Installing IIS and .NET 2.0

If you are running Windows XP Professional, you can run your own web server without having to download any extra software. IIS is required for running ASP.net applications, and in this tutorial I will explain both how to setup IIS and configure it for running .NET 2.0 apps in your browser.

Installing IIS
Before we begin, make sure you have your Windows XP Professional installation CD. If you received your computer from an OEM who did not provide you with an installation CD, contact them to find out where on your computer the original install files are stored. Two common locations installation files can be found are either a separate partition or a hidden location like C:\Windows\Options\Cabs.

Let's get started:

1. First, go to Start | Control Panel. Double click on the Add or Remove Programs icon:

[ double click on the Add or Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel ]

2. From the Add or Remove Programs window panel, click on the Add/Remove Windows Components icon found on the left side:

[ the Add/Remove Windows Components button ]

3. From the Windows Components Wizard window, check the box for Internet Information Services (IIS). Click the Details button to see more options of what you are exactly installing:

[ the IIS details window ]

4. The default selected options in the IIS details window are good enough, but if you want, you can select all of the subcomponents. They don't increase the total installation size by much.
5. Press OK to close the Internet Information Services (IIS) window, and click the Next button in your Windows Components Wizard window. The installation should begin, and you may be prompted to insert your Windows XP Professional Installation CD.
6. Restart your computer, and you should have IIS installed. You can test whether you have IIS installed by launching your browser and entering the URL http://localhost/.

Well, you have successfully installed IIS. If you want, you can start to upload your HTML files to the C:\inetpub\wwwroot directory where the localhost address points to by default. On the next page, I will explain how to setup IIS to run ASP.net 2.0 applications.

Onwards to the next page!

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