w3wp crashes when starting debug in VS 2005

Question

I know there were a couple similar questions, but none solved my problem.

This issue just started within the last couple of days. I don't always hit VS everyday, so I can't say for sure when it began.

When I start debugging, the app loads in IE, but the w3wp process dies with the message

"The program '[9252] w3wp.exe: Managed' has exited with code 0 (0x0)."

I'm running Vista and debugging on IIS 7 (local machine). VS 2005. This is not a new environment. Everything had worked for months before this issue began.

I've Googled and found a number of solutions. I tried messing with the Process Model settings in the app pool. I tried changing the app pool. I've dug through all the settings of VS I could find that seemed applicable. I am running as administrator. Also, I run VS 2008 as well, and that is working fine.

Update: I tested another app and also had a problem. Though that app was configured to debug on the native VS web server (I forget what it's called off the top of my head), so the error is

The program [7192] 'WebDev.WebServer.EXE: Managed' has exited with code 0 (0x0).

Answer 1

This can happen if a stack overflow (no pun intended) occurs in your application. Stack overflows are usually caused by infinite recursion in your code.

Answer 2

After about 8 hours of wasted time, I can answer my own question. It's an issue with VS2005/IE8. They, for whatever reason, do not play nice together. I uninstalled IE8 and everything is working fine.

I know Microsoft is a big company, but some interdepartmental communication and testing would be awesome.

Answer 3

I was having this same problem.

According to this Microsoft list of Visual Studio 2005 issues on Microsoft Vista, there are two requirements to fix this issue:

1. Start Visual Studio with Elevated Administrator Permissions
2. Make sure that the IIS 6 Compatibility Layer for IIS 7 is installed

The IIS 6 Compatibility components can be added by going to the Control Panel, selecting Programs and Features, and clicking Turn Windows features on or off. Make sure to check the IIS 6 Management Compatibility components under Internet Information Services.

Once I installed these components and rebooted I was able to debug.

EDIT: I still find that the process dies on my from time to time if I have other Internet Explorer browser windows open. Therefore, I have to make sure that the only Internet Explorer window that is open is the one that is debugging my Visual Studio 2005 code. I use FireFox to browse the web in parrallel if I need to.

Answer 4

I had the same problem since an update from latest weeks.

But solved by simply open the develompment tools and set the browser mode to ie7.