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HTMLHelp Forums _ Web Server Configuration _ Hosting problem
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 10 2007, 04:38 AM
ok heres my situation. I recently got web hosting from a popular company (not sure I can mention the name). I got the hosting for a game I play. It's a first person shooter that requires several different files. The game allows clients to be able to download the files from an outside (http) source. Now in the past I have set this up with no problems, but this time theres a problem. It seems that the company I used blocks directory listing of files, which is needed for what I want. I called my company asking if they could fix this, all they said was "You need to create a .htaccess file for this to work". That was as much help as they could be. So seeing as I know NOTHINg of .htaccess files I browsed the net.
From what I make of it, I just open up notepad add a line of text Options +Indexes Click SAVE AS and title it .htaccess then upload it and edit the file name, cause windows does not allow blank names, so it becomes .htaccess.txt... Now I did this with no luck, so I'm guessing I am doing something wrong.. heres my questions:
Is that the correct way to make a .htaccess file?
Where should the .htaccess file be placed? The files I need are in a folder, so the directory path would look something like this http://www.anysite.com/Foldername/ And then there should be a list of files and other folders (The file/folder structure has to remain in tact)
Is there an easier way to do what I'm looking to do?
If I haven't made myself clear and you have any questions, please feel free to ask..
Thanks in advance for any help you can be
Posted by: Peter1968 Mar 10 2007, 05:27 AM
Options +Indexes is the entry you need in a .htaccess in your document_root, i.e the / part of your site.
Google for "Options + Indexes" for ideas on whys and wherefores
Posted by: pandy Mar 10 2007, 05:30 AM
Looks right to me. You place the .htaccess in the topmost directory you want it to affect. .htaccess works on per directory basis. That is, it affects the directory it's in and those below that one in the file structure. It doesn't work upwards.
I think you can save as .htaccess by quoting the file name in the save box. Or you could rename the disk file. My personal find it that associating the "extension" with a program makes Windows agree to saving the normal way.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 10 2007, 05:46 AM
But thats the thing.. I did all that and it's still not working.. Thats where I'm lost.. Not sure if I'm allowed to post a link here, but I believe I can post a URL to a screen shot (I hope anyway)..
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/4241/zzzzzzzzzzzcc6.jpg
As you can see here, thats the message I get when I try to go to the folder via the HTTP path..
maybe this might help. the server is a windows server, It has the root folder, ion which the folder I am trying to access is in. In the folder I want to access there are 5 other folders as well as other files... Not sure if any of that makes a difference, but figured adding it couldn't hurt..
Posted by: Peter1968 Mar 10 2007, 06:57 AM
What is the server software your host uses? Basically, if your host has AllowOverrides enables in the httpd.conf then you should be able to set per directory/site configs with .htaccess
Apache's lowdown on Options anyway.
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/core.html#options
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 11 2007, 06:01 PM
What is the server software your host uses? Basically, if your host has AllowOverrides enables in the httpd.conf then you should be able to set per directory/site configs with .htaccess
Apache's lowdown on Options anyway.
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/core.html#options
Not really sure where to look for this.. All I can say is that the hosting company I am using is godaddy and I have ASP.Net Runtime Version 1.1
I'm new to all this, altho I have a grasp on the concept, as far as making this work, well thats the problem. If someone can give me a step by step on exactly how to do this, I would be very thankful.
Posted by: Peter1968 Mar 11 2007, 07:11 PM
Tell us the URL of your site and one of us will tell you what your server software is pretty quickly. My example is for pache. If your site runs IIS, which if it uses .NET, I suspect it does, then you'd need to check out IIS's documentation.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/848968f3-baa0-46f9-b1e6-ef81dd09b015.mspx?mfr=true
Maybe the place to start.
Posted by: Christian J Mar 11 2007, 07:20 PM
My example is for pache.
That should be Apache.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 11 2007, 11:17 PM
www.ricksfiles.com Thats my URL, the files that I am trying to access are located in a sub folder called cstrike (http://www.ricksfiles.com/cstrike).... Thanx for your help..
Posted by: Darin McGrew Mar 12 2007, 01:40 AM
Here's the answer for what server is being used:
Posted by: pandy Mar 12 2007, 01:51 AM
Since when does IIS use .htaccess?
I called my company asking if they could fix this, all they said was "You need to create a .htaccess file for this to work".
Or doesn't 'company' above refer to the hosting company? If your host told you to do that on an IIS server you are entitled to tell him where he can stick his htaccess file.
Posted by: pandy Mar 12 2007, 01:55 AM
Anyone have experience with MS IIS?
I'm da IIS expert!
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324064
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 12 2007, 02:08 AM
Since when does IIS use .htaccess?
I called my company asking if they could fix this, all they said was "You need to create a .htaccess file for this to work".
Or doesn't 'company' above refer to the hosting company? If your host told you to do that on an IIS server you are entitled to tell him where he can stick his htaccess file.
Thats what the guy told me.. He even told me they couldn't help me with the htaccess file, just told me what it was called.. Thats why I turned to a community that would know about this. Seeing as I know nothing about htaccess... So what should I do? Suggestions? Step by step instructions? Baseball bat to go down to the company and "reason" with them? lol anything at this point would help..
Posted by: Darin McGrew Mar 12 2007, 02:09 AM
Posted by: pandy Mar 12 2007, 02:20 AM
Thank you, Darin. 
So what should I do?
See my aother post above.
Yeah. That or move to another host. I'd recommend a Linux host. You can use .htaccess then, you know.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 12 2007, 02:26 AM
Thank you, Darin.
So what should I do?
See my aother post above.
Yeah. That or move to another host. I'd recommend a Linux host. You can use .htaccess then, you know.
Well if thats the case I could always just call them and have it switched to a linux server.. is that what I should do?
Posted by: pandy Mar 12 2007, 02:32 AM
Well if thats the case I could always just call them and have it switched to a linux server.. is that what I should do?
I think you missed my post above about how to do it on ISS. The link to the info:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324064
Click the Configuring Folder Settings link.
Regarding your host, so they have both IIS and Linux servers? I guess it could have been a mistake to tell you to use htaccess then. Clumsy though, especially since it should have been clear to them that you don't know these things.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 12 2007, 02:42 AM
Well if thats the case I could always just call them and have it switched to a linux server.. is that what I should do?
I think you missed my post above about how to do it on ISS. The link to the info:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324064
Click the Configuring Folder Settings link.
Regarding your host, so they have both IIS and Linux servers? I guess it could have been a mistake to tell you to use htaccess then. Clumsy though, especially since it should have been clear to them that you don't know these things.
Ok I clicked the link. I appreciate all the help you are trying to be, but to be honest, reading that page is like handing a English book to a 10 year old Japanese child.. I have no real clue about any of that. Thats why I asked for a step by step..
Posted by: pandy Mar 12 2007, 03:03 AM
2. Click either the Home Directory tab or the Directory tab.
3. Click to select the Directory Browsing check box.
I don't know "where" to do that if you aren't actually in the same room as the server. Do you have some kind of Control panel and does it have similar options?
Posted by: Peter1968 Mar 12 2007, 04:48 AM
IIS isn't as bad as some of the copyleft zealots and MS haters would have you believe it is. Properly configured, it can be as robust and as fast as Apache on Unix, and likewise, properly secured, it can be just as secure.
Though, personally, I'll stick with Apache.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 13 2007, 09:56 AM
Yes I have a control Panel. In fact I serched it for about 3 hours looking for anything I might have missed. I came across one of the sub, sub, sub options.. How nice of it to be so well displayed..lol
Ok heres my situation now. I got the directory tree to show just how I want it to, but for some reason when I click on the link, it doesn't download (Like it should).. So this is now my next problem to deal with.. Any suggestions here? heres the URL for some of the files, the files are in link form, again how they should be, but thier not really links (or so it seems).. You will see what I mean...
http://www.ricksfiles.com/CS/cstrike/
Posted by: Darin McGrew Mar 13 2007, 11:07 AM
Maybe your host has blocked WAD files.
Posted by: pandy Mar 13 2007, 11:25 AM
In that case they block .htaccess files too. Seems like an odd thing to do on a Windows server. 
http://www.ricksfiles.com/CS/
Posted by: pandy Mar 13 2007, 11:30 AM
Hey, put a couple of files of known file types in there and see what happens. Throw in a faked file type too. Rename a text file something.pandy for instance.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 13 2007, 12:17 PM
Hey, put a couple of files of known file types in there and see what happens. Throw in a faked file type too. Rename a text file something.pandy for instance.
there is a known file type in there. in cstike/gfx/env there are bmp files.. the "pandy" file is now up as well...
these are the options I'm given for folders "Red Web Browse Write Set Root"
if that helps at all
Posted by: pandy Mar 13 2007, 12:31 PM
No, that's a .pandy.txt file. I don't find any BMPs but I found some text files in s ub directory.
I was thinking the server maybe is configured to tell you the file can't be found for unknown file types. I don't know if that's common on Windows. A nix server wouldn't do that.
Anyway, if I'm right you need to tell the server the MIME type of those files. I have no idea about how to do that on IIS. Let's google some.
Posted by: pandy Mar 13 2007, 12:36 PM
That was quickly done and it seems I guessed right. Lo and behold "IIS 6.0 does not serve unknown MIME types", http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326965 .
In the article there they talk about the server's main configuration, nothing that I can see about how a single user can do it. 
Oh dear. Could you zip the files? That would take care of it. Next time, go with a nix host.
Posted by: Christian J Mar 13 2007, 03:22 PM
Here's a BMP if someone's interested!
http://www.ricksfiles.com/CS/cstrike/gfx/env/dashdesert256_bk.bmp
Posted by: pandy Mar 13 2007, 05:17 PM
Not really. 
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 13 2007, 09:52 PM
That was quickly done and it seems I guessed right. Lo and behold "IIS 6.0 does not serve unknown MIME types", http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326965 .
In the article there they talk about the server's main configuration, nothing that I can see about how a single user can do it.
Oh dear. Could you zip the files? That would take care of it. Next time, go with a nix host.
Well I could zip the files, but the problem with that is they files need to be in their original format.. See how it works is this.. I have 2 servers, the server in question and a gaming server. The client connects to the gaming server to play. If the client does not have the map, or any of the files the map uses, they start to download it from the gaming server. Seeing as it's a gaming server, the download takes forever. By adding a CVAR I can redirct the client to the server in question where they can download the needed files in seconds... The clients computer will not download a zip file and then extract it, so the files have to be in their oringial state...
So basicly what your saying is theres nothing I can do? Theres no way to accomplish what I'm trying to do?
Posted by: Peter1968 Mar 13 2007, 11:31 PM
Easy answer: switch to a Unix based server that doesn't care what a WAD file is and delivers it as intended. or where you can set up a .htaccess with
AddType application/x-doom wad
Hard answer: somehow convince your host to associate WAD's in IIS's /etc/magic or /etc/mime.types file or however it's done, as MIME type application/x-doom which is how they've been registered.
Good luck.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 13 2007, 11:50 PM
Easy answer: switch to a Unix based server that doesn't care what a WAD file is and delivers it as intended. or where you can set up a .htaccess with
AddType application/x-doom wad
Hard answer: somehow convince your host to associate WAD's in IIS's /etc/magic or /etc/mime.types file or however it's done, as MIME type application/x-doom which is how they've been registered.
Good luck.
Would it just be easier if I told them to switch my server over to a Linux server? That seems like it would be easier then trying to convince them of anything...
Posted by: pandy Mar 14 2007, 03:51 AM
Start wih informing them about that .htaccess isn't a configuration file on IIS. That should be useful for them.
See if you can find anything like HTTP Headers, File Types, MIME or Content-types in your CP. Does that host of yours have a FAQ?
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 14 2007, 01:47 PM
Start wih informing them about that .htaccess isn't a configuration file on IIS. That should be useful for them.
See if you can find anything like HTTP Headers, File Types, MIME or Content-types in your CP. Does that host of yours have a FAQ?
This is all they really have on the FAQ that relates to my problem
"Can I configure MIME types on my Linux Hosting Account?
You can configure MIME types on your Linux hosting account using a .htaccess file. When you configure MIME types in your .htaccess file, you associate file types with a specific application or action.
For example:
AddType application/x-shockwave-flash swf
AddType specified you are adding a new mime type (file type).
application/x-shockwave-flash is the actual mime parameter specs.
swf is the extension of the file type."
It seems I have to switch it to a linux server
Posted by: pandy Mar 14 2007, 02:40 PM
Yeah, ot make your host realize you are on an IIS server and either tell you how to do it or do it for you.
Is your host a reseller by any chance? I looked at your name servers and they belong to a company that seems to mainly sell reseller plans. Or maybe you've bought a reseller plan from them.
Posted by: aod1174 Mar 14 2007, 02:45 PM
Yeah, ot make your host realize you are on an IIS server and either tell you how to do it or do it for you.
Is your host a reseller by any chance? I looked at your name servers and they belong to a company that seems to mainly sell reseller plans. Or maybe you've bought a reseller plan from them.
no clue if their a reseller... I'll make the call now...
Posted by: pandy Mar 14 2007, 02:59 PM
Nothing wrong with that in case they are. Just wondering because of the answer they gave you before.
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