Note: If you have FrontPage server extensions included in your website hosting account, you will not have  UNIX (.htaccess) password protection available in your control panel, because FrontPage FTP uploads will overwrite  the .htaccess and .htpassword files rendering them useless.
If you do use FrontPage extensions, you will need to use the directory protection system that comes with that software... Which is not as flexible nor user configurable as the one that we provide.

Password Protection: Description
A password protected directory will only allow users who have a username + password can access files stored in the protected directory, or other directories below the protected one.

This Directory Password Protection system allows you to add/delete multiple username/password combinations, that can gain access into the protected area.

Possible Uses:
Password Protection is a useful method of only allowing certain people to access the files stored there, and could be useful for groups or organisations to have a 'Members Only' area for instance.
Or your website might want to introduce a 'pay to view' area where only people that have paid to see the content can view the files.... We predict that this will become commonplace in the next few years.

Note: If you create a password protected directory, then every other directory below that one is also protected by the same mechanism.
So you could also have image and other directories under the 'protection' of the main protected directory, or even a complete website!

Accessing the 'Private Area'
Before access is granted to the protected directory, a login dialog box will 'pop up' and the person trying to access the protected area will need to enter their own unique username/password combination before being allowed entry.

Strong Protection:
The protection mechanism used is extremely strong and would defeat all but the strongest of 'hackers'.

How to Create a Password Protected Directory:

Click on the 'Password Protect Directories' link in the User Control Panel and the Password Protect page will show....

Enter the name of the directory that you want to protect.. Click the YES radio button if you want the directory created or the NO radio button if it already exists. Then enter a username & password to use.

Leave the 'Setting Authentication Type' as 'Basic'.

Give the protected area a name e.g. 'Private Area'
This name will show on the login dialogue box where a user will log in.

Then Click the Make button to create the password protected directory