Configuration and permission problems

[Warren Sirota]

Hello,

Please excuse my ignorance. I'm just a programmer trying to set up a
test Web on a development machine - there's a lot I don't understand
about configuring servers, especially permissions.

Context

I was running FP2000, and just upgraded to 2003, running under WinXP
SP2. Now, my IIS 5.1 installation was not functioning perfectly in all
ways before (as I recall, it was having permissions issues creating
objects from ASP pages), but now I need it to get better.

Since I was now running FP2003, after installing that I downloaded and
installed the 2002 extensions from the Microsoft site. Then, I ran
officeupdate to make sure fp2003 was up to date (since I have elements
of office 2000, 2002, and now 2003, this was about a 5-restart process,
but that's besides the point).

The Problem(s)

Opening webs that I have on external servers seems to work fine.
However, whenever I try to open an existing Web on localhost, I get that
darned "Server error: Error 5 opening registry key
"SOFTWARE\Classes\.8ba" message.

If I go to the server extension administrator and simply click the entry
for Default Web site (without actually doing anything), then I can close
and reopen FP and then open a localhost subweb without error. That would
be an OK enough workaround for me; however, I still cannot create a new
Web from FP (I can from the Administrator, but that doesn't give me
access to any templates). I keep getting a "Server Error: Cannot create
folder" message.

Related Information:

I've gone into the FP Extensions administrator and gave every permission
I could think of to everyone. I've done a "Check Server Health". It
keeps coming back with this message for the root Web: "Your Web site
security could be tightened. To tighten security as much as possible for
your Web sites, select Repair", regardless of whether I check the Fix
box or not, but that doesn't seem like it would affect my situation.

One other thing: I seem to have two ways to administer this site, and
they seem to be in conflict: one through the IIS MMC panel, and one
through IE by going to _sharepoint/fpadmdll.dll?page=fpadmin.htm.

I only intend to create non-Sharepoint Webs on this computer. Is
Sharepoint confusing the process here?

I'd uninstall and reinstall everything, except that I have little
confidence that some incorrect registry entry would persist through the
whole process, making this into a time-wasting exercise.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Curious Cat]

I started getting this same problem last week after installing the latest
security updates from Microsoft.

I have tried everything imaginable to solve it. Nothing works.

Basically, everytime I install any new software, the next time I try to open
a local web in FrontPage, I get the same error message that you get except
that the part after "classes\" is related to whatever software I just
installed.

Sometimes if I uninstall the software that I just installed, the problem
goes away.

I have:

1) Reinstalled IIS and the extensions;
2) Reinstalled FrontPage 2003;
3) Cleaned my registry with RegSeeker.

Nothing works.

Fortunately, I have created restore points that allow me to go back to a
point where the problem doesn't exist.

Near the end of last week, I had to restore my drive from a Norton Ghost
backup because my restore points had become corrupt.

I think there was something rotten in the lates MS security updates.

 

[Curious Cat]

If I go to the server extension administrator and simply click the entry

for Default Web site (without actually doing anything), then I can close
and reopen FP and then open a localhost subweb without error.

The Server Extensions Administrator doesn't have an entry for "Default Web
Site". What exactly are you clicking on?

 

[Curious Cat]

I found a fix I believe.

1) I removed the FrontPage server extensions using the Control Panel - Add
Remove Programs - Windows Components - IIS - Details.

2) Then, I downloaded the Front Page 2002 server extensions from the MS
Office web and installed them.

3) I don't know whether this last step was necessary but I went to the IIS
administration console, selected Default Web Site and from the right-click
shortcut menu recalculated Server Extensions 2002 Web.

I was then able to open a local web in FP without the "error 5 opening
registry key..." error.

So, the problem was the server extensions. The question is what messed them
up. The MS security updates?

 

[Curious Cat]

I spoke too soon. The problem is not fixed.

I simply hit upon the following workaround:

If I go to the server extension administrator and simply click the entry
for Default Web site (without actually doing anything), then I can close
and reopen FP and then open a localhost subweb without error.

 

[Curious Cat]

I believe that I have actually found the problem this time.

It appears to me that the Windows XP security updates that were provided two
weeks or so ago made changes to the permissions in the registry.

I edited the registry and made sure that my user name had full permissions
for all registry entries.

After that, FrontPage would open a local web without the server error.