Setting up a web server on Windows Vista Business

1

What I want to do is simple. I have two PCs on a home network: One Windows Vista Business edition with IIS 7 where I develop a web site. I want to be able to access that web site from a Windows 7 PC. So far this is what I have:

  • I made sure that I could access the Windows 7 PC from the Windows Vista PC. Network discovery seems to have found the Windows 7 PC and I have been able to access the public files of that Windows 7 PC from Windows Vista in Windows Explorer.

  • I would love to access the Windows Vista public files from the Windows 7 PC. But I explored 'Network' in Windows Explorer that PC doesn't seem to find the Vista PC. This might point to a problem that explains the web access issues.

  • On the Vista PC, I made sure to allow exceptions through the firewall. I have opened the http port 80. I have also selected World Wide Web Services as an exception. I tested different scenarios: setting the exception for all PC on my network, and also for the specific IP address of the Windows 7 PC.

After having done all of that I can't access the Vista PC IIS server from the Windows 7 PC. The Vista PC doesn't respond to the http request.

I have Windows Security Essentials installed on the Vista PC to scan files. Of course, I have the firewall turned on. Other than that as far as I know I didn't specifically install additional security features.

I don't plan to make this web server accessible outside of the home network. So there must be a safe way for me to be able to share this IIS server between the two PC. Is there is step that I was unaware of to have this. The PC are connected through the ISP wireless router. They each have their IP address, and I have been attempting to access the Vista server from Windows 7 using the Vista IP address, e.g. 192.x.x.x:84/page.PHP.

user823527

Posted 2011-08-08T21:57:33.193

Reputation: 415

Three questions, 1) can you load the website from the windows 7 machine by browsing to http://localhost 2) what is the output of this command in cmd (to open command: windows button > cmd > enter) "telnet 192.x.x.x 80" --no quotes and change x.x.x to IP. 3) why are you adding a port "84" to your ip address?

– skub – 2011-08-09T02:17:46.943

Sigh, crross posting FTL: http://superuser.com/questions/320629/windows-7-pc-cant-find-windows-vista-pc

– surfasb – 2011-08-09T06:33:00.467

My iis server has several web sites. I want to be able to access different sites. So I must put the site port in the address to do that. – user823527 – 2011-08-09T17:20:42.230

Answers

1

If you open a port for World Wide Services but place your website at port 84, the firewall is going to block it. It has no idea that you now are also servicing http request on port 84 also.

surfasb

Posted 2011-08-08T21:57:33.193

Reputation: 21 453

I also opened a port 84. Seems like the issue is other security settings on the Windows Vista pc. I just am looking for tips about what else to look at, I haven't been dealing with Windows security. – user823527 – 2011-08-09T17:19:19.907

For a simple HTML webpage, all you need to do is change the port on IIS and open a firewall port. No other security. What kind of webpage do you have? How did you make it? – surfasb – 2011-08-10T06:10:30.613

Asked: 2011-08-08T21:57:33.193

Viewed: 384 times

Active: 2011-08-21T02:38:30.110