Permissions Snafu?

[LJK]

Hi -
Have been running XAMPP (basic package) version 1.5.5 on a WIN XP for a couple of months now and am very pleased - thanks!
Only one problem so far [even survived a Joomla install/site] and can't figure-out how to fix it:

Have a .cgi guestbook [asgbv3] that I've used online a couple of times but the local install has been a pain.
Other scripts seem to be okay [755 perm's on the cgi-dir but not on the .cgi or .pl scripts, themselves] and this goes fine, too - up to a point.
It'll let me change the .html, .css, etc. and most of the config. info. & maintains them but flops at saving the paths config. kept in asvars.dat. Have written to the author but they weren't that familiar w/ running scripts locally and seemed flummoxed.

It needs a min. of 755 permissions to be able to write all files. [Supposedly on WIN that shouldn't matter - even with Apache?] It creates all 'supplementary' files just fine but won't save certain data - so when you go to post a msg. in the G-bk. it loses the smiley images and returns an error "You've already posted 1 time today. We only allow 2 posts per day." or somesuch.

When I use FTP that owns the files, and when I drag and drop the comp. user does, so neither can change permissions...egads *why* would it matter with this one script? Should I try the author again or just pluck all of my hair out; one by one?

Any leads?
I'd be grateful,

El