server sent a response which FrontPage could not parse

[Seigfried]

My ISP and I have worked for several days on this and we have both
googled it to death.

The complete error is:

The server sent a response which FrontPage could not parse. If you are
trying to connect to a Windows SharePoint Services server, check with
the server's administrator to make sure Windows SharePoint Services is
installed properly.

The error occurs after the login window. I can't access the site at all
with either Frontpage extensions or Frontpage FTP. (Sharepoint, as far
as I know, has nothing to do with the problem. I don't use it.)

The interesting thing is that I CAN access a different ISP using
EXACTLY the same computer and Frontpage. Also, tech support at the
malfunctioning ISP can access the page using Frontpage and dialing in
from the outside using one of their computers. (So both of us have good
arguments for saying, "It's not me!") Finally, I can access the site
using good old FTP and not Frontpage.

In googling, we have discovered some people claiming that the problem
is that the "HTTP Keep-Alives option" needs to be enabled. My ISP
checked it. Not the problem.

Anybody have a solution???

 

[Steve Easton]

Go here: http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/fpclean.htm and download FP Cleaner.
Run the functions that clear the FrontPage Temporary files, and the
Cache(*.web) files

Then, since you've opened the site using FTP:// have your host check, reset
the FrontPage extensions.

Opening or publishing to an extended site using ftp can and will corrupt
the extensions.


--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
95isalive
This site is best viewed............
........................with a computer

 

[Viken Karaguesian]

Great little tool Steve! I sometimes have problems with that same error
uploading to my Comcast account. Also, recently FrontPage has been telling
me that there's "no site in..." my server. If I just wait a couple of hours
or wait for the next day it publishes just fine.

I hope that clearing out the temp files/etc. will fix that.

 

[Seigfried]

I forgot to mention ... Yeah ... we tried that too.

But -- just to be sure -- I did try the FP Cleaner utility. Slick
little tool, I admit. But it didn't do any more good now than when I
deleted the files by hand.

And the Frontpage extensions have been reset many times.

The thing that you're forgetting is that I consistently fail to connect
and my ISP consistently succeeds in connecting. It's gotta be some kind
of specific configuration thing. And remember also ... I consistently
succeed in connecting at a different ISP with exactly the same computer.

 

[Stefan B Rusynko]

What happens when you browse to the site in IE and select Edit w/ FP

- check any Firewall software you have
--

_____________________________________________
SBR @ ENJOY (-: [ Microsoft MVP - FrontPage ]
"Warning - Using the F1 Key will not break anything!" (-;
To find the best Newsgroup for FrontPage support see:
http://www.frontpagemvps.com/FrontPageNewsGroups/tabid/53/Default.aspx
_____________________________________________


|I forgot to mention ... Yeah ... we tried that too.
|
| But -- just to be sure -- I did try the FP Cleaner utility. Slick
| little tool, I admit. But it didn't do any more good now than when I
| deleted the files by hand.
|
| And the Frontpage extensions have been reset many times.
|
| The thing that you're forgetting is that I consistently fail to connect
| and my ISP consistently succeeds in connecting. It's gotta be some kind
| of specific configuration thing. And remember also ... I consistently
| succeed in connecting at a different ISP with exactly the same computer.
|

 

[Ronx]

Sometimes this error occurs when the server is too busy - a lot of
websites on one server, and insufficient resources to run them
properly. I suffered from this several years ago, until the server
was upgraded. Publishing at 5am on Sunday was a good workaround, and
dividing the site into small chunks by using subwebs is another -
though that may not be applicable if the failure happens immediately
after logging in.

 

[Seigfried]

OK ... Update ... I received another suggestion from my ISP (clear the
server cache) and, although the suggestion turned out the be bogus (the
cache was already empty), I tried to connect again. To my everlasting
amazement, IT WORKED.

Here's the deal. The very last thing I did last night was try it and it
did not work. The very first thing I did this morning was try it and it
did work. That tells me that whatever the problem is, it's not on my
machine. The ISP claims they didn't make any changes either. So we're
still left with a deep mystery.

I was not able to work on the problem today, but as soon as I could
this evening, I tried to connect again. IT DID NOT WORK!

I think Ron Symonds might have the answer. (see above)

Consider:

If it's just a time-out problem of some sort, it would account for

* the difference in the ISP's experience versus mine (we have different
connections - theirs is faster, more direct, or something like that)

* why I was able to connect successfully this morning (low load at that
time in the morning)

* why I can connect to a different ISP but not this one

(comments about my reasoning here are solicited)

I've asked the ISP to comment about this too. Stay tuned.

 

[Seigfried]

Another update ...

The ISP continues to claim that they have no idea what is causing the
problem and they say the server load is very, very low so that couldn't
be the problem. I can actually open two other web sites (at different
ISP's) with no problems, so - even though I really appreciate the fact
that the tech support at this ISP seems to be actively interested in
helping to solve the problem - I may have to just transfer the account
anyway.

Recently, I've been focusing on the one clue I have that I haven't
addressed yet. I get a message like this in FRONTPG.log:

3 01/18 10:01:01 3704 Windows SharePoint Services log file

Except for the date and time, I don't know what the other fields
represent. But I do know that I'm not using Sharepoint Services.

I have discovered that there is such a thing as

"FrontPage Server Extensions 2002"

(Is this also called FPSE, by the way?)

Is it possible that the ISP has not installed this and that is the
problem?

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

When using the FP extensions (FPSE, FrontPage Server Extensions 2002, Sharepoint) all mean the same
thing.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
==============================================
If you feel your current issue is a results of installing
a Service Pack or security update, please contact
Microsoft Product Support Services:
http://support.microsoft.com
If the problem can be shown to have been caused by a
security update, then there is usually no charge for the call.
==============================================

 

[Seigfried]

I believe I finally (after working this problem for about two weeks!)
found the problem. I'm posting for the benefit of others; and also to
ask one more question.

Since I was totally out of ideas, I decided to pay for a technical
support incident at Microsoft. To cut to the end of a very long phone
conversation, they finally had me download a software packet sniffer
and analyzed the network traffic to find the problem. They said that it
was caused because NTLM authentication was failing and that the ONLY
solution was to change the authentication to Basic Authentication.

Microsoft said that the failure was caused by the specific network
topology between my computer and the server (the number of hops and
perhaps even the specific configuration of one or more of the
intermediate servers).

I had previously read a few messages which did say this was a cause of
this problem, but I had resisted changing the authentication because
Basic authentication sends the userid and password in plain text. But I
have requested that my authentication be changed anyway. If for no
other reason than to nail this down with finality since I've spent so
much time on it.

Here's my question.

If this is the problem, WHY CAN'T THE LATEST AND GREATEST MICROSOFT
FRONTPAGE 2003 GET IT RIGHT AND CONNECT WHEN A TEN YEAR OLD COPY OF
WS-FTP HAS NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER????

 

[Seigfried]

Addendum ... Microsoft tech support was right. Connected just fine with
Basic authentication.

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

Because FP is connecting via http (if the FP extensions are installed) and ws_ftp is, well
connecting via FTP.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
==============================================
If you feel your current issue is a results of installing
a Service Pack or security update, please contact
Microsoft Product Support Services:
http://support.microsoft.com
If the problem can be shown to have been caused by a
security update, then there is usually no charge for the call.
==============================================

 

[Seigfried]

Frontpage FTP connection fails just as miserably as Frontpage HTTP
connection.

Any other excuses?

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

I rarely have any problems with FP's http connections, and I open 10 to 15 sites daily.

I do not work on any servers that do not have the FP extensions, so I can comment on the FP's FTP
connection, other then to say that it can't connect to all FTP servers.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
==============================================
If you feel your current issue is a results of installing
a Service Pack or security update, please contact
Microsoft Product Support Services:
http://support.microsoft.com
If the problem can be shown to have been caused by a
security update, then there is usually no charge for the call.
==============================================

 

[Seigfried]

Yeah ... That's basically what the ISP says too. But the facts are that
....

1 - For the specific network topography that I have to use, Frontpage
will not work using NTLM authentication (with HTTP or FTP). I'm forced
to use Basic authentication whether I like it or not.

2 - It doesn't matter whether you, my ISP, or Microsoft support in
India can connect with Frontpage. I still can't connect and a paid tech
support incident has determined conclusively that NTLM authentication
in Frontpage is the problem.

3 - My ten year old copy of WS FTP works fine every time.

I think that says something. You may conclude otherwise if you choose
to.