Setting up development server

Where is your local PC going to be located?  Also, what version of Windows are you running? Trying to find out of you are running IIS 5.0, or 6.0.

Actually, I don't need that info. Here are some links and guidlines you can follow.

You can start here: http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Installing_Securing_IIS_Servers_Part1.html
Or tou can start here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/security/chklist/iis50srg.mspx?mfr=true
You can download IIS Lockdown, maybe the base analyzer...
Also you can check out here: http://www.iisfaq.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2552

But if your IIS is for development only, why lock it down? by default it should be pretty secure, don't installl Extensions and don't install WebDav.  If in chance the site got messed up from a "hacker", which I doubt, just start a new website, no?  You can point your local website to any folder on your box.

Anyway, there are some links, don't want to lock it down too much because I assume you still want to debug from it.  You could use Visual Studio's built in web server which runs only when needed and on different ports.

Anyway, hope that helps.

1) Visual Studio's built in web server - how do I get it to server the pages located in the local IIS wwwroot applications?

The built in VS browser will run if you create a new website using the File method.  To have Visual Studio open your website using IIS, you need to open IIS, change the Default website to have the Home directory point to where your website file are.  Then in VS Open website and click on Local IIS and default website.
 
IF you want VS built in to open your files in IIS you have to use the File Method. Open, Website, File and point it to the same physical path as your IIS Default website.

It seems from above that when you say VS's built in web server it really is the IIS server that comes with the Windows XP that is being utilized, correct? If yes, then running a webserver on a local PC is an issue. A development server has been created on a remote server. I would need to open the application files, modify and debug them using the remote server because my local IIS server is going to be disabled. Please provide some leads as to how I can do the above.  Thanks

No, Visual Studio 2005 has a light weight ASP Web Server that is seperate from IIS.  You can only use this if you open the website using the File Method.   Can you map a network drive to your Development server with the files to a drive letter on your PC?  Are you on the same network?

Yes, I can map network drive to the Development server with the files to a drive letter on my PC. What do u mean when u say on the same network exactly?

Ok good, so you are on same network.

So do this... Map a drive letter to where the files are on the development server.

Once you have the drve mapped. Open up VS2005 or VS2008 and click File, Open Website.
On the left hand side choose "File System" and then point to where your development files are located.

Open the project. You should be able to now debug/browse website on your local machine using the built in ASP web server (not IIS).  An icon will appear at the bottom in your task bar when it's running.

I get the following error:

You are attempting to open a precompiled website. You can view the site,but changes might cause the website to stop functioning. To modify the site, it is recommended that you edit the files in the original web site, precompile the site and then publish it again.

Hmm, what next?