Front Page FAQ

MS FrontPage

What are FrontPage Server Extensions?
FrontPage Server Extensions" is a term, which refers to the files, programs and specific way a Website is managed if it is using FrontPage. Microsoft FrontPage has some unique features, such as the ability to easily create hover buttons and search forms for your Website. This is possible only when the FrontPage Server Extensions are installed, because the features of FrontPage, such as hover buttons etc., work in conjunction with the programs installed on our servers to make those features work. Without the Server Extensions (programs), your FrontPage site will not function properly. Thus, the Server Extensions truly "extend" the functions of the server by enabling all the great tools that are part of Microsoft FrontPage.

Can you help me with FrontPage problems?
We will make sure FrontPage extensions are properly installed for your account and provide basic support. It is important to note, however, that we cannot provide full technical support for FrontPage. Microsoft requires that they provide support for their software, and having developed it, they have a thorough knowledge of how it works and any known bugs in the program. We therefore ask that all questions regarding the use of FrontPage be addressed directly towards Microsoft. You will find that they have extensive online tutorials and help, as well as toll-free technical support for the program.

How do I publish with FrontPage 2000?
Before you can publish your website with FrontPage, make sure all of the following are completed:

1) Your website must come up in the browser
2) Make sure you have FrontPage extensions installed.

Once you verify that it's installed, Click here for publishing instructions.

Can I use FTP to upload my files when I have FrontPage Extensions?
If you requested to have FrontPage extensions installed, you should NOT use FTP or any other method of uploading to your site as doing so will cause errors. First, make sure FrontPage extensions have been properly installed on the server and that your domain name is propagated. If you are not sure of the above, please contact us.

Can I use cgi-scripts when FrontPage extensions are installed?
You can use cgi-scripts with frontPage, but this will be at your own risk. This is considered a non-standard FrontPage site - this implementation is not recommended or supported by Microsoft. If you choose to have FrontPage Extensions and use cgi, you must do so with caution. You will see a "cgi-bin" in your home directory when your account was setup. You can upload your scripts there.

Will using FTP corrupt my FrontPage Extensions?
Microsoft does not recommend you use any FTP program when FrontPage extensions are installed.

However, you can use FTP to a certain extent:

You can download/upload log files, scripts, zip files, and change permission on scripts with problems. There is a possibility that FrontPage extensions can be corrupted if you upload/download HTML files with FTP..

Do NOT edit or FTP the ".htaccess" files, any "*_vti" directories or any other FrontPage extensions. It will corrupt your extensions.

How do I prevent FrontPage from uploading several large files that are already on the server?
There's a simple way to make sure files do NOT get uploaded when using the Publish command.

• If you're in the Page view, choose View > Folders to go to the Folder view.
• Locate the file you do not want published.
• Click the file with the right mouse button. A menu will pop up. Choose Properties, then click on the Workgroup tab.
• Click the "Exclude this file when publishing the rest of the Web" check box (so it is checked).
• Click OK. This file will no longer be uploaded the next time you publish the web.

How do I activate my FrontPage extensions?
You can activate or deactivate FrontPage extensions through your personal control panel.

Why does FrontPage just hang when establishing a connection to my account and then times out?
There are two main reasons why Frontpage will time out on you.

1) If you have a very large website, the chances of Frontpage timing out is greater. The more files you have, the longer it will take FrontPage to connect to your website. All of our webservers are set to a time-out rate of 900 seconds, or 15 minutes. According to Microsoft, this time period is more than sufficient to allow heavy operations of FrontPage extensions to complete. The best solution is to simply do your FrontPage updates at night, when Internet traffic is much lower than during the day.

2) There could be connectivity problems between your ISP/LAN and our network. You can find out if it is a connectivity problem by performing a PING "yourdomain.com" from your dos prompt.

Should I use my FTP account if i have Frontpage Extensions installed?
NO!!! Do not recommend you use FTP if you have Frontpage extensions installed on your account. You can damage your account files by doing so!

Will Frontpage forms work?
Yes, if you have trouble with a frontpage generated form, send in a ticket asking us to make sure frontpage mail extensions are installed for your domain.