525
votes

I want to upload my own asp.net website on IIS with IIS Manager. But when I do this, I get the following error

HTTP Error 500.19 - Internal Server Error The requested page cannot be accessed because the related configuration data for the page is invalid

Module IIS Web Core
Notification Unknown
Handler Not yet determined
Error Code 0x80070005
Config Error Cannot read configuration file due to insufficient permissions
Config File \\?\C:\Users\Yasso\Documents\Visual Studio 2008\WebSites\WebSite5\web.config

I searched many times for a solution for this error, but none of the solutions solved the error.

I have a problem with my IUSR account. I can't see this account in the "group or user names" in the properties of the web.config.

What is the problem?

30
I had this issue after reverting some changes via Subversion (although it could be a coincidence). I noticed that the Web.config file's ACLs were different to other files in the directory and it was not inheriting from it's parent. I enabled ACL inheritance and everything went back to normal.ta.speot.is
My solution was slightly different. On some Windows Server 2008 machines, you need to give access to the "IIS_IUSRS" group, not the "IUSR" user--within the site folder security permissions. Make sure to go to your machine's location.MacGyver
I had this issue moving a site to a server that didn't have the IIS Url Rewrite module installed.ScottE
This can happen IF you've renamed your server. I did this to myself - and ultimately had to just go in (Windows Server 2012 R2) and re-add IIS APPPOOL\SiteName... and that 100% fixed this.Michael K. Campbell
if you're new to deploying ASP.NET Core apps on your older 2008 R2 server, you need to Install the .NET Core Windows Server Hosting bundle - as I learned at this answerbkwdesign

30 Answers

194
votes

The message is saying that your configuration file is corrupt in some way. However it also says that it can't actually access the config file. So I'd ignore the original message about corruption/lack of validity as this is most likely just the effect of not being able to read the file due to a lack of authorization.

The reason it cannot read the config file is because the process running your web app does not have permission to access the file/directory. So you need to give the process running your web app those permissions.

The access rights should be fairly straightforward, i.e. at least Read, and, depending on your app, maybe Write.

Above, you mention IUSR etc. not being in the properties for web.config. If by that you mean that IUSR is not listed in the security tab of the file then it's a good thing. One doesn't want to give IUSR any kind of permission to web.config. The role IUSR is an anonymous internet user.

The file web.config should only be accessible through your application.

The problem is you haven't said which OS and IIS version you are using so it's difficult to advise which steps to take.

I.e. in IIS 7.5, the error message you're quoting is likely to occur due to your ApplicationPoolIdentity not being assigned the permissions. Your web application belongs to an application pool and so you need to give the permissions to the OS account that your web application's application pool runs under. Often this is something like NetworkService but you may have customized it to run under a purpose made account. Without more info it's difficult to help you.

724
votes

This can also happen if the site is configured to use the IIS URL Rewrite module but it is not installed.

462
votes

Finally, I got the solution for my problem. The ASP.net account did not appear in the IIS manager, because I didn’t check its checkbox in IIS. To do this in Windows 7 follow the steps:

  1. Open control panel
  2. Click on “program” link (not uninstall programs)
  3. Click “turn windows features on/off” link
  4. Locate “Internet Information services IIS” in the pop up window and expand its node
  5. Expand the “World Wide Web Service” node
  6. Expand “Application Development Features” node
  7. Check the check box of “ASP.NET”
  8. Then click ok button

Now, you will see the ASP.net account on the IIS manager and by default you will see the IIS account. Now, you should move your ASP.net website from “my document” to another place where the IIS have permission to access it (i.e. to another partition on your computer). Now, browse your website from the IIS manager and it should work.

Thanks a lot for Jeff Turner for the solution.

54
votes

I was having the same problem, here is the solution that worked for me.

  1. IIS Manager
  2. Right clicked on that Website
  3. Edit Permissions
  4. Added user 'IIS_IUSRS' from Security tab
  5. Gave full permissions to User 'IIS_IUSRS'
  6. Set the Application Pool's Identity to 'ApplicationPoolIdentity'
39
votes

For Visual Studio (VS) developers: As hinted at by Harvey Darvey, Savage, and Snives, your Application Host Configuration may be pointing to the wrong application physical path. Search for virtualDirectory within /.vs/config/applicationhost.config to change the physicalPath if it is incorrect.

enter image description here

Make sure the physicalPath is correct:

enter image description here

25
votes

Facepalm alert:

You will also get this error if the path to the config file is wrong. Double-check it to make sure the physical path is entered correctly in IIS.

22
votes

Just to chip in, I received the same kind of error and my problem was quite simple: I was missing the .NET Core Hosting Bundle. Once I installed the tool and restarted the server, it was fine.

You can find the manual to host asp.net core on windows here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/host-and-deploy/iis/?view=aspnetcore-2.2

19
votes

You need to assign permissions for IIS_IUSRS on the local machine (but you don't have to assign for IUSR, in fact it will work even if you explicitly deny permissions).

To assign permissions, just right click on the folder and on the security tab make sure to grant the correct permissions, and if the user is not listed then click "ADD", and enter IIS_IUSRS (and make sure that under "domain" the local computer is selected, or enter in the name field YourLocalComputerName\IIS_IUSRS), and then you are good to go.

If you want you can instead of assigning permissions to the IIS_IUSRS group, you can instead assign to the app pool which should in general be "IIS APPPOOL\ app pool name".

11
votes

The same thing happened with me , Try checking this by double clicking on the Connection strings on the right pane of IIS 7 when you select a website.

It will give you an error (that there is some problem with web config file), because you have used URL rewrite rules and the respective component is not installed.

Install “Microsoft URL Rewrite Module 2.0 for IIS 7” and this should fix your problem

10
votes

Nothing here worked for me, I found this command in another SO answer though and it solved my problem. Just start command prompt as an administrator and run this command:

run->cmd

run "c:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe -i"

Credit: User Vicxx

8
votes

Install ASP.NET Core module

Download the installer using the following link: https://www.microsoft.com/net/permalink/dotnetcore-current-windows-runtime-bundle-installer

8
votes

To resolve this, make sure you installed the hosting bundle.

https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-core/3.1 enter image description here

7
votes

I do these steps to solve this problem in Windows Server 2012, IIS 8.5. Should work for other versions too.

  1. Go to server manager, click add roles and features
  2. In the roles section choose: Web Server
  3. Under Security sub-section choose everything (I excluded digest, IP restrictions and URL authorization as we don't use them)
  4. Under Application Development choose .NET Extensibility 4.5, ASP.NET 4.5 and both ISAPI entries
  5. In the features section choose: NET 3.5, .NET 4.5, ASP.NET 4.5
  6. In the web server section choose: Web Server (all), Management Tools (IIS Management Console and Management Service), Windows
7
votes

Ehm. I had moved my site/files to a different folder. Without changing the path in the IIS website.

You may all laugh now.

7
votes

Make sure you have the application pool set to the correct version of the framework. You'll also need to make sure your aspnet, IIS_IUSRS, or IUSR users have read access to the application's directory.

7
votes

Try installing the 'Application Development' sub component of IIS as mentioned in this SO

  • Click "Start button" in the search box, enter "Turn windows features on or off"
  • in the features window, Click: "Internet Information Services"
  • Click: "World Wide Web Services"
  • Click: "Application Development Features"
  • Check (enable) the features. I checked all but CGI.

enter image description here

6
votes

One other possibility that fixed this problem for me:

IIS -> Edit Permissions -> Security Tab -> Give "Users" appropriate permissions (or IIS_IUSRS, depending on your setup)

4
votes

This also happened to me when I had a default document of the same name (like index.aspx) specified in both my web.config file AND my IIS website. I ended up removing the entry from the IIS website and kept the web.config entry like below:

<system.webServer>
  <defaultDocument>
    <files>
      <add value="index.aspx" />
    </files>
  </defaultDocument>...
4
votes

Sometimes this message has can be missing components in your IIS environment e.g. a particular framework, or an IIS feature like dynamic compression, rather than permissions to web.config.

If this is the case, a solution can be to install and use the Microsoft Platform Installer and install those missing components - you might have to take a stab at what exactly is missing because the error log and message don't tell you.

3
votes

You need to set permission for your Website folder or copy they to wwwroot folder :) - If set permission, have 2 way: + Right click to Your Website folder + Or right click to Your Website in IIS => select Edit permission and Add a permission (IUSR - default iis user) Good luck ;-)

3
votes

In my case, it caused by application physical path point to a non-existent folder in IIS.

application setting screenshot

3
votes

I had the issue as I copied my web.config file down from prod, changed everything not prod related except the Rewrite rules which were rewriting to httpS.

Removed those rules and ran fine.

3
votes

Actually, any missing module can lead to this problem. In my case, it was CORS Module. So read the web.config and seek for any addon module that you specified in it and check that it is installed, or install it otherwise. Unfortunately, the error message does not help finding the problem at all.

2
votes

Pretty straight forward, IIS doesn't have access to your web.config. I'd start by taking the site out of your documents folder. Verify it has r/w permissions then as well.

2
votes

I too had the similar issue and i fixed it by commenting some sections in web.config file.

The project was earlier built and deployed in .Net 2.0. After migrating to .Net 3.5, it started throwing the exception.

Resolutions:

If your configuration file contains "<sectionGroup name="system.web.extensions>", comment it and run as this section is already available under Machine.config.

2
votes

You can get this error if you have a synax error or issue in your web.config file.

For me, it was a stray ampersand in a URL that I was using in the AppSettings.

2
votes

On the IIS 7.5 error page you get click on 'View more Information' at the bottom of the page and in this case it will take you to the following Microsoft link:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942055

The 0x80070005 Error Code seems to be permissions related and following the steps in Resolution 2, Method 2 assigning the correct accounts with permissions on relevant folders should fix it - I spent 3 days looking for a solution until I came across it, worked straight after.

2
votes

got this problem with mapped drives, IIS doesn't work with mapped drives. Just use the unmapped drive.

2
votes

Explore the folder where your website is store and see you will get one extra folder "aspnet_client" delete that folder and it will work for you.

I tried this my problem is solved.

If it works for you please make it as answer so that some body else will also get solution.

1
votes

None of this worked for me, but I finally have a solution which worked for me:

remove this line in web.config:

<compilation debug="true" targetFramework="4.5"/>

don't remove this line

<compilation debug="true"/>