FP: HTTP Server Error Creating Web, Viewing Page with Image, WebBot (143097)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft FrontPage 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q143097

For a Microsoft FrontPage 98 version of this article, see 194545.

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft FrontPage, you may receive the following error message:
An HTTP server error has occurred. An error has occurred in the HTTP server which made it impossible for the FrontPage Server Extensions to process this request (HTTP Error 500).
when you do either of the following:

Case 1: You browse a page that contains an image map or a WebBot.

-or-

Case 2: You create a new Web.

CAUSE

This problem may occur for either of the following reasons:
  • If you are using Microsoft Personal Web Server, FrontPage is not able to execute Shtml.dll (Case 1).

    -or-
  • If you are using FrontPage Personal Web Server, FrontPage is not able to execute Shtml.exe (Case 1).

    -or-
  • FrontPage cannot access the server through the extensions (Case 2).

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use the appropriate method for your situation.

Method 1: Check Error Logs and Memory (Case 1)

Check the error logs for any out of memory errors and then verify the amount of physical and virtual memory installed on your computer.

If you are using the FrontPage Personal Web Server, the error logs will be located in the \Server\Logs folder (FrontPage 1.1) or the \Httpd\Logs folder (FrontPage 1.0).

If you are using Microsoft Personal Web Server, the error logs will be located in the \Windows folder.

You should have 16 megabytes (MB) of RAM in order to run the FrontPage Personal Web Server or Microsoft Personal Web Server. You should also set a permanent swap file that is at least 20 MB in size.

Method 2: Check Configuration Settings (Case 1)

If you have changed the default content folder for the FrontPage Personal Web Server, check the following:
  • The definition of the DocumentRoot in the Srm.cnf file.
  • The following settings in the Srm.cnf: 
       FrontPage 1.0:
      WinScriptAlias  _vti_bin/ c:\content\_vti_bin

   FrontPage 1.1:
      WinScriptAlias  _vti_bin/ c:\FrontPage/Webs\content\_vti_bin
If you have changed the default content folder for the Microsoft Personal Web Server, check the following:
  • The Document Root is defined on the Directories tab of the Internet Services Administrator. To access the Internet Services Administrator, follow these steps:
    1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
    2. Double-click the Personal Web Server icon.
    3. Click the Administration tab.
    4. Click Administration.

Method 3: Check the Shtml.exe or Shtml.dll File and File Size (Case 1)

If you have not changed the default content folder, check the following:
  • If you are using FrontPage Personal Web Server, verify that the \_vti_bin\shtml.exe file exists and that its file size is greater than 0. This file is located in the DocumentRoot folder.
  • If you are using Microsoft Personal Web Server, verify that the \_vti_bin\shtml.dll file exists and that its file size is greater than 0. This file is located in the DocumentRoot folder.
NOTE: You can use these same methods to troubleshoot this type of error on other Web servers. Check your Web server's documentation for the proper location of server-generated error logs and the proper method for changing DocumentRoot and marking directories as executable.

Method 4: Check Whether the Server is Running (Case 2)

Verify that the server is running. If it is not running, start it. Confirm it is started by browsing to the URL for the HTTP server.

Method 5: Verify the Server Extensions Are Installed (Case 2)

Verify that the server extensions have been installed on the server. To do this, start the FrontPage Server Administrator and click Check. Confirm that the server information is correct.

Method 6: Install the FrontPage Server Extensions (Case 2)

Install the FrontPage Server Extensions. You can download the current version of the FrontPage Server Extensions from the following Microsoft World Wide Web site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnservext02/fpse2002win.asp

For additional information about the differences between the Microsoft Personal WebServer and the FrontPage Personal Web Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

161150 FP97: Microsoft Personal Web Server vs. FrontPage Personal Web Server

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/11/2006
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb kbusage KB143097
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