htaccess must be empty

[Ivo]

Greetings newsgroup,
I am moving some php scripts to a new host. While getting to know the
server, I ran into a strange problem.

If I add a .htaccess file, or more specifically: a .htaccess with
content, to a folder, requesting (html and php) files from that folder
results in internal server error messages.
If I upload an empty .htaccess file, all is fine. Then phpinfo() tells
me I am using Apache/1.3.27.

Where do I look to see what is wrong, and what can I do about it?
Many thanks, Ivo.

[Adriaan]

"Ivo" wrote

If I add a .htaccess file, or more specifically: a .htaccess with
content, to a folder, requesting (html and php) files from that folder
results in internal server error messages.

So the server admin has probably not given you the right to override the
option that you want to set in .htaccess. If you manage to get into the
error log you'll certainly see an explaination there about which line is
rejected. Any rejection yields a 500 Internal Server Error.

Adriaan.

[Theo]

"Adriaan" <re*@de.solidareit> wrote in news:409e367e$0$139
$e*******@dreader17.news.xs4all.nl:

So the server admin has probably not given you the right to override the
option that you want to set in .htaccess. If you manage to get into the
error log you'll certainly see an explaination there about which line is
rejected. Any rejection yields a 500 Internal Server Error.

If the htaccess option is not available, it should simply be ignored.

I found this on an ISP page, maybe this is it.

When you create an .htaccess file, make sure that your text editor has word
wrap disabled. If you don't, your text editor might add characters to the
file that will cause problems with the Web server which will result in a
non-functional .htaccess file and a 500 server error on your website's home
page. Also make sure that all of your commands in an .htaccess file are on
a separate line. If you don't you will end up with an .htaccess file that
will cause problems on your account.

[Adriaan]

"Theo" wrote

Any rejection yields a 500 Internal Server Error.

If the htaccess option is not available, it should simply be ignored.

Not on my Apache installation. Like if in .htaccess I say

Options FollowSymlinks

when not allowing that from httpd.conf, then I run into a 500 Internal
Server Error.

Adriaan

[Theo]

"Adriaan" <re*@de.solidareit> wrote in news:409e80d8$0$96628
$e*******@dreader10.news.xs4all.nl:

Not on my Apache installation. Like if in .htaccess I say

Options FollowSymlinks

when not allowing that from httpd.conf, then I run into a 500 Internal
Server Error.

could be... im not an expert.

but when I first tried to use htaccess, and it didnt work, I learned that I
had to add the directory to the config file, otherwise it was ignored by
default... as the config file says in the comments. But who knows :o)