WSS v3 Authentication Error

Your SharePoint Site Repeatedly Prompts for User Authentication

• Windows SharePoint Services Support

SYMPTOMS

When you click a link to a Microsoft Office document in a Web site that is hosted on a computer that runs Windows SharePoint Services, you are prompted for authentication many times. If you click Cancel each time that you are prompted for authentication, the document appears as Read–only in your Office program.

CAUSE

This issue may occur when the following conditions are true:

• The Web site is hosted on a Windows SharePoint Services computer.
• The Web site directory security is set to use anonymous access as its authentication method.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, do the following:

1. In Windows Explorer, find the Htmltransinfo.xml file. This file is located in the following folder:
   <driveletter>:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\Template\Xml
2. Right–click Htmltransinfo.xml, and then click Edit.

3. Edit the file to set ProgId to empty (for example, ProgId = "").

   The following is an example of how the Htmltransinfo.xml file looks before you make the edit:

   <HtmlTrInfo>      
       <Mapping Extension="xls" AcceptHeader="application/vnd.ms–excel" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp" ProgId="SharePoint.OpenDocuments.2"/>      
       <Mapping Extension="doc" AcceptHeader="application/msword" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp"  ProgId="SharePoint.OpenDocuments.2"/>      
       <Mapping Extension="ppt" AcceptHeader="application/vnd.ms–powerpoint" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp"  ProgId="SharePoint.OpenDocuments.2"/>      
       <Mapping Extension="pps" AcceptHeader="application/vnd.ms–powerpoint" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp"  ProgId=""/>      
       <Mapping Extension="one" AcceptHeader="" 
           HandlerUrl="" ProgId="SharePoint.OpenDocuments.2"/>  
   </HtmlTrInfo>

   The following is an example of how the Htmltransinfo.xml file looks after you make the edit to set ProgId to empty:

   <HtmlTrInfo>
       <Mapping Extension="xls" AcceptHeader="application/vnd.ms–excel" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp" ProgId=""/>
       <Mapping Extension="doc" AcceptHeader="application/msword" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp"  ProgId=""/>
       <Mapping Extension="ppt" AcceptHeader="application/vnd.ms–powerpoint" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp"  ProgId=""/>
       <Mapping Extension="pps" AcceptHeader="application/vnd.ms–powerpoint" 
           HandlerUrl="HtmlTranslate.asp"  ProgId=""/>
       <Mapping Extension="one" AcceptHeader="" HandlerUrl="" ProgId=""/>
   </HtmlTrInfo>

After you edit the Htmltransinfo.xml file, you can open Office documents in read–only mode on a Windows SharePoint Services Web site that has its directory security set to anonymous access. You are not prompted for authentication.

REFERENCES

For additional information about being prompted for your password when you close a Word document that you opened in a Web browser, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

324328 WD2002: Password Prompt When You Close a Word Document You Opened in a Web Browser

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article – 823553