XWEB: Outlook Web Access Error: HTTP/1.0 403 Access Forbidden

• Microsoft Exchange Active Server Components, version 5.0
• Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 5.0, 5.5
• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.0 Service Pack 2

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to access the Microsoft Exchange Outlook Web Access logon screen via a browser by typing the new alias name such as http://servername/exchange2, one of the following errors may be displayed:

HTTP/1.0 403 Access Forbidden
(IIS 3.0 Error Message)

-or-

Directory Listing Denied
This Virtual Directory does not allow contents to be listed.
(IIS 4.0 Error Message)

CAUSE

The error can occur if the Exchange alias name has been changed to something other than /Exchange in the IIS WWW Service properties.

WORKAROUND

If you change the alias name back to /Exchange and restart the World Wide Web Publishing service, you should be able to access the Microsoft Exchange Outlook Web Access logon screen. However, if other aspects of the OWA configuration have also changed, it may be necessary to remove and reinstall the OWA components from the Microsoft Exchange Server compact disc.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about this issue, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q189653 : XWEB: Exchange Virtual Directory Cannot Be IIS Home Directory

Keywords          : 
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: April 12, 1999