Well it has been a while since I added any articles to the site. Before I get on with the article let me first announce that Schwarz Network has opened a forum for you to get help with your Windows Server problems.

You can find the forum at Windows Server Forums

Password protecting websites, directories and files on Windows 2003 Servers is very easy. It only takes a couple clicks and it’s done. For users to access the protected areas they’ll need to have an account on the server. There are ways to avoid this by using Passport authorization, but for this article we’ll use Integrated Windows authentication.

First thing to do is open IIS Manager. Once you have it open select the website that has the directory or file you want to protect. Click on the + next to the website to expand the directory and file list.
Right click the directory or file and select properties. A property box will popup. Now select the Directory Security tab at the top of the properties dialogue.
Select Authentication and access control by clicking the button that says edit.
Uncheck the box that says enable anonymous access. Check the box below that says Intergrated Windows Authentication.
Close the box and select apply in the properties box. The directory is now protected and can only be accessed by users that have a valid user account on your server. Test it out by going to yoursite.tld/protected_directory.

If you want to password protect a directory or file in the website click the website in the left window and when the files expand in the right window right click the directory or file and follow the procedure above to password protect it.

If you have any questions post a comment to this article ask in Windows Server Forum.