websiteoptimization.com returns 403 error

[mafiasam]

What's in your /.htaccess file ?

my public html has an htaccess file and it is posted above in my last comment.

the includes also has an htaccess file and that is posted below

# $Id: .htaccess 1105 2005-04-04 22:05:35Z birdbrain $
#
# This is used with Apache WebServers
# The following blocks direct HTTP requests in this directory recursively
#
# For this to work, you must include the parameter 'Limit' to the AllowOverride configuration
#
# Example:
#
#<Directory "/usr/local/apache/htdocs">
# AllowOverride Limit
#
# 'All' with also work. (This configuration is in your apache/conf/httpd.conf file)
#
# This does not affect PHP include/require functions
#
# Example: http://server/catalog/includes/application_top.php will not work

<Files *.php>
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
</Files>
Options +FollowSymLinks

could this be the problem?

[DrByte]

Wow ... how did I miss *that*.
Nothing stands out immediately; however, I would try the following:

1. Check your server's errorlog to find out exactly why the 403 error is being delivered.

2. Turn off the SEO module and remove all but the first 3 lines of your public_html/.htaccess file ... just for a few minutes while you test accessing from WSO site again.

[mafiasam]

Wow ... how did I miss *that*.
Nothing stands out immediately; however, I would try the following:

1. Check your server's errorlog to find out exactly why the 403 error is being delivered.

2. Turn off the SEO module and remove all but the first 3 lines of your public_html/.htaccess file ... just for a few minutes while you test accessing from WSO site again.

Did everything you suggested

1. the error log doesn't show a 403 forbidden error being thrown. it only shows "file does not exist" errors for favicon.ico and some content that was removed from my server months ago.

2.turned off the module and edited the htaccess file as suggested for over fifteen minutes. no change at all.

[DrByte]

Puzzling. Maybe it's following a link on your site and throwing the error that way?

[DrByte]

Does it make any difference after cleaning up your XHTML validation errors ? (granted, they're minor)
http://validator.w3.org/check?verbos...westgames.com/

[mafiasam]

Does it make any difference after cleaning up your XHTML validation errors ? (granted, they're minor)
http://validator.w3.org/check?verbos...westgames.com/

Still nothing. I usually only have about five - the errors that I am forced to include to get my page to display appropriately ( http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49391 ) but I recently added some code to a sidebox and had incurred some additional penalties, lol.

anyways, no that didn't help even when the page was xhtml transitional.

thanks Dr Byte you're like Dr House you'll figure it out i know you will. lol.

[dreamscape]

The web analyzer has probably been banned server wide by your server admin.

[mafiasam]

The web analyzer has probably been banned server wide by your server admin.

i'll check that, thanks

[mafiasam]

The web analyzer has probably been banned server wide by your server admin.

that was it.

according to my tech support

mod_security is picking up their header user-agent as not valid therefore it's being blocked. The internet is a seedy place nowadays unfortunately, and anything out of the ordinary is blocked.

thanks guys

i didn't even think about that. stupid stupid stupid.

[Kim]

Thank you for following up on the problem and letting us know that it isn't a Zen Cart issue after all.