IIS 7.5 HTTP 500.19 Internal Server Error Config invalid

Question

I am using Windows 2008 R2 with IIS 7.5 and have mapped the source of my website to a network drive. When I do, the below error occurs. When pointing to the local c: drive the website works.

Error Summary
HTTP Error 500.19 - Internal Server Error
The requested page cannot be accessed because the related configuration data for the page is invalid.

Detailed Error Information
Module  IIS Web Core
Notification    Unknown
Handler Not yet determined
Error Code  0x80070003
Config Error    Cannot read configuration file
Config File \\?\H:\ExcelAutomation\1.0\src\docs\web.config
Requested URL   http://vmwws085381.msad.ms.com:80/index.html
Physical Path   
Logon Method    Not yet determined
Logon User  Not yet determined

Config Source
   -1: 
    0: 

Answer 1

The solution for me was to open up IIS, click on my site, and under Advanced Settings change the physical path to the network share like \\server\share\.. instead of using the mapped drive.

Original source that helped me arrive to this solution is here: http://forums.iis.net/t/1157959.aspx

Answer 2

Another cause is not having the URL Rewrite Module installed if your web-app references this in the associated Web.config file – this is detailed in this Stack Overflow Question

Answer 3

1. The IIS server and the server with the shared folder must each have an account with the exact same username and password. Make sure this account has "Read & Execute", "List folder contents", and "Read" access to the shared folder.
2. Connect within IIS using UNC. (E.g., add a virtual directory to the site; enter an Alias; enter the physical path as \servername\foldername; click "Connect As..."; choose "Specific User"; click "Set..."; enter the user name and password referenced in step 1.) Current versions of IIS do not support mapped drives. Don't waste your time trying to make them work.

Also, make a big mental (or written) note for yourself and other administrators: If you ever change the password for that account, do it on both servers and within the IIS connection.

Answer 4

For someone who is getting this error on your local system, it can happen when you share code across multiple servers or copy an existing project to a new location and it's virtual directory path still refers to an older path.

This happened to me as I was sharing a project on a Google drive and was accessing it from 2 different systems. (I know, Should've used version control system)

Solution:

Right click on the project >> Web >> Create virtual directory

It will probably show a prompt. Select Yes and you are done.

Answer 5

The main reason behind this error is the physical path i.e web site folder cannot be under the users folder, desktop folder, or any related folder. If it's there, move it or place it on other drive and try again.