I am installing E-Blah on a Windows Server.

The host (Verio) has a procedure whereby the client (me) can alter the directory permission status without bothering their tech support, but there is one more attribute option offered on this server than the usual Read, Write, Execute, Browse. It is a separate attribute called Auth. If this attribute is checked, the browser prompts the site visitor for you [I think they mean “their] account username and password.

   1.   Should this Auth attribute be enabled for any of the folders mentioned in your Step 2 Installation Instructions?

The same host (Verio) has no provision for altering the permission attributes of a file. Only for folders.

Altering the attributes for files in Windows XP is very conflicting. The Microsoft Help site shows detailed instructions and photos for accomplishing this procedure that don’t exist on my XP Home version. Altering attributes through the usual procedure (right click/Properties) does not offer an Attribute Tab. In other words, there are only two attributes shown: Ready Only and Hidden. There are no Write Attribute and no Execute attribute options. Even accessing the Advanced button in that same Properties Window offers no more selections as to Write or Execute.

   2.  Therefore, am I right to assume that unchecking the Read Only attribute means it will allow the file to have a Read /Write attribute? What about the Execute attribute, as required by the Setup.pl and the Blah.pl files?

Since the host (Verio) has solved the access permission attribute problem for Folders, my question is about changing the attribute status for the three files used in Installation: Blah.pl, Settings.pl, and Setup.pl.

   3.  If I change the attributes of these three files on my computer prior to FTPing them to my website -- change Blah.pl and Setup.pl to Read Only,  and uncheck the Read Only attribute on the Settings.pl file  -- will not those attributes maintain their status after FTPing them to my webiste, or will I need to contact the tech support at my host (Verio) and get them to change the attribute status of those three files?

Final question. On my server, there was a cgi-bin Folder, and I uploaded the Forum filed into that folder. But there was no public_html or htdocs Folders. And I did not create any such folder. Therefore, when I uploaded the blahdocs files, I simply uploaded them into the root directory.

   4.  Is that going to create a problem? Should I create a public_htm Folder to hold the blahdocs files?

By the way, I use Cute FTP, and do not find the Properties option after right clicking on a file name. I can see the CHMOD option for changing the attributes on a Unix server, but there is no Properties option on my Cute FTP program. The Properties option does not appear under the File menu, or any other menu on the control bar.

Thanks for your help. I’d love to pay Justin to install this software, but with the Windows situation, it seems like a lot of back and forth. Plus, I learn so much when I force myself to do new things.

As a follow up to the above post, which is attracting zero attention, I just heard back from technical support at my Window's server:

"Unfortunately with Windows Hosting, you cannot change the individual file permissions through the interface of your Control Panel. [I, the client, have access to my site via the Control Panel.] It [allowing a client to change the permission attributes of a FILE] is in the works and will be allowed sometime in the near future.

Therefore, since we are limited to accessing your server only through the Control Panel, we cannot change the permissions either.

You can change permissions before you upload, through an FTP client such as WinSCP.  Many people are also partial to FileZilla. These clients can help you change the permissions before you upload them, because as of now, they are stuck once they are there. Please try to FTP via a client that allows you to change the permissions."

So, it appears that I have found an answer to my third question, i.e., if the attribute of a file is changed before it is uploaded to a server, it will retain those attributes...at least according to the technical support at my host (Verio).

Assuming this is true, I am going to change the attributes of the 3 key files before uploading, then upload them and continue with the install. Which begs the question, why aren't the file attributes correctly set before they are unziped? Would this require 2 versions of the E-Blah, a Unix version and a Windows version?

Now I understand why this site has been recommending a Unix-based server.

However, seeing that there are other users who have found themselves on Windows servers, I will try to find a resolution and report back.

Windows servers are often times setup differently and it can be different for everyone.

Changing the permissions to read/write/execute for everything under the /forum directory should work for you.  Make sure you change the permissions for the user "Everyone" or IISU_Guest (not quite sure about the exact name) to those permissions.

If you get stuck, I do Windows installs for $25 too.