i have an htaccess manager, put it in the directory, chmod the directory 777 and after you have protected the directory, chmod back to normal (755?)
i wrote the scipt in 2002, its originaly in Dutch language, i did my best translating but no garanties on that part, its free so use it at youre own risk. I give this file to my clients to protect admin section of guestbooks so it works pretty good but improvements are always welcome.
http://www.wepsite.be/scripts/htaccessmanager.txt