Is there any way via CA in WSS 3.0 to limit access to a top level site and all subsites to just the Site Collection Owner and no one else? I am not going to be able to go to all 543 subsites throughout and change their permissions and all settings I have tried in CA takes away all access, even to the Site Collection Admin. Thank you in advance for your assistance.- Thank you. Respectfully, Janette M. Ricker

I believe their is no way to block all user from a site collection other then the site collection admin. You only few options: 1) from central admin block your website then no one will able to access it.But in this way you site collection admin also dont have rights on it. 2) You can backup your current site collection, then restore it in your test envirnoment, after making changings move this site collection from the Test to Production. Once you take the back of your current site collection then locked that site. 3) put your users into the groups, once they all in the groups then you easily manage the permision of the group rather then indiviuals. hope this help thanks -wsSharePoint administrator, MCTS,MCITP

Of course you can grant Limit Access to All sites via CA in WSS 3.0.SharePoint Gardener in China

Thank you waqas105 for the suggestions. Unfortunately we do not have the ability to do any of these. Most of our users are in groups, the issue is there are over 500 of these SharePoint groups and I cannot create a SharePoint group and put SharePoint groups in it. - Thank you. Respectfully, Janette M. Ricker

Thank you SharePoint Gardener. Our need is to block all access to the sites except for the Site Collection Admin so upgrade and testing can happen without end user interference.- Thank you. Respectfully, Janette M. Ricker