Frontpage Extensions and Password Protected Directories

[sneader]

A customer mentioned to me that something changed, as it relates to using cPanel's Password Protected Directories feature, if the customer has Frontpage Extensions enabled.

When the customer clicks on Password Protected Directories, they see:

Warning:
Due to Frontpage Extensions currently being installed and enabled, password protected directories will not work. If you wish to use this feature instead of Frontpage, please disable the Frontpage extensions.

You can use Frontpage directly to create password protected directories just like you normally can here. Alternatively, you can disable frontpage extensions and still use Frontpage to publish the site design via Webdav or FTP.

The customer claims that he used to use Password Protected Directories, so this message is new to him, and the feature did not used to be disabled for him.

Anyone know the "why" behind this, so I can explain it to the customer?

- Scott

[sneader]

*bump*

Why can't a user with FrontPage extensions use password protected directories?

Is there ANY possible way to override this restriction? This all worked fine before (they seemed to co-exist just fine)

I even tried creating a sub-domain, and confirmed in the FrontPage Extensions panel, that FP extensions are "not installed". But I *still* get the error, blocking us from using Password Protected Directories in this new sub-domain.

- Scott

[SageBrian]

Does it work on other accounts that never had Frontpage installed?

I think you want to make sure you remove FrontPage from the troubleshooting, and make sure you are using an account that has never had FrontPage on it. Try creating Password Protected Directory.

If it doesn't work, then it has nothing to do with FrontPage, and you'll get better assistance.

If it's just related to FrontPage, then the only answer is to remove FrontPage completely. Using FrontPage on the server is like using a Windows 98 computer and wondering why you can network to your other PCs as easily as the newer Win7 and XP PCs.

[sneader]

Does it work on other accounts that never had Frontpage installed?

Yes.

I think you want to make sure you remove FrontPage from the troubleshooting, and make sure you are using an account that has never had FrontPage on it. Try creating Password Protected Directory.

The Password Protected Directories feature works fine on all accounts that do not have FrontPage Extensions installed. When you have FrontPage Extensions installed on the primary domain, then cPanel, BY DESIGN, no longer allows the customer to use the Password Protected Directories feature, instead giving them this warning:

Warning:
Due to Frontpage Extensions currently being installed and enabled, password protected directories will not work. If you wish to use this feature instead of Frontpage, please disable the Frontpage extensions.

If it doesn't work, then it has nothing to do with FrontPage, and you'll get better assistance.

It works fine without FrontPage Extensions installed.

If it's just related to FrontPage, then the only answer is to remove FrontPage completely. Using FrontPage on the server is like using a Windows 98 computer and wondering why you can network to your other PCs as easily as the newer Win7 and XP PCs.

I appreciate your opinions, but I am really looking for cPanel tech support input on their reasons for disallowing FrontPage Extension users from using the Password Protected Directories feature, and if there is any work around (since they both used to work together OK in previous versions of cPanel, as far as I know)

- Scott

[cPanelTristan]

Hi Scott,

FrontPage extensions and Password Protect Directories feature actually didn't work many times, which resulted in a bug case (6722) concerning that issue. After testing to try to get a working setup between FrontPage extensions and password protect directories where one wasn't found that worked 100% of the time, the decision was made to simply remove the ability to have both in cPanel. The warning message in cPanel > Password Protect Directories occurs as soon as you enable FrontPage extensions on the main domain and you cannot enable both FrontPage extensions and Password Protect Directories as a result on any domain or subdomain on the account.

It is likely best to encourage users who need password protect directories to convert to WebDAV or begin using one of the numerous free FTP clients to publish their site, especially since the end of life date for FrontPage extensions occurred many years ago and those extensions are simply no longer supported by Microsoft themselves. I realize that some users will be unable to cease using FrontPage, but those users may instead then need to find an alternative in their script for login authentication methods.

Thanks!

[sneader]

That's the info I was looking for -- thanks very much!!

- Scott