FP: How to Remove a Web from the List of Webs

• Microsoft FrontPage 98 for Windows
• Microsoft FrontPage 97 for Windows with Bonus Pack
• Microsoft FrontPage for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1

SYMPTOMS

In FrontPage versions 1.x, if you delete a FrontPage Web using a file manager other than FrontPage (such as Windows Explorer or File Manager), the Web name will remain in the list of Webs created by FrontPage Explorer.

In all versions of FrontPage, if you delete a FrontPage Web using a file manager other than FrontPage, the Web server configuration files retain mapping information to any _vti* directories that were part of the deleted FrontPage Web.

CAUSE

Using a file management program other than FrontPage is not recommended on FrontPage Webs. FrontPage Explorer is the only recommended file management tool for a FrontPage Web.

WORKAROUND

To delete a Web in FrontPage, open the Web site using FrontPage Explorer and click Delete FrontPage Web on the File menu.

If you used a file manager other than FrontPage to delete the web, use the following steps to manually remove the Web name from the list of Webs:

1. In a text editor, such as Notepad, open the Services.cnf file.

   The Services.cnf file is located in the _vti_pvt directory of the server's root Web. Note that this file is different from the Service.cnf file (no "s") which occurs in every FrontPage Web.

2. Find the name of the Web that you want to delete from the list, and delete it.

3. If the web whose name you deleted was in the middle of the list, remove the blank line.

4. Save and close the file.

MORE INFORMATION

FrontPage Explorer is the best file management tool for a FrontPage Web. Do not use a different file manager (such as Windows Explorer) to modify or delete a FrontPage Web.

FrontPage versions 98 and 97 will detect if a Web directory has been deleted with a file management tool other than FrontPage and it will not display the Web in the list of Webs. However, the entry in the Services.cnf and the directory maps on the Web server will not be deleted. For optimum performance, you should delete the Web using the steps in the "Workaround" section of this article.