Classic asp debugging http 500 error

Question

I have inherited an old set of classic ASP pages.
Pretty basic: Page 1 posts to Page 2... where it errors with an http 500 error. I put this little block at the top just to see if I could even get this far:

 <% 
 '--test
 Response.Write "test"
 Response.End
 %>

Nada - same thing, http 500 error

It's been ages since I've done classic asp, so I've forgotten most of my debugging tips, but mostly it gets down to line-by-line sometimes. However, what I did above should at least display the string "test", but it won't.

Suggestions?

Ok, no sooner that I posted this, I realized my problem. A little lower in the page 2, there is some additional code I needed to comment out. Just terminating the response wasnt enough. — bitshift
Couple of things that would help, want version IIS are you running on and what windows operating system? Do you get a detailed 500 error with a line number pointing to the cause of the error? — user692942

Kirby L. Wallace Kirby L. Wallace · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-21T20:30:33

Make sure you turn on "Detailed Errors" and "Send Errors to Browser" in IIS.

Look in "Debugging properties" in the ASP section in IIS. (Click on your site, then on "ASP", in IIS).

Detailed Errors is turned on in "Error Pages". "Error Pages"->Edit Feature Settings."

Also, in the browser (assuming IE), Goto "Internet Options", then "Advanced", and uncheck the option for "Show Friendly Error Messages".

Classic asp debugging http 500 error

1 Answers