Simple Howto needed on setting permissions in IIS5.0

I'm running winxp pro and want to run a webserver, (I do have windows 2003 server to install if needed), I know how to install IIS and create virtual directories. I have already purchased a domain name, and know how to setup domain forwarding, and sub-domain creation, at the moment my domain name is parked. I also have an account at a free dns provider, and know how to setup a host name to point to my pubic ip address, anyway, that's not the problem, the problem is, I would like to be able to setup IIS as a webserver (with full frontpage extension support) with permissions set for public browsing, from either inside or outside the network, and the running of php,cgi,asp,and ssi scripts, but to publish a wesite via frontpage, a username and password would be required, any website that I (the administrator) created and published via frontpage must have it's permissions inherited from previous site creations, for example, if I created a website called 'mysite' and published it to the webserver, it's permissions would have the same settings for public browsing and script executions, from the previous site(s), but would require the use of a username and password to publish to, that means, anyone that tries to publish to the webserver is required to login, thus making it impossible for internet users to try to change the web pages via publishing software.

I have tried every imaginable permutation of security settings, from either access permissions of the website folder, to trying various settings from with in IIS, but nothing works, it's either allow full access (read/write/exe etc etc), or login when either browsing or publishing.

Everytime I change a settings I have to un-install IIS, remove the inetpub folder, then re-install IIS with its default settings. I don't want to use the default 'inetpub/wwwroot/' folder I would like to be able to have a seperate folder for the root, but have sub-folders for all created websites, within that root, and every one, must have the same permissions as explained above, 1 username, 1 password, to publish to the server, regardless of how many virtual directories have been created.

For example, (hyperthetically) I have 12 virtual folders created, and I (but nobody else) want to publish to 'testweb' I would use http://mydomain.com/testweb in the fp publish dialog, then fp would ask for a username and password, but if I (or anybody else) were to enter http://mydomain.com/testweb into internet explorer I/they would see the main page without asking for login details.

Simply, to browse=no login, to publish=login, how can this be done? The same principle as internet hosting services, browse the pages, no problem, publish edit pages, login required.

If anyone has winxp and can setup my webserver through remote assistance, they are quite welcome to do so, send me a pm with your email address, and I'll send you the assist request.

If you have Windows 2003 Server available I would strongly suggest using it over Windows XP.
2003 has many advantages over XP, with the main points being IIS6 and the fact that it's an
actual Server Platform unlike XP.

IIS6 also fixed almost all of the issues related to IIS5, so I believe you'll be much happier with 2003.

Take a look here for IIS5 permission settings information

http://www.google.com/search?source...microsoft%2Ecom

I have just installed windows server 2003, but I still can't figure out how to setup the permissions as I posted earlier.

I looked at the documentation layed out in the microsoft support pages, but there's nothing there about what I want to do.

To put things simply, I learn by example and step-by-step instruction, the web pages must have read access, but at the same time, any attempt to write to the web site (publishing, adding pages, or adding another web site using frontpage, for example) would require a login.

Example, a website has just been created using frontpage, on a local folder, to publish this website, I would click on 'publish' then enter the address of the server, http://mydomain.com/mysite (if using virtual folders), if the permissions have been set right, frontpage should ask for a username and password, and when the website has been published, it can be viewed from the internet without changing any permission or any login needed. It can be done, because various web hosting services use the same principle, netfirms is one of them, after signing up for a free account, one would use frontpage or any other site creation software, to create the website locally, then when one publishes it to the netfirms server, one would have to enter their username and password, but to view that website, one justs enters http://subdomain.netfirms.com into internet explorer and no login is needed, and that's how I want my web server to be, to browse the website requires no login, but to write to the web site, requires login.

Can this be explained in the most simplest of terms? where to click?, what to enter in dialogs that popup?, etc etc.