Why do I get "Unrecognized attribute: 'xmlns' in web.config"

If you get this error message, it may be that IIS is not configured to use ASP.NET 2.0. To fix this problem, follow these steps:

  1. Launch Internet Information Services from Control Panel's Administrative Tools.

  2. In the left panel, drill down to Default Web Site (or the site you're using as your default).

  3. Right click the Site icon and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

  4. Select the ASP.NET tab. In the ASP.NET version combo box select ASP.NET version 2.0.xxxx

  5. Click OK to save changes, then Restart IIS.

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