About six months ago I wrote an article on how to create a password protected site (http://www.treacyinfo.com/byte.htm#passwordpro). One catch is that the site had to be hosted on a UNIX-based server. Well this week I have had to find a solution to password-protect a folder on a web site on a Microsoft server. I am not a Microsoft hater by any means but I must admit that I did not want to spend a ton of time learning all about Microsoft servers. I am delighted to report that I found a quick solution:

MTopSoft has created a tool that quickly and easily password-protects a site (http://www.mtopsoft.com/htmllock/index.htm). I downloaded it and set it up in about 5 minutes following their simple directions. I uploaded and it worked like a charm. I only need to set up one password but it seems as if it would also be easy to set up multiple usernames and passwords.

First catch – this tool isn’t free. And regular readers know that I am very cheap. However it easily saved me a couple of hours of work so the $49.00 seemed like an easy investment. I can already think of two other clients who would be happy to create a password protected area for clients. Second catch – I need to un-lock the files with this tool each time I want to make a change, which is a pain. Also anyone else wanting to change these files would also need the tool.