Also give output of "ls -l /path/to/dot/htacess/file"
AllowOverride None^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Change above to AllowOverride AuthConfig
Aren't these parameter required when using .htaccess file. Are these
AuthUserFile /mount/repositories/av1984_apache_authfile
Suggest you rename it to .av1984_apache_authfile otherwise to prevent
others gaining access to this file by giving the full path.
Arun Khan