FP: FrontPage Explorer Doesn't Accept Blank Password

• Microsoft FrontPage 98 for Windows
• Microsoft FrontPage 97 for Windows with Bonus Pack

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to leave the Password box blank in the "Name and Password Required" dialog box, FrontPage Explorer repeatedly prompts you to type a name and password.

CAUSE

Microsoft FrontPage Explorer requires that you provide a name and password to determine whether or not you have administrative and/or authoring privileges in a given Web.

Privileged accounts with blank passwords are security threats. FrontPage Explorer is designed not to support them.

WORKAROUND

Method 1: With Windows NT Challenge/Response (NTLM) Enabled

If your Windows NT account allows you to use a blank password, and your account is granted author or administrative permission to a FrontPage Web, you will not be asked to enter a password.

If your Windows NT account is not granted permission to the FrontPage Web, then FrontPage Explorer will ask you for a valid user name and password. In this case, FrontPage Explorer will not accept a blank password even though the Windows NT account considers it valid. At this point, select either of the following options:

• Using a blank password, log on to the Windows NT account which has permission to access the FrontPage Web.

• Use Method 2.

Method 2: With Windows NT Challenge/Response (NTLM) Disabled

Using the Windows NT User Manager, add a password to the account. When FrontPage Explorer asks you for your name and password, type the password that you used in the Windows NT User Manager.

NOTE: When you change security information on an Internet Information Server (IIS), stop and restart all IIS services to ensure that the server is not validating cached information.

MORE INFORMATION

The fact that FrontPage Explorer does not support blank passwords is not generally an issue with servers that are not derived from IIS since FrontPage Explorer does not allow you to add an account that does not have a password. Servers related to IIS can use the Windows NT account to validate your rights to a Web. When FrontPage Explorer manages rights to a Web on servers related to IIS, password information is never specified. While it is possible to log on to a Windows NT account with a blank password, FrontPage Explorer will not pass validation information unless the password field is completed.

The following servers are derived from IIS:

   Microsoft Internet Information Server
   Microsoft Peer Web Services for NT 4.0 Workstation
   Microsoft Personal Web Server