404 Error When Running Web Applications in IIS 7

Today I was getting an annoying 404 (page not found) on any Application in IIS 7 I created.  I was trying to run our .NET 3.5 web application project and I knew everything was setup right in terms of configuring the site in the IIS Manager.  I looked at my hosts file, everything I could think of.

I’d create an Application (right-click the default web site in IIS 7 and choose Create Application) manually as well as tried to create one through VS 2008 (in the web project properties, go to Web tab and select to use IIS and click the “Create Virtual Directory” button.  Both ways you can create an Application in IIS under whatever web site.

Anyway, after all the troubleshooting it just came down to the fact that I did not have the IIS 6 Metabase and IIS 6 Configuration Compatibility portions of IIS installed.  I figured I did not need them because they were “legacy IIS 6 stuff”.  Well you do need them if running localhost.  I guess usually I had installed as I never had this problem before, but probably this time around on this new system figured I did not need it.  Well I was wrong.

Honestly I think it’s just dumb that we need to enable a feature with something labeled “IIS 6” when we’re using IIS 7 and .NET 3.5 WAP projects in VS 2008.  It’s just weird.  MS what were you thinking?

So Make sure you install this when you enable IIS.