These are the different directory permissions you can apply to the directories you create for your Windows hosting account using the Hosting Control Center:

Read

Selecting "Read" enables anonymous users to view files in the directory through a Web browser.

Deselecting “Read” presents users of your Web site that reference files in the directory with a security challenge. To view the files, users must authenticate into the hosting account by entering the FTP user name and password.

NOTE: You must select the “Anonymous Access” setting in the IIS Settings for a page in the directory to be viewable through a Web browser.

Write

Selecting "Write" enables anonymous users to use your site’s applications to modify the contents of a directory. Select “Write” only if your site’s applications create files or write to files in the directory.

Inherit

Selecting “Inherit” removes the explicit “Read” and “Write” permissions on a directory, so it inherits its parent directory's permissions. When a directory inherits permissions from its parent, the directory’s permissions are dynamically updated when the parent’s permissions are updated.

Deselecting “Inherit” applies the explicit “Read” and “Write” permissions to the directory. When a directory does not inherit permissions from its parent, the directory’s permissions are unaffected by updates to the parent’s permissions.

Reset all children to inherit

Selecting “Reset all children to inherit” causes the “Inherit” setting to be cascaded to all of the subdirectories below the directory. This condition has the affect of removing any explicit permissions that may have been set.

NOTE TO FRONTPAGE USERS: Microsoft FrontPage manages all directory and subdirectory permissions on your Web site. If you created custom directories on your Web site, or you are using another tool to build and or manage your Web site, switching to FrontPage may cause some difficulties. It overwrites all of your directory permissions and may make your site unusable. If you have FrontPage Extensions activated in your Hosting account, you will not have access to the Permissions feature in the File Manager section of the Hosting Control Center.

For information on limiting Web directory access, see Removing Web Access to Directories on a Windows Hosting Account.