[cobalt-users] .htacces not working

["Cobalt" <brain_damaged@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

hello
Okay I RTFM or at least the KB stuff at cobalt.sun

I did as they show for protecting a page. ref # 010608-002536

The user wants to protect a directory called admin for a php program.

So I telneted in as admin then su over to root.  (i don't allow telneting
just allow them ftp - could that be it ??)
I went to her directory and did the .htaccess file

#access file
order allow,deny
allow from all
require valid-user
AuthName "ElizabethAshleyDolls"
AuthType Basic
AuthUserFile /home/sites/www.elizabethashleydolls.com/web/admin/.htpasswd

I tried removing the first two lines. I also tried with PAM_Enabled off as
in another KB ARticle.

i did a
htpasswd -c .htpasswd username  ( i also did it with the long
/home/sites/www.elizabethashleydolls.com/web/admin/.htpasswd username)
put in the password
retyped in the password

but regardless it won't except it. just keeps asking for the
username/password.
the logs show no errors (/var/log/httpd/combined-access or errors or
adm_errors)

What have I done wrong or missed ?
thanks
B-d
no errors were spit back at me