ACC97: Error "HTTP/1.0 403 Access Forbidden" Browsing IDC Page

When you use a Web browser to open an Internet Database Connector (IDC) file, you may receive one of the following error messages:

These errors occur if you do not have Execute or Read permission for the virtual directory on the Internet server on which the IDC file is located.

You can relocate the IDC file to a directory on the server where you have Execute or Read permission, or you can follow the steps below on the Internet server computer to assign the correct permission for the IDC file's current directory:

1. Start the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) Internet Service Manager program on the Internet server computer.
2. Double-click the computer name associated with the WWW service. The WWW Service Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the Directories tab.
4. Select the directory in which the IDC file is located, and then click the Edit Properties button.
5. In the Directory Properties dialog box, click Execute, click Read, or click both options, and then click OK.
6. Click OK to close the WWW Service Properties dialog box, and then quit the Internet Service Manager program.

You must have the correct permission for an Internet server directory that contains IDC files. When IIS receives a URL that contains an .idc file extension, it uses Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to execute a query against a data source and returns the results to you. If you do not have Execute permission, IIS cannot execute the query. If you do not have Read permission, you cannot open the IDC file.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

The following steps assume that you have an ODBC System DSN on your Internet server called MySystemDSN.

Setting Permissions on the Internet Server

1. On the Internet server, start the IIS Internet Service Manager.
2. Double-click the computer name associated with the WWW service. The WWW Service Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the Directories tab.
4. Select the directory that corresponds to the /Scripts alias, and then click the Edit Properties button.
5. In the Directory Properties dialog box, click to clear the Execute and the Read check boxes, and then click OK.
6. Click OK to close the WWW Service Properties dialog box, and then quit the Internet Service Manager program.

Creating and Browsing the HTX/IDC files

1. Start Microsoft Access 97 and open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. Select the Shippers table in the Database window.
3. On the File menu, click Save As/Export.
4. In the Save As dialog box, click "To an External File or Database," and then click OK.
5. In the "Save Table 'Shipper' In dialog box," select Microsoft IIS 1-2 in the Save As Type box, and then click Export.
6. In the HTX/IDC Output Options dialog box, type MySystemDSN in the Data Source Name box. If your System DSN requires it, type your user name in the "User to Connect As" and your password in the "Password for User" boxes. Click OK.
7. Microsoft Access creates a Shippers.htx and a Shippers.IDC file on your computer. Move them to the /Scripts virtual directory on your Internet server computer.
8. Start your Internet browser and type the following URL:
   
   http://<machine (http://<machine) name>/scripts/shippers.idc?
   
   where <machine name> is the name of the Internet server. Note that you receive the error message:
   
   HTTP/1.0 403 Access Forbidden (Execute Access Denied-This Virtual Directory does not allow objects to be executed.)
9. Type the following URL in your browser:
   
   http://<machine (http://<machine) name>/scripts/shippers.idc
   
   where <machine name> is the name of the Internet server. Note that you receive the error message:
   
   HTTP/1.0 403 Access Forbidden (Read Access Denied-This Virtual Directory does not allow objects to be read.)

For more information about creating Web pages in Microsoft Access, search the Help Index for "pages, Web pages," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.

For more information about virtual directories, search the Microsoft Internet Information Server Help Index for "Virtual directories."