64 bit applicationHost.config and 64 bit version of notepad ++

David Hubbard

I am wondering if anyone else has experienced an issue with notepad ++ and the applicationHost.config.

I edited the applicationHost.config on one of our app servers with notepad ++

I was troubleshooting an issue with a hangfire process, and was opening applicationHost.config over several days (after making the edits).

Finally, as a last ditch effort, I closed applicationHost.config in notepad ++ and closed notepad ++

Then I went directly to C:\Windows\System32\inetserv\config and re-opened the applicationHost.config file.

None of the edits I had made in notepad ++ (over the last couple days) were actually there.

It looked like the applicationHost.config reverted, but I am wondering if the changes were ever made (?)

I was literally just staring at the edits seconds before…

It there something weird with this file?

Thanks so much,

-David

Alan Kilborn

@David-Hubbard

Sounds like you might be encountering Windows system file redirection effects?

PeterJones

@David-Hubbard ,

As @Alan-Kilborn suggested, I too was thinking the File System Redirector. But it shouldn’t have come into play if you were really using 64-bit Notepad++, because from that, it should see the real C:\Windows\System32 rather than a redirected one.

You may want to look at all of

%WinDir%\system32\inetserv\config – if you’re really in a 64-bit app, then system32 will point to the real system32, otherwise it will actually point to the syswow64
%WinDir%\syswow64\inetserv\config – this points to the 32-bit folder
%WinDir%\sysnativ\inetserv\config – sysnative should only exist if you’re on a 32bit application in a 64bit OS

look at the last-changed dates on all of those, and see where your real changes went.

Also, maybe look to see if your user account has write permission to those folders.

Also, if some other app has access to applicationHost.config (like IIS), it may be that the other app is re-writing the file after you’ve saved it in Notepad++. (And is IIS, or your other app that uses that file, really a 64-bit app? Sometimes, MS or your IT group, will surprise you – at work, we’ve had 64-bit OS for years, but they still always install 32-bit Office 365 … go figure).

David Hubbard

Thank you for taking some time to offer these suggestions.

I certainly thought with the 64 bit version, this wasn’t an issue (I checked it before I posted after reading some into File System Redirector).

I will absolutely go look at the last-changed dates on all of those.

I have write permissions, thanks for making it a point.

We do have a hangfire “monitoring tool” that I fired off earlier today,… and it’s a good thought that perhaps it or IIS re-wrote the file after I saved it in notepad ++.

Truly Alan and Peter both…

Thank you~!

-David