Microsoft KB Archive/278946

= PRB: Cannot Create Visual InterDev Project When Local Files Are in a UNC Share =

Article ID: 278946

Article Last Modified on 7/14/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual InterDev 6.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0
 * Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0

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This article was previously published under Q278946



SYMPTOMS
When you create a new Web project in Visual InterDev, you can set the path to the local project files as a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a remote share. However, when you reach step 2 of 4 in the Web project creation wizard and click Finish, you may receive one of the following error messages:

Cannot create a disk-based Web application in ' '. ' ' is a UNC path. You must map a drive letter to this network share to access the web on it using FrontPage.

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Server error: You cannot convert a virtual directory into a subweb remotely. Ask your web server administrator or ISP to do this for you.



CAUSE
This problem occurs because, by design, Visual InterDev project files are kept on the developer's local workstation. When Visual InterDev creates a new project, it saves the information that will be used to dynamically create a virtual directory when the pages are viewed or debugged in local mode.

Although Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) can create a virtual directory that points to Web files on a remote share, it must use a UNC path to do so. However, Visual InterDev requires that you use a mapped drive to store local project files on a remote share. Because of this discrepancy, Visual InterDev generates the above-mentioned error message any time Visual InterDev passes the mapped drive path of the local project files to IIS to create the virtual directory or launch or debug a page in local mode.

When you do use a mapped drive to create the local project files in Visual InterDev on a remote share, you receive subsequent errors and erratic behavior when you work in local mode, particularly when you interact with IIS.



RESOLUTION
When you create a new project, keep the local project files on the developer's workstation.

