But this doesn’t mean that Windows is the underdog in web hosting. There are several factors that will make you choose Windows over Linux web hosting. Below is a three step guide in understanding Windows web hosting.

Step 1: User Friendly

The advantage of Windows is it is very user friendly. Anybody can do any kind of task with just a click of a mouse. No need to memorize any command line syntax or to resolve installation issues by checking for dependencies like what a Linux web hosting has.

Web hosting beginners can easily understand what their web hosting is up to because Windows web hosting uses a kind of system any computer user will be able to understand.

Step 2: Proprietary Software

There are times when proprietary software is a usually getting a lot of money from our pockets but the real advantage of proprietary software is that there are skilled professionals that made these software to be as it is when it is sold. Which means, better reliability and more stable software for the end-user to take advantage of. This advantage is not usually found in free software that Linux web hosting has.

Although free is good, paying for a software is always better because it gives the developers an urge to do more and go over the edge in creating a high quality software. Moreover, these developers are carefully selected based on their skills and expertise. Compare it to a community of developers, in my opinion, a team of skilled professionals can outrun the community’s dedication and motivation to make a high quality software.

Step 3: Save Time and Money

If you have an operating system that will get you what you want and just plain works, you save time and money in making things work. When I was using Linux for my web hosting before, I got frustrated on the process of installing an application, getting a software that couldn’t fit to what I desire, and wanting the system to just work. The good thing is I made the right decision to switch to Windows web hosting even though I have to sacrifice performance and speed that Linux has.

And what do you know, my sacrifice turned out to be the only way to let me like web hosting again. I did spend a few dollars more than what I had in Linux but now my website worked perfectly well. No more hair-pulling maintenance and teeth-grinding errors for me.

Windows web hosting can be both an advantage and a disadvantage to your website. Make sure that when selecting a Windows web hosting plan, the web hosting provider has the a lot of security features to protect your site from security threats and hacks. However, finding such a provider is not a difficult task because there are a lot of best web hosting companies out there that you can entrust your money and website to.

Starting with ASP

The first language which was offered by Microsoft was ASP. The language makes it possible for the user to view the website regardless of the platform being used to view it through. This is because of intuitive language which recognizes the platform and converts the language to a form which is easily translated outside of the windows web hosting. The only thing which is wrong with it is that it was quickly outdated by the release of ASP.NET.

The Advantages of ASP.NET

Not only do you get a newer language whenever you are using ASP.NET. You will also have the advantage of having something which is faster than the original. The only downside to using this is that it makes it difficult when you have been using ASP. It is not backwards compatible with the original version. By choosing this over classic ASP, you will notice faster speed, more support for programming languages, more functionality and a more refined code. It makes it where those accessing the site will be able to enjoy what they are seeing even more. The good news is that Microsoft offers tutorials so that you will be able to learn the difference between the two and figure out how to use the newest version on your windows web hosting. Find best ASP.NET  Hosting

Even those things that were very expensive before like when Microsoft got into the web hosting industry. Microsoft is a very expensive web hosting option. The operating system alone is expensive and add up that, the applications and components comes with a price too. But today, even with Microsoft and ASP.NET web hosting included, the price is comparable to Linux web hosting.

Here are some kinds of ASP.NET web hosting that is not only affordable, but hassle free.

Shared web hosting
Shared web hosting is a kind of asp.net web hosting where many websites uses one server to get connected to the internet. Each site has its own place in the server to separate it from other websites and prevent conflicts. It is the cheapest kind of ASP.NET web hosting because all that uses the same web server share the cost for server maintenance.

The disadvantage of shared web hosting is that when the web hosting provider is not able to manage shared web hosting well, all websites on that server can get affected. Moreover, shared web hosting has bandwidth limit that when you exceed it, visitors will be greeted with Bandwidth limit exceeded which will be very uninviting to your visitors.

You can expect to get ASP.NET web hosting(windows web hosting) that can cost for about $3 to $5 per month.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)
Virtual Private Server is a kind of web hosting which will let users use a virtual server they can manage. Although websites share the same server, VPS will let you manage your own software, choose the applications to use, and select the operating system you want without affecting other websites in that server.

VPS is perfect for ASP.NET web hosting that wants to define the systems to use in order to make a more customized website. It is also a learning curve for dedicated hosting because it has the same setup as a dedicated hosting has, only that it has a lower monthly price.

The disadvantage is some web hosting providers do not properly split CPUs which can cause drastic performance loss in your website.

ASP.NET web hosting in VPS is about $10 to $30 per month.

Dedicated Server
Dedicated server is a kind of server where you get the entire server yourself without anyone sharing on it. Which means it is not shared nor VPS. This is the fastest asp web hosting there is because nobody shares bandwidth nor cpu with you. It is all yours.

But you’ll do everything from the ground up. If you are a beginner, you will find hard to configure an ASP web hosting in a dedicated server and you may miss components that are important or added some that are not very important at all.

Here are just about anything an asp web hosting have. Feel free to explore any kind of web hosting services if you have the money so you will know what exactly is compatible to your website.

What is Unlimited  Domain Hosting?
An unlimited domain hosting plan is a type of hosting plan which allows client to host multiple (unlimited) websites. The several domains can share the allowed quota of the other web hosting resources in your particular account such as disk space, monthly traffic, FTP accounts, email quota etc. Unlimited domain hosting can have several benefits for customers. It enables you to host and manage unlimited domain names and subdomains within one single website hosting account.

However, having this kind of power has a cost. ASP.NET web hosting requires to be run under a Windows system that will require Windows and software licensing which is very expensive if you think about other alternatives like Linux that you can download online along with its components for free. Other disadvantage of ASP.NET web hosting are:
The web server controls some of the software’s functions which means you have limited control over it.
Windows-based servers are limited due to higher demands for Linux web hosting.

But this does not prevent anyone from not trying ASP.NET web hosting for their websites so nor you should too. Purchasing a product or service indeed has some premium benefits for your website:
You will be greeted with expert technical support teams in case problems arise.
Fewer bugs and errors since the most experienced ASP.NET programmers are only managing and maintaining the software.
You have the freedom to use any programming language you like to develop your website. ASP.NET accepts most programming language for the web.

Classic or ASP.NET
One situation that confuses most developers is the choice between classic and ASP.NET. Should they stick with the usual ASP classic with tried and tested features or should they adapt to changes and learn something new from ASP.NET?

Classic ASP was the first version of Active Server Page. It was a scripting engine used to generate dynamic web pages as opposed to static HTML pages before. Features of ASP are as follows:

• Write dynamically generated scripts VBScripts, JavaScripts or PerlScripts.
• ASP Pages are interpreted, meaning it isn’t a compiled code. Written languages are all read in ASP scripting engine. The code is displayed from top to bottom and the resulting HTML is displayed.
• It is a mix of HTML and scripting with the final HTML written in the browser.
• ASP is not Object Oriented.

ASP.NET is the upgraded version of classic ASP in which it uses .NET with ASP to create pages in object oriented environment using any programming language like C, C#, or VB.NET. Its biggest change, is the integration of Integrated Development Environment, Visual Studio. With that:

• We can create websites and applications using Microsoft Visual Studio.
• Object Oriented with support for Full blown programming languages.
• The code is compiled not interpreted.
• Introduces “code behind page” where the interface is developed in a GUI format and the code is placed in a separate class file “behind” the interface file.
• Drag and drop web development.

There are a few drawbacks if you are used to ASP web hosting, like having to learn .NET framework’s approach which is by far the most useful framework but this also compensated by giving free lectures offered by Microsoft so classic ASP enthusiasts can see the advantage of shifting to ASP.NET web hosting.

• First a server must have a Microsoft Windows license so the server will be able to use other components.
• Next is certain applications to use in a web hosting can cost money too.
• MSSQL needs to be bought.

ASP.NET hosting providers cover those prices by setting a higher monthly rate to customers. There are other ways that we can harness the power of ASP.NET yet minimize our monthly ASP.NET hosting expenses. Here’s how:

• Get the best deals around. You may not know it, but some ASP.NET hosting providers give promo deals every month.
• Go for long term plans. 1 year plans are more expensive than a 3 year plan, you might spend more cash in your initial cost, but the savings of a longer term plan are 50% less than a monthly plan.
• Look for ASP.NET hosting providers that offer Linux and free, open source software. ASP.NET can work well under Mono, a Linux alternative to .NET, MySQL is also a good alternative for MSSQL. Both software can be in par with the paid software that Microsoft is offering.

Cheap ASP.NET hosting won’t yield good results if the company is not in the performance level to use ASP.NET. For a web hosting provider to be at a peak performance, the web host must have:

The latest version of ASP.NET

Updated IIS

Windows Server (They say that Windows 2003 is better than 2008 but compared to 2003, Windows Server 2008 have more features, more efficient, and more reliable)

The web hosting provider must have an SQL server or supports Microsoft Access.

Hardware

An ASP.NET hosting server should use the best hardware to perform the job. A dual core processor won’t be as fast as a QuadCore processor nor will a 4GB RAM be faster than a 2GB ram.

Finally, getting a cheap ASP.NET hosting should also depend on your website needs. Here’s why:

A website that had just started don’t need a special server to accomodate too few visitors, so you can start with shared web hosting first to see how your site will go. Shared web hosting is a type of web hosting where several people share a single server.  Monthly costs for an ASP.NET hosting go for as low as $4 per month.

If your site gets a bit popular and reached your shared web hosting’s bandwidth limit, then it may be time to shift to Virtual Private Hosting. You all share a single server but each have its own virtual server. Which means that it has more bandwidth limit and a more customized server for your website. Virtual private hosting costs about $20 a month.

Most websites do not go beyond Virtual Private hosting so a dedicated server is only optional. Dedicated server costs around $100 per month.

The key aspects in looking for a cheap ASP.NET web hosting is to look not just one,or two web hosting providers, look for at least 10 to get you satisfied. Be weary of the tips I discussed here and use it when looking for the cheapest web hosting for your website.

More User Friendly. Linux web hosts will require you to select the necessary components you would like to add in your website. This may be more efficient if the user is more has enough knowledge about web hosting so he can make his server more efficient, fits exactly what he or she needs but if you are just starting up, or what we call as the average user, you won’t understand anything about it, thus will confuse you. Windows web hosting has pre-installed components made for average and experienced users alike.

More applications. Linux cannot run Windows applications. Most applications that Windows have Linux either has but cannot match nor compete with Windows-based applications, or does not have.

These Microsoft applications and tools have major advantage over Linux:

• .NET Framework is a software framework that runs only in Windows operating system. It has a large library and supports different kinds of programming language. Linux has an implementation of .NET Framework through Mono, but it is buggy.
• ASP and ASP.NET or Active Server Pages is a web platform that helps in creating dynamically database driven websites. Linux servers do not support ASP but has PHP which does quite the right job.
• FrontPage Extensions. Frontpage is an easy-to-use web design program. It will be easier to create websites in FrontPage than in any Linux based applications.
• Microsoft Access Compatibility. Linux doesn’t support Access but they have their own MySQL which is free and open-sourced. Most people still prefer Access over MySQL.
• Microsoft SharePoint. If you use Microsoft SharePoint then expect that this won’t work in Linux too.

Developer Friendly. Developers love Windows server because it is very easy to develop any Windows applications which can be easily integrated to a system without wasting time in utilization because of non-Microsoft applications.

Technical Support. Technical support is very important in web hosting because if something goes wrong, they are the ones we rely on. Linux tech support are either very technical in solving problems or does not have general knowledge in Linux at all. Windows website hosting technical support are skilled and very familiar about the Windows operating system so any questions won’t be left unanswered.

Although Microsoft is expensive, it is nevertheless the most effective, reliable, and hassle-free web hosting solution. You can settle for alternatives and save 20% more if  you like but the service, performance, and reliability is 20% less than what Windows website hosting have. And worst, it will cost you more than what you are trying to save.

Alternatives may be best in most cases but not this time when we want to reach customers in a fast, and more reliable manner.

ASP.NET is a newer version of ASP(Active Server Pages) created by Microsoft to help develop dynamic, feature-rich websites. It is not just a next generation ASP but a new era in web development. The most popular feature of ASP.NET is its ability to use other programming language other than Microsoft-only programming language offered before on ASP.

Pros

Web Developer Friendly

Since ASP.NET is under Microsoft, all the developers of ASP.NET are fully trained and equipped to develop such program. Therefore you may experience minor bugs and better performance compared to open source alternatives.

Another advantage as I’ve said earlier, is the ability of ASP.NET to use other programming language. So developers working in C++, Java or Visual Basic can use existing component to work with their ASP.NET hosting.

Hard Core Programming and WYSIWYG
Developers have the option to hand code their site (hard core programming) or use a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) HTML editors for a faster and easier web development.

Easy Data Management
ASP.NET uses XML for data storage, configuration and manipulation. Tools available in ASP.NET for XML is very easy to use and what’s more you can cache information in the computers memory after it has been extracted.

Backwards Compatible

ASP.NET is compatible with ASP applications. No need to convert is to ASP.NET since ASP.NET can read it. ASP.NET and ASP runs in a separate process so if your ASP application experience problems, your ASP.NET won’t be affected.

Cons

Expensive
ASP.NET is under Microsoft so in order to run ASP in your computer, you should have an Microsoft Operating System. The licensing requirement covers at least five dollars a month in your ASP.NET hosting but as a compensation for that, a great deal for your money because ASP.NET is run and maintained by Microsoft’s top notch software engineers and developers.

The price also adds up to ASP.NET hosting plans. You will see a big difference in price for ASP.NET hosting compared to open source web hosting plans.

Adapting to Changes
If you happen to be developing for ASP for quite some time then you may find it hard to adapt to .NET framework included in ASP.NET hosting. You will have to learn about .NET first which takes up too much time for a similar function as ASP.

Conclusion

Choosing ASP.NET hosting over other hosting platforms can be both a wise choice and a dumb one. You can be wise in deciding ASP.NET hosting if you have enough knowledge and money to cover for the initial costs. It is only a dumb decision if you don’t know how things work in ASP.NET yet you settled for one.

If you are looking for the answer to your question: “Is ASP.NET hosting right for my website?” Ask this question first: “Will my website and my skills adapt the change?”
If not, then stick to your old web hosting. If you can adapt to change then why not try and see it for yourself.

3Essentials

Price: $5

Notable Feature

• Specializes in Windows Hosting
• ASP.NET 2.0/3.0/3.5 with AJAX
• Good support
• MySQL 5
• MS SQL 2008
• Good customer support
• 6 months free hosting
• Free hosting

Our Take

A Windows hosting specialist at a price so cheap? What more could you ask for? And besides, you won’t get wrong with 3Essentials because you can avail of their service for free for 6 months.  Visit 3essentials

AppliedInnovations

Price: $4 a month

Notable Feature

• Host up to 2 domains
• Full remote delegation
• 24/7 tech support
• ASP.NET 2.0,3.5
• MSSQL 2005 and 2008
• 60 Days free trial
• Free $100 worth of MSN Marketing credits

Our Take

60 days of free trial? You’ve got to be kidding! Anyway, this kind of opportunity is a good way to test hosting companies without you spending on anything.  Visit Applied Innovations

IX Web Hosting

Price: $4.99 a month

Notable Feature

• ASP/ASP.NET v1.1/v2/v3.5
• Unlimited bandwidth and disk space
• 15 dedicated ip addresses
• 3 free domains
• $150 free ad coupons

Our Take

ASP is planned to be closed and be replaced with faster, feature-rich ASP.NET. So if you like to be hosted here, use ASP.NET instead of ASP. And what’s more ASP.NET is easier to cope up with than ASP.  Visit ixwebhosting

EasyASP

Price: $4.99 a month

Notable Feature

• MS Access, MySQL, MS SQL
• HELM Web Hosting Control Panel
• Full Power Backup
• 24/7 Support
• 30 day money-back guarantee

Our Take

HELM is a wonderful control panel that is faster, more user frienldy than most web hosting control panel out there. In my opinion, EasyASP is a bit expensive when we compare it to a more featured windows website hosting companies out there. But this is still a good host so giving it a try won’t hurt. Visit EasyASPHosting

Arvixe

Price: $5 a month

Notable Feature

• Award Winning Windows website hosting provider
• Excellent ASP.NET tech support
• Unlimited MSSQL database
• ASP.NET 4.0 hosting; 2,3,3.5 also available
• LINQ/Silverlight/MVC(Model View Controller)
• Windows 2008 server
• Free domain for life
• URL Rewrite module
• 60 day money-back guarantee

Our Take

Now this is what I’m talking about. You got all that you need for a windows website hosting at a price that you won’t feel that something is missing. It’s a great way to try first these feature rich windows web hosting providers and if you feel that you won’t need some of the features then you are free to get your money so you can transfer to other providers.  Visit Arvixe (If you need asp hosting, visit asp web hosting)

SQL

We need SQL in a web host to update large amounts of data in our website. It is a database to store all your information.

MsSQL is a SQL database created by Microsoft. It is not free so windows web hosting companies do not offer unlimited MSSQL databases. Using MSSQL is recommended for small websites.

MySQL is a free alternative of SQL often used in Linux Hosting Accounts. It is free therefore we can have unlimited MySQL database perfect for creating multiple websites.

Remote SQL Management. Most windows web hosting companies do not offer remote SQL Management. This is a convenient feature of SQL servers and should not be restricted.

ASP and ASP.NET

ASP is a programming language to help create feature rich, dynamic websites. ASP.NET is an improved version of ASP. It is created by Microsoft and is proven to be more effective than any other programming language for the web.

ASP or ASP.NET?
ASP or sometimes called classic ASP is an old version of ASP. ASP.NET is a newer version which means there are several improvements like supporting various programming language, faster, more refined code, and improved functionality. Do note however that ASP.NET is not backwards compatible to ASP.

PHP
PHP is a must for hosting your WordPress website in a Windows web host. If you are using WordPress, make sure that your chosen hosting provider has PHP support. Additionally, to run WordPress, a web host must have:
PHP version 5.2.4 or greater
MySQL version 5.0 or greater

Auto Installer. Auto installer is a great feature because it allows you to configure a certain settings with just one click. For example if you are using WordPress then WordPress auto-installer is just what you need to get WordPress up and running in less than 5 minutes.

Customer support

A good windows web hosting company has a great customer support that your problems can be solved in less than a minute. Without a good support, particularly tech support, you will get lost thus it can affect your website’s performance.

Uptime

A guaranteed uptime is 99.90%. The most reliable uptime is 99.99%. Uptime tells how reliable a windows web hosting company is. Your website must be online at all times because when it becomes offline for several minutes, you will lose visitors thus loose money.

Conclusion

These points will tell you how to pick a good Windows web host. Do not sacrifice the price for a service that is below substandard. Always check for web hosting reviews and see how well the web host performs through customer feed backs and reactions. Our best recommendation for windows web hosting is Arvixe. Visit Arvixe