of editing these safely? Or is there another protection system i can use?

Have read a bit more on htaccess files some of the anti bot functions and custom 404 pages sound like a good idea.

 

Cheers in advance.

 

John

Frontpage extensions and .htaccess will work fine together. The trick is in setting them up. When you change the FP extenson setting in the control paenl, it will rewrite the .htaccess files so you have to do that first (already done in your case but sometimes it has to be reset) and then edit the .htaccess files to contain the needed oscommerce code. In any subdirectories where the .htaccess file was changed, find these diectories:

_vti_bin directory

_vti_adm (in the _vti_bin directory)

_vti_aut (in the _vti_bin directory)

 

and change Options None

 

to Options +FollowSymlinks

 

They will work together fine then but should you use an option in the control panel to change one of them, you may have to redo the above so you should keep backups once it is setup.

 

Jack

[bkellum]

Frontpage extensions and .htaccess will work fine together. The trick is in setting them up. When you change the FP extenson setting in the control paenl, it will rewrite the .htaccess files so you have to do that first (already done in your case but sometimes it has to be reset) and then edit the .htaccess files to contain the needed oscommerce code. In any subdirectories where the .htaccess file was changed, find these diectories:

_vti_bin directory

_vti_adm (in the _vti_bin directory)

_vti_aut (in the _vti_bin directory)

 

and change Options None

 

to Options +FollowSymlinks

 

They will work together fine then but should you use an option in the control panel to change one of them, you may have to redo the above so you should keep backups once it is setup.

 

Jack

No issues with FP ext. and .htaccess files.

:thumbsup: See Jack's post above.

 

I would suggest a different host though. Having the ability to edit your own folder access permissions is a very "basic" service that all hosts should provide. I believe all of the top ten hosts out there provide this neccessary service. But if this isn't an option, then at least you can follow the good advice in the above posts.