"HTTP 500.100 - Internal Server Error - ASP Error" Error Message When Opening Default Web Site on Local Computer (255650)

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to browse the Default Web Site on the local computer (using either http://localhost or the computer's host name), the following error messages appear in the browser:

The page cannot be displayed

There is a problem with the page you are trying to reach and it cannot be displayed.

HTTP 500.100 - Internal Server Error - ASP error
Internet Information Services

In addition, the following information is displayed in the Technical Information (for support personnel) section:

Error Type:
Microsoft VBScript runtime (0x800A0046) Permission denied: 'GetObject' /localstart.asp, line 19

Page:
GET /localstart.asp

CAUSE

The error messages occur when one of the default documents (Iisstart.asp) for the Web site attempts to load the Localstart.asp file, and the user attempting to access the page does not have sufficient permissions to run the script that is contained in the Localstart.asp file. The Localstart.asp file contains ADSI and VBScript code that accesses the metabase by using the IIS Admin Objects. For security reasons, access to the metabase is restricted to members of the local Administrators group. This behavior is by design.

The error messages occur under both of the following conditions:

Anonymous authentication is enabled on the Directory Security tab for the Default Web Site properties, which causes the user to run the Localstart.asp file in the security context of the Anonymous User (IUSR_ServerName, by default), who should never be made a member of the local Administrators group.The user is logged on locally and is not a member of the local Administrators group.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, disable Anonymous authentication for the Localstart.asp file (the Localstart.asp file usually uses Integrated Windows authentication), and then verify that the user who is logged on is a member of the local Administrators group.

MORE INFORMATION

An administrator can inadvertently enable Anonymous authentication for the Localstart.asp file by selecting the Localstart.asp file in the Inheritance Overrides dialog box when configuring authentication settings for the Default Web Site.

For additional information about the Iisstart.asp and Localstart.asp files, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

246053 Why Default.asp is Not Created in the Default Web Site of IIS 5.0

Additional information about the IIS Admin Objects is available in the IIS 5.0 documentation, which is either installed locally or located in the MSDN Online Library.

For additional information about the metabase, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

240941 An Introduction to the IIS Metabase