This post was published more than a few years ago (on 2004-10-30) and may contain inaccurate technical information, outmoded thoughts, or cringe takes. Proceed at your own risk.
I found this solution to the problem I was having trying to use .htaccess files in my web server (Apache under Mac OS X Server) to block access to certain spam-dumping IP addresses. I was formatting the .htaccess files properly, and putting them in the right places in my server folder hierarchy. I had even modified my /etc/httpd/httpd.conf file to allow the .htaccess files to control access… or so I thought.
Thanks, This saved me alot of time. Don’t forget to restart the webservice to get it to work.