Flicks FAQ: Test Isapi Filters

Q. I'm running IIS6, and after I install the software nothing works! You pop up a dialog box saying IIS needs at least one request to activate, but I can't make any requests at all. IIS6 just hangs. What shall I do?

A.
First,see this MS Article. (Note IIS5 compatability mode is NOT required for AuthentiX).

Check the application and system event logs for any obvious errors.

If none are found then likely there is a permissions issue, and it's possible you cannot load any ISAPI filters at all.

Microsoft has kindly supplied two test ISAPI filters. One uses MFC the other not.

Download MFCISAPILogCount.zip or NONMFCLogCount.zip filters. Either one will do.

Uninstall AuthentiX.
Manually add the ISAPI filter dll fromt the download above. In IIS Manager, click on the machine name, then right click on "Web Sites", properties. Click on the ISAPI Filters tab, and add the filter dll.
Stop IISAdmin (not just IIS) from Services, then start World Wide Web Publishing Service.

If this filter also stops any requests from being served, then no ISAPI filters can be loaded on this machine.

Very often, the software will run fine on one W2003 server, but not on another, suggesting this is a permissions issue.

Possible solutions:

1) Previously we have found that the C:\ does not have sufficient permissions, "Everyone" should have at least read and execute permissions. Check this first.
It can eliminate a nasty problem with an Application Popup error in the system event log.

Alternatively, try changing the Identity of the application pools.
2) In IIS Manager, click on the machine name, then click on "Application Pools". Right click on each, click on the Identity tab, and change the Predefined account to "Local System".

And this is effective:
3) Yes we (ActiveHost ) have resolved the issue of successfully implementing AuthentiX ISP on our Windows 2003 Server Shared Hosting Platform. The fix was to install the isapi filter and related files in a drive/folder that has full access to the ASPNET user or whatever user that the respective site impersonates to run under.
Initially we installed the software under D:\Flicks or C:\Flicks which did not have the proper permissions set. I got it to work by either installing the software on a drive that we allow full permissions on or on a drive letter/path where we already allowed full access.

If the above does not work, we have to take some more steps:

To identify the permissions problem, we will need several pieces of information.

Collect the system and application event logs from this server. Please have both EVT and TXT formatted logs.

Run the following from the command line:
cacls c:\ >Cacls.txt

From the following article go to the download page and get MPSRPT_DirSvc.EXE. And run this on the server http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;818742
Save the cab file from the following location C:\WINDOWS\MPSReports\DirSvc\Logs\cab

This information should help us resolve the issue.

Next time it hangs, can you run IISState (www.iisfaq.com/iisstate) and post the log. We can then see what is hanging and give some guidance:
iisstate -p

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