Setting permissions on Windows servers

Windows servers do not allow users to change permissions through FTP. Windows permissions can be set only at the console; the administrator must physically sit down in front of the computer and use the Explorer interface to click on the desired directories and set the desired permissions. (On unix, permissions can be set remotely by FTP.) The Discus installation instructions contain the unix permission settings.

If you are not the administrator of your Windows server, the only way to have permissions changed for you is to write to your web host. Here is a sample e-mail that you can modify and use for that purpose:

Dear Support Staff:

To complete the installation of the Discus discussion board software package
on my site, I need permissions changes for the following:

* {Your Administration Directory}
* {Your Discus HTML Directory}

The permissions must convey "READ" and "WRITE" privileges for the web server
user. Permissions should be set for these folders as well as recursively to
all files and folders therein. Note that what I am requesting can be done
in some versions of Windows by granting permissions of "CHANGE" to "EVERYONE."

Please let me know when these changes are completed.
Sincerely,
{Your Name}

If you administer your own server, set permissions using the Windows Explorer interface according to the Discus instructions. At minimum, you should make all files in your Discus administration directory and your Discus messages directory writable by your WWW server (give "Full" access to "Everyone" in those directories). The following screen shot demonstrates the setting of permissions: