IIS is useful for website testing and hosting.
Setting up a test website can be accomplished using a feature of Windows called "Internet Information Services (IIS)." IIS allows you to host a local or Internet-connected site on your computer. It is useful for setting up a test website to view over a local network before publishing to the Internet. You can also use it to test network settings with the default website, by viewing it on a different computer.
Instructions
1. Click "Start," "Control Panel" and "Programs." Click "Turn Windows features on or off" under the heading "Programs and features."
2. Check the box to the left of "Internet Information Services" and press "OK." Wait for the feature to be installed. Insert the Windows installation disc into the computer if prompted.
3. To view the default IIS site, open your web browser and enter "http://localhost/." This page will only be accessible after installing the IIS feature. Open the IIS management console by clicking the "Start" button, typing "inetmgr" in the search box and selecting the result.
4. Press the arrows next to your computer name and "Sites" to expand these items.
5. Switch to "Content view" using the button at the bottom of the window. These are the files in the default site.
6. Click "Explore" on the right to go to the folder containing the files for the site. Modify the files in this directory to change the default site and set up a test site.
Tags: default site, Information Services, Internet Information, Internet Information Services, your computer