After changing the physical path of my website in IIS 7.5, I noticed the site icon changed to a globe with a question mark. The default tooltip shows "Default Web Site (Multiple Protocols)" even though HTTP is the only enabled protocol. This visual indicator typically appears when IIS encounters configuration issues with your site's binding or physical path.

From my troubleshooting experience, these are the most common scenarios that trigger this icon:

1. Invalid or inaccessible physical path
2. Conflicting bindings
3. Missing application pool association
4. Permission issues on the content folder

First, check if the physical path exists and has proper permissions:

// PowerShell script to verify path
$path = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\mysite"
Test-Path $path
(Get-Acl $path).Access | Format-Table IdentityReference,FileSystemRights,AccessControlType

The icon might suggest protocol conflicts. Verify your bindings through IIS Manager or use this command:

Import-Module WebAdministration
Get-WebBinding -Name "Default Web Site" | Format-Table protocol,bindingInformation

Ensure your site is properly associated with a running application pool:

Get-WebItemState "IIS:\Sites\Default Web Site"
Get-WebAppPoolState "DefaultAppPool"

Even though HTTP might be your only enabled protocol, check advanced settings:

(Get-WebConfigurationProperty -Filter "/system.applicationHost/sites/site[@name='Default Web Site']" -Name EnabledProtocols).Value

Based on my experience, try these solutions in order:

1. Restart the IIS service: iisreset
2. Recreate the website binding
3. Verify the path exists and is accessible by the application pool identity
4. Check for duplicate site IDs in applicationHost.config

Examine the applicationHost.config file for anomalies:

# Location: C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\config\applicationHost.config
# Check for <site> entries with duplicate IDs or invalid configurations

The globe with question mark icon typically resolves itself after fixing these underlying configuration issues. In most cases, the site continues to function normally despite the visual indicator.

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When you modify the physical path of a website in IIS 7.5 and see that globe-with-question-mark icon appear, it typically indicates one of several configuration issues. Let's break down what this visual indicator really means.

The icon transformation usually occurs when:

• The specified physical path doesn't exist or is inaccessible
• There's a protocol mismatch in bindings
• Application pool identity lacks proper permissions
• The IIS configuration cache needs refreshing

Before diving into solutions, let's check your current setup. Based on your provided information:

// Sample PowerShell command to check site bindings
Import-Module WebAdministration
Get-WebBinding -Name "Default Web Site" | Format-Table -Property protocol,bindingInformation

This should return output similar to your bindings screenshot, confirming HTTP is your only enabled protocol.

Let's methodically eliminate potential causes:

1. Path Validation

First, verify the physical path exists and is accessible:

# PowerShell path verification
Test-Path "Your/Physical/Path/Here"
(Get-Item "Your/Physical/Path/Here").GetAccessControl() | Select-Object Owner

2. Permission Check

Ensure the application pool identity has proper permissions:

icacls "Your/Physical/Path/Here" /grant "IIS AppPool\YourAppPoolName":(OI)(CI)(M)

3. Binding Reconfiguration

Even though you only see HTTP in Advanced Settings, sometimes cached configurations cause this icon. Try:

# Remove and recreate the binding
Remove-WebBinding -Name "Default Web Site" -Protocol "http" -HostHeader "yourhost.com"
New-WebBinding -Name "Default Web Site" -Protocol "http" -HostHeader "yourhost.com" -Port 80

The "Multiple Protocols" tooltip might indicate legacy configurations. Check for hidden protocol settings:

# Check all possible protocol-related configurations
Get-ChildItem IIS:\Sites\Default\WebSite | Where-Object {$_.Schema.Name -match "protocol"}

Sometimes a simple cache refresh solves the issue:

# Flush IIS configuration cache
net stop was /y
net start w3svc

If your website functions normally despite the icon, it might be a harmless UI glitch. Many administrators report this occurring after certain Windows Updates without affecting functionality.