Personal Web Pages

[chatterbot]

I am currently unable to log-in to 1 of my PWP sites.

Over the last few months someone has been changing permissions on the site. I am the only one with the password and have even changed it.  

Is it possible someone at Comcast is messing with the site? 

[lead5alpha]

What permissions are being changed?    Permissions on the files on the web server are all set by default when uploaded.  The only ones I am aware of that can be set are making files 'public' or 'non-public'.

Comcast would not be messing with the site.  They actually have very little to do with the web pages.   Basically it seems they provide the server space and their PWP authoring tool as an unsupported extra.  I believe that the web server is contracted out to a vendor.

[chatterbot]

If you use an FTP program (FileZilla), you can see the different permissions for files. There have been a few times over the last month or so that they changed (putting the web pages off-line). Usually this has been related to a specific set of pages in a subdirectory. Currently I can't get access at all.

If it is not Comcast, then it must be their vendor. I suppose it could have been hacked externally, but I find that unlikely since the regular password seems to work.

Unfortunetly, I can't find anyone at comcast that knows anything about PWP.

I tried their online chat and they said they did not know anything about PWP and did not have acces to it. They sent me to the standard comcast phone number (although they told me the number would be able to solve my problem). On the phone, they could not help and I am now waiting on a call from a network engineer. My fear is that the network engineer is going to be somone who could help me with my cable modem but does not understand what a PWP page is or what "permissions" means.

[lead5alpha]

There have been some reported problems with Filezilla in the past on this forum. Google shows some info that Filezilla has trouble with directories that contain a very large number of files and some other issues with file names. 

My guess would be it is more likely a Filezilla issue interfacing with the Apache Linux web server than someone at comcast or the vendor changing permissions.

As a check you could reload the pages with a 2nd ftp client.  CoreFTPLE is a good free one.  Windows has a free one built into windows explorer.

[chatterbot]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it. I had been using FileZilla for years without any problem.

I also believe the permissions problem has shown up without me accessing the site via FTP and right now I can't log in at all by any method.

[BethKatz]

Could you give us the URL for your site and what is inaccessible so that we can try it? There have been some times when some files have been corrupted. Getting someone technical who has access to the right files and knows what they are doing is difficult, but we can try to push here and there. 

[chatterbot]

http://home.comcast.net/~chatterbot is the site.

My password won't work to let me access the sit through the comcast log-in.

http://home.comcast.net/~chatterbot/bots/AI/Skynet/

is the web address that is usually most active. It is a chatbot/parody of Skynet.

[BethKatz]

Okay. It says that the site is temporarily unavailable.

Can you go into Customer Central from the Customers tab above and Manage My Account? Once you get logged in, go to Users & Settings and see if the pages are turned on. If you have a backup of them on your home machine, disable them, save, and then enable them again. If you only have them built with the Comcast tools, I hesitate having you disable them because there's a chance they'll go away entirely.

[chatterbot]

The pages were on.

I turned them off.

I truned them back on.

Still no response.

You would think there would be someone in all of Comcast or their vendor that you could go to to get help on a feature they promote. 

[chatterbot]

Turning PWP off and on did at least reset my password access.

Now all I have to do is to go in and reset the file privilages to public. 

FTP won't access them. So I will need to do it file by file.

First private, then public. No way to change them all at once.

Thanks Beth, at least it is a start.

[chatterbot]

I was able to delete the entire directory, then create a new one that could be accessed by FTP.

I am now back on-line. 

[BethKatz]

Comcast isn't promoting web pages. They might go away at any time. I wouldn't rely on them for any business activities. Good to hear that you got it working.

[chatterbot]

Actually they have promoted it. They made a big deal out of the new upgrade and it makes you wonder why anyone would ever upgrade to their business services.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/pwp/whatschanging/

http://business.comcast.com/smb/services/Internet/websitehosting 

[chatterbot]

Latest update: The web pages seem to work but the Front-page extensions (used for form submissions) don't (sort of wierd, only certain pages can't submit).

FTP access is intermittent (doesn't matter which program I use). 

[BethKatz]

The "What's Changing" is from when they made the latest switch which was at least four years ago - I believe it was fall 2007 when this trash was foisted on us.

If I had a business (oh, yes, I do), I wouldn't build my pages with Comcast's unsupported page-building tools (I don't). I'd host them elsewhere (I do). The Comcast page-building tools are low-quality, limited, unsupported garbage. I'll say that professionally as a computer scientist.

Edit: Comcast's business class service seems to use a different tool than the unsupported residential service tool. I have no experience with the business class tool. It's not available to residential users.

Whether or not Comcast is advertising web page support, it does not exist.

If you need something reliable, use a different tool and a web-hosting service.

[BethKatz]

That said ... I thought that if you used Front Page extensions, you needed to upload the whole site using Front Page's upload facility.

You might search in this board for Front Page. You might find:

   http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Personal-Web-Pages/Keep-getting-message-Front-Page-extensions-not-insta...

I don't do Windows, so I don't use Front Page which was discontinued by Microsoft many years ago.

[BethKatz]

Comcast's business class service seems to use a different Site Builder tool:

     http://help.webhosting.comcast.net/docs/tutorials/sitebuilder/ComcastSiteBuilder.htm

I found this page that answers some frequently asked questions (but the Help Center link is dated 2009):

      http://help.webhosting.comcast.net/docs/faq/faq_publishing.htm

It has info about Front Page access and an email address for help:

      support@webhosting.comcast.net

Edit: The current info about Business Internet Service Plans is at:

      http://business.comcast.com/smb/services/Internet/plans

[lead5alpha]

Pages authored by Frontpage that use frontpage extensions must be uploaded by Frontpage.  Uploading pages authored in FP by ftp can corrupt the pages and sometimes the extensions.  That may be the problem with your pages that rely on the extenstions.

[chatterbot]

I stopped using FrontPage a number of years ago.

Instead, I built the pages in HTML and uploaded them via ftp.

I do use the block of code that FrontPage generated. 

This has worked for me for 4+ years.

In fact, early this year I did a major UI update to the site and for the most part it went well.

I am going to have to re-test the FP code to try to get a handle on the problem. 

[chatterbot]

I found the problem. FP extensions are tricky and if you don't have all the naming conventions just right they don't work.

[chatterbot]

Once again my PWP site is down. No HTML or FTP access. Can't even get to a page that I can use to sign in. Anyone else having problems or is it only me?

[BethKatz]

I can get into the Comcast tools as well as access my page as a viewer from a web browser.

Refresh your pages. Check that you are using the correct password. 

[chatterbot]

Password is correct. 

FTP/web access is back on-line now.

Thanks. 

[chatterbot]

Down again.

[chatterbot]

Back up this morning.

[km2841]

Mine is down as well, since yesterday 02-01-2012 I cannot access my PWP .

After I type in my user name and password, I get a blank white screen.

This has been a re-occurring problem,  my PWP were down this past November as well, and it took Comcast over a week to fix.

[BethKatz]

I don't know. Mine seem to rarely be down.

Be sure to check with other web browsers. Some web browsers and Comcast's tools don't get along.

However, right now (1pm EST on Thursday, Feb 2), I can't get into the Comcast PWP tools.

[km2841]

Beth, 

     I  just got in, was able to edit my PWP  - 02-02-2012 1 :15 PM

I hope it was just temporary, as I do depend on it .

I have had difficulty with the PWP in the past, and the biggest problem is finding someone at Comcast (by phone) to fix.

Thanks for your input, it is appreciated.

[km2841]

Apparently it is back down again

Thankfully, it was up long enough for me to edit/update for the time being.

 Hopefully Comcast will get this worked out..

[ComcastKeisha]

BethKatz, km2841--

Sorry for the inconvenience. I have escalated your issue and someone will be in contact with you soon for resolution.

[BethKatz]

I just received a phone call about this. It isn't as simple to fix as they thought. But someone technical is really working in it. Thank you, Keisha.

[km2841]

for the record, my PWP were back up again and working this morning 02-03-2012,  when I first checked, shortly after 10:00 AM, and are back up and working perfectly still, as of 11:35 AM today, 02-03-2012.

thanks to everyone for help, and special thanks to Keisha, who took the time to call to let us k now Comcast is working on the solution.

edit- It is now 1:53 PM, 02-03-2012 and my PWP is down again oy

[BethKatz]

4:30pm Friday, February 3. I can get into PWP tools as well as view my web site.

I strongly suggest that everyone check that the content of their web pages is backed up someplace other than Comcast's servers. This service seems to becoming less stable. Prudent people would have a backup.

For the pages built with Comcast's tool, you may be able to use your web browser to save a copy. In Chrome, I just saved my front PWP-tool-built page using File > Save Page As > Webpage, Complete. That is awkward, but it gets the content.

This is important enough that I'm going to make a separate post.

[km2841]

Beth,

   thanks again..

I now received an email from Comast marked VERIFY COMCAST ACCOUNT  that reads as follows-

"Please read CAREFULLY.

Recently attempts to gain access to our database have been discovered the security department. In order to maintain high security, the administrators have been assigned with the task to manually identify or clients.

You are required to complete the identification process which is mandatory at the moment.

If you ignored this email and your account will be blocked. Thank you for your cooperation.

Comcast Team"

However, when I click  the provided link, I get the same bank white screen as I get when my PWP is down, very frustrating to say the least.

[Again]

km2841, that sounds like a phishing email to me.  Just ignore it.

[km2841]

Thats what I was afraid of

 Thanks for your input, much obliged.

[BethKatz]

Definitely phishing email. One that is going around asks for birthdate and social securit number. Don't fall for it.

[km2841]

thanks again Beth.

I was able to save my PWP the way your recommended.

Much better than the way I had previously saved them , which had eliminated the artwork and photos.

When my PWP crashed back in November  2011, I learned the hard way they were not saved to my hard drive or back up disc.

I was lucky Comcast was able to retrieve them for me at the time, but if Im not mistaken,  there is a window of a few days or so for Comcast to be able to retrieve, so it is critical to back up however one can.