Error Message: HTTP/1.0 500 Server Error (-2146893048)

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.0, 3.01 for Windows 95
• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.0, 3.01 for Windows NT 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you use Internet Explorer to browse a restricted folder on an Internet Information Server (IIS) 2.0 server, you may receive the following error message:

   HTTP/1.0 500 Server Error (-2146893048)

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the IIS 2.0 server is using Windows NT Challenge\Response (NTLM) authentication. Internet Explorer is not correctly handling the NTLM authentication.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1

Click the Refresh button on the Internet Explorer toolbar every time you request a document that is located in a restricted folder.

Method 2

Type the URL address for documents that are located in a restricted folder with a trailing slash. For example, type:

   http://www.microsoft.com/

Method 3

If none of the other methods is acceptable, you can configure your IIS 2.0 server to use only Basic authentication. Basic authentication does not exhibit the symptoms described in this article. For information on how to configure your IIS 2.0 server to use only Basic authentication, consult the administrator of the server, or view the IIS 2.0 server documentation.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Internet Explorer listed above. Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

When an address for a folder on an IIS server is typed without a trailing slash, the server redirects the request to include the trailing slash. The NTLM authentication is accepted the first time that Internet Explorer accesses the server, but it is not maintained for the second access that results from the redirection.