ASP.Net error: “The identity of application pool is invalid”

Question

My ASP.Net web service cannot run because the application pool is unable to start due to the identity crisis it\'s experiencing.

The user I\'m using in the app pool is a

Answer 1

Another way this can happen is if you have CGI scripts. By default, CGI scripts run as the Windows user accessing the web site. In order to run your CGI scripts under a specific account, account you need an extra step:

IIS 7+

Go to the CGI section in your web site's config in inetmgr.exe. Set impersonation to false.

IIS 6

Run these commands as an administrator:

cd \inetpub\adminscripts
cscript.exe Adsutil.vbs SET W3Svc/CreateProcessAsUser false

Next step: get your IT department to upgrade all of your WS2003 machines...

Answer 2

I had this same issue and fought with it for quite a while. After attempting many different solutions, I uninstalled and reinstalled IIS. After rebooting the server, everything was fixed.

Answer 3

Try running the following command in the C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 folder:

aspnet_regiis -ga <your_app_pool_user>

For more info on configuring a user account to use as an application pool identity see the following article:

How To: Create a Service Account for an ASP.NET 2.0 Application (MSDN)

Answer 4

The app pool user account might be locked out.

Answer 5

Posting a simple answer for completeness because I was getting the same error but what fixed it for me was to include the domain with the username when setting the identity. The user was a valid domain user and a user for the server and I added it to the IIS_ group manually but no dice until I tried adding the domain as a prefix, e.g. "us\svc-myAccount".

Answer 6

Having had this issue before and not being able to track the reason I sympathise! Some pointers that might help:

• Check the password is correct (sorry has to be said)
• Use a new app pool in which no other website is running
• Ensure that you have run aspnet_regiis -ga to set up the required permissions

If all else fails: - Stop the app and delete the app pool - Delete the user - Re-create the user - Run aspnet_regiis -ga - Set up a new app pool running under this user - Run the site under this pool That along with copying and pasting the complex password I was using worked for me!