VS.NET Create Web Application Hang

[Keith Jakobs, MCP]

Greetings:

I had seen several posts around the Internet about this issue from a few
months back, but have been unable to find a resolution ...

I have a user who is trying to get started with Visual Studio.NET 2003. We
have uninstalled and reinstalled the Product.... then we did a complete
cleanout of development products, re-installed IIS, and reinstalled JUST
Visual Studio.NET 2003 with Framework 1.1 (no more 2002 edition or Framework
1.0)... and even went so far as to delete his profile and create it from
scratch... yet he still has the same issue:

Every time he tries to create a VB.NET web application inside the Visual
Studio.NET IDE, the environment hangs while 'Initializing offline cache...'
(message appearing in lower left corner of IDE window).

We have tried having other users log on. They have no issue starting the
environment and creating a blank web application. These users include
individuals that have both more restricted and completely unrestricted
permissions (Domain Admins) on the network/domain. All of them can create a
web application in the IDE. We even created a local account for him to
test, even though he has local administrative rights using his own domain
account. That local account allows him to create a web app, but not his
domain account.

As an additional test, this user was temporarily made a member of the Domain
Admins group, which should have no restrictions in our domain. The user
profile was deleted again, and created with the user as a Domain Admin. He
still has no success creating a web application inside the VS.NET IDE.

We do have several Group Policy objects in effect on our domain, but without
knowing what permission or security setting might be preventing the offline
cache from initializing, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to debug
the GPO's (this is a Windows 2000 domain only with no XP nor 2003... so RSOP
and GPMC tools are not available). Also, we have moved both his computer
and his user account to an OU that blocks all policy inheritance, so I am
hoping it is a local machine issue and not a GPO or security issue.

Actually, I am reasonably confident that this is not a permission nor a
security issue because not only does making him a Domain Admin have no
impact - he is still unable to create a new web app with that group
membership - but also because without elevated DOMAIN permissions, he has no
issue creating web apps on other computers that have Visual Studio.NET
installed, which are also on computers that have GPO's applied to them.

Yes, IIS is running on his box, and applications do execute there...
however, we also had problms with even running .NET apps on his system
originally, which is what prompted the complete uninstall and re-install of
the infrastructure.

I know this may be a difficult issue, but I also know from other posts, that
this issue is not unique to our environment. Any help that can be suggested
or provided would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Keith C. Jakobs, MCP

 

[Guest]

Not sure if this will help, but here goes.

..NET 1.x pretty much requires that the user is a local Admin. While Domain
Admin should solve this, I am not sure it is a definite fix, as you can have
specific Policy on the user account that contains a deny, which would
override his permissions.

I do not have the URL in front of me (will try to find it), but there is a
white paper on how to set up a user without making him an admin. I have found
that this works in most cases, but there are still times when policy bites
you and you have to resort to making the user an admin.

Beyond that, here are some suggestions:

1. Set the user up in both VS Developers and Debugger Users. This is a
common sticking point.

2. Ensure IIS is set up properly for ASP.NET. The easiest manner is running
aspnet_regiis /i from a .NET command prompt. You will probably have to be
logged in as an admin to run this.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306005

3. Assume the user's box is not a DC, so you can likely ignore this one:
http://support.microsoft.com/d­efault.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q315­158

4. This one is a bit strange, but happens in some machines (try permissions,
etc., first). The message limit is hit before the final success message. The
solution here is:
a. Run regedit .exe
b. Find the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mi­crosoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Windows \USERPostMessageLimit

c. Change USERPostMessageLimit (DWord) to a value greater than 10,000
(create if not there)
d. Reboot


---

Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA

***************************
Think Outside the Box!
***************************

 

[Keith Jakobs, MCP]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your descriptive explanations, but regretably most of them have
already been tried.

As I said in my original post, because making him a domain admin did not
have an affect, and all users are already local admins of their own boxes, I
do not believe this is a security issue, at least not directly.
Additionally, we have very few deny permissions in use on our network, plus
the issue does not occur when he logs on to other developer stations, and
his computer and user account are now currently blocked from inheriting ANY
Group Policies.

However, we had not previously verified his membership in the two local
groups that you mentioned... upon checking it just now, interestingly
enough, his account is the ONLY one listed under VS Developers, and yet is
the ONLY account that can not create a web application from scratch. His
account is and has been a member of both 'VS Developers' & 'Debugger Users.'

As you correctly presumed, his staion is not a DC, it is a Win2K
professional member station in a Windows 2000 Active Directory domain. We
have already tried the aspnet_regiis /i command and the User post message
limit registry edit to no avail.

We realize we may need to completely resintall his O/S and applications, but
since this is a tax company, and he is the primary web developer, we can not
do so until after tax season. So we are hoping to identify a less drastic
measure.

Please let me know if you (or anyone else) has any more ideas... but thank
you very much for your help!!

Keith C. Jakobs, MCP