The Designspace

.NET error: Unrecognized attribute 'targetFramework' on IIS6

I recently had to move a .NET application directory to a new location on an IIS 6 server. When I did, of course everything broke. Among the errors that had to be fixed was this one: Unrecognized attribute 'targetFramework'. This is usually because the application pool is not set to use the framework assigned to the application in IIS Manager. ...

Thread: Changing maxAllowedContentLength

In a .NET application used to deliver quizzes, attempting to import a large quiz from another server resulted in this error: "The request filtering module is configured to deny a request that exceeds the request content length." A second message stated: "Request filtering is configured on the Web server to deny the request because the content length exceeds the configured...

ODBC Driver Error: [ODBC Driver Manager] Driver's SQLAllocHandle on SQL_HANDLE_ENV failed

If you try to connect to an Oracle Database using the Test Connection button in the Data Sources (ODBC) Control Panel, and get the error [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Driver's SQLAllocHandle on SQL_HANDLE_ENV failed, try the following suggestions:...

Installing PHP on Windows: if PHP pages work but phpinfo is blank?

When installing PHP on IIS, I ran into this: in general, php files worked, but phpinfo.php files were not. They were blank when browsed....

Mcrypt extension error after installing phpMyAdmin on IIS

If you install phpMyAdmin on IIS and get the error: PROBLEM: cannot load mcrypt extension. please check your php configuration This could be due to the extension being missing or that it is not listed correctly in php.ini file. Listed below are the instructions from around the web that I followed to get this working:...

IIS error: "The network location cannot be reached.."

If you have change the IP address that an IIS website is pointing to, then find that when you try to restart IIS services you get the error: The network location cannot be reached. ...you may need to use a utility called httpcfg to tell IIS to listen specifically to the new IP....

How to tell what version of IIS you are running

In most Windows applications, the version number is listed under Help > About. For some reason, IIS Manager is an exception. There are significant differnces between versions of IIS, so it's crucial to know which one is on the server. Look for it in the right pane of IIS Manager, under the Version column. The column may be obscured if...

FTP a file from one server to another, automatically

We are using an ASP script to create iCal files from a database, so another department can display the events on their web-based calendar. Their calendar page is outside the corporate firewall. The ASP script needs to reside on and IIS server within the firewall. I needed a fool-proof way to transfer the ical file nightly out to an external...

How to set up an ODBC Data Source for a SQL Server database on a Windows Server

Many web applications require that you set up an ODBC Data Source which serves as a sort of pointer to a particular database which specifies which driver and credentials to use to connect. Here's how to set up one for SQL Server/SQL Server Express on a Windows 2003 server. Select Start > Administrative Tools > Data Sources(ODBC) Select the System...

Add phpMyAdmin to your Web Platform Installer IIS setup

One key item that seems to be inexplicably missing from Microsoft's Web Platform Installer is some kind of front end like phpMyAdmin for administering mySQL databases. It installs one for SQL Server Express, but not for mySQL. Fortunately, it's only a 5 minute job to install phpMyAdmin yourself. After running the Microsoft Web Platform Installer and installing whatever PHP/mySQL applications...

Microsoft Web Platform installer: Drupal on IIS, the easy way.

If you work with Windows servers, then you have probably gotten used to doing without the many opensource web applications taken for granted outside the enterprise environment. Drupal, WordPress, phpBB, Moodle, etc. were all out of reach. Yes, it was possible to install PHP and mySQL, but it took a level of commitment and dogged troubleshooting persistence that few people...

Set up a Cron job in Windows to run an ASP script

If you are used to Linux environments, and working on a web application which needs to execute a function at regular intervals, you'd use a cron job. On Windows, you'd use a scheduled task instead. There is one part of the process that isn't obvious, so here are the steps involved: Create the web page that executes the desired tasks...

Umbraco installation error: The virtual path '/install/steps/welcome.ascx' maps to another application

After installing "Umbraco," you may get the following error: The virtual path '/install/steps/welcome.ascx' maps to another application, which is not allowed. This is because you have installed Umbraco in a virtual directory (not at the web root of the "Default Web Site" in IIS terminology). It is a path problem, easily corrected by fixing the paths in the web.config file....

Umbraco installation error: Unrecognized attribute 'restartOnExternalChanges'

When using Microsoft's Web Platform Installer to install Umbraco on a Windows 2003 server, everything seemed to be going right until I tried to view the site. I saw only this error message:...

Execute an asp function within an HTML page using #exec

While looking for more information on how Server Side Includes are implemented on IIS servers, I ran across the #exec directive. #exec allows an HTML page to run an application (ASP application, CGI script, ISAPI application, etc.) or shell command (this is a security risk, use with caution). The output is then displayed on the HTML page....