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Q202798: PRB: Browser Stops When Calling a Desktop Application from ASP

Article: Q202798
Product(s): Internet Information Server
Version(s): winnt:2.0,4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbASP kbInternet kbMTS kbInetDev kbDSupport
Last Modified: 16-JUL-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0 
- Microsoft Active Server Pages 
- Microsoft Transaction Server 2.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When calling a Desktop Application (such as Microsoft Word) from Active Server
Pages (ASP), the following behavior might occur:

  The Browser (IE4) is not responding at all, it appears to be hanging.

CAUSE
=====

The error occurs because the server is running in the IUSR_computername account
and cannot connect to the window station and desktop of the Internet Information
Server (IIS) process in the LocalSystem account.

The implication of this to IIS applications is that the IIS service has its own
desktop. If your IIS application interacts with a desktop in any way (for
instance, if it displays a message box), then it displays that message box on a
desktop that cannot be seen on the computer's monitor. Similarly, an IIS
application is not able to send or post messages to an application on the
interactive desktop.

RESOLUTION
==========

You can resolve this problem by configuring the server using the RunAs registry
value to run under a user account. You can specify The interactive user if an
interactive user is logged on; otherwise, use a specific user account if an
interactive user is not logged on. If you specify The interactive user, the
server runs in the interactive user's account and connects to the interactive
desktop. If a specific user account is specified, the server runs in that
account and connects to its own window station and desktop.

For example, use the following steps to configure a server to run under a user
account:

1. Run Dcomcnfg.exe.

2. Click the Applications tab, and then click the server.

3. Click the Properties button, and then click the Identity tab.

4. Select The interactive user if an interactive user will be logged on when the
  server is launched, or select This user and specify a user if an interactive
  user will not be logged on when the server is launched. This adds a RunAs
  registry entry under the APPID key of the server.

Make sure that the specified user is given launch and access permissions to the
server.

If you are using a DLL to create an instance of the Desktop Application, you'll
also have to create a Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) package for your DLL,
and give this package the identity of The interactive user if an interactive
user will be logged on when the server is launched. Or select This user and
specify a user if an interactive user will not be logged on when the server is
launched.

STATUS
======

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

Create an ASP page with the following code:

  <%
  Set objWdDoc = Server.CreateObject("Word.Document")
  Response.Write ("Object created: ") & IsObject(objWdDoc)

  objWDDoc.SaveAs "c:\mydoc0.doc"
  objWDDoc.Close
  Set objWDDOC = Nothing
  %>

View the ASP page from a browser (such as Internet Explorer 4.0). The Browser
does not responding at all.

REFERENCES
==========

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

  Q156223 How To Launch OLE Servers from ISAPI Extensions

  Q159311 Instantiating Remote Components in MTS and IIS

Additional query words: kbDSupport

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Keywords          : kbASP kbInternet kbMTS kbInetDev kbDSupport 
Technology        : kbMTSsearch kbiisSearch kbAudDeveloper kbASPsearch kbiis400 kbMTS200
Version           : winnt:2.0,4.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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