.htaccess file on windows server

Question

I have done research and found that my htaccess file will not work on my new Windows server. I have seen that I should be using web.config.

I tried it and couldn't get anything to work. Then I saw that I can use an htaccess file, but I have to call it something else (like htaccess.txt).

I tried that but couldn't get it to work. I read later that I needed to call it something else then change my "AccessFileName". I have looked everywhere but still have absolutely no idea how to do that.

Any help is greatly appreciated! I am using a Godaddy Windows server.

Solution

you do indeed have to use a web.config file. The GoDaddy Windows server you are using is running a webserver program called IIS, which uses web.config files. .htaccess is used by Apache HTTPD, which is a different web server.

The stumbling block you were probably hitting when you tried it last time is that a web.config file has substantially different syntax than an .htaccess file. Microsoft has a Knowledge Base article about setting up a web.config file, and a syntax reference linked within it

Comments

[Christian]

When I did it, I copied and pasted someone else's web.config file and it still didn't work. As I understand it is for an IIS7 server, no? I have an IIS6. Does that make a difference?

[Christian]

I just created one. Is there any way to check if it's working?