.htaccess doesn't work for password protection

[glorp]

My brain is Killing me from trying to solve this problem,
I am using masndrake 10.1, Apache 2.052..The server is up and running, I even have cgi and perl capabilities, but for the life of me I can't get .htaccess to work to password protect my members area.I have gone through a million forums and practically read the apache docs cover to cover looking for a solution, everything is configured right and it still doesn't work, I have even gone as far as to double-check my httpd.conf 5000 times, double check directory and file permissions, you name it I've tried it, I think at this point it has to be something so rediculously easy that I have psyched myself out and there is just no way I'm going to find the glich, Does anyone have any suggestions at all? Please please help!
Chip
<snip>

[edited by: jdMorgan at 3:35 am (utc) on Jan. 11, 2005]
[edit reason] No sigs/email, please. See TOS. [/edit]

[valder]

Hi,

did you read apache's how-to?
It tells you what to do in details.
[httpd.apache.org...]

Cheers :)
-Eivind

[glorp]

Yes and I have an .htaccess file configured corectly as well as an .htpasswd file all configured correctly with the proper directives in httpd.conf, as I said I have gone through everything multiple times, the only thing I have yet to fully resolve is if mod_auth is installed and loading when apache starts I do have a web interface called webmin which I have been using to check of all my modules are loading and it says it is.Also I did a check through my terminal using the apachectl command and it says it's there and working.Apache documentation says it's installed and loaded by default.My httpd.conf syntax is correct....everything is correct and it should work and doesn't.I need to crash I'll get back to it tomorrow, but thanks for your suggestion, maybe a fresh approach in the AM will help..
peace...