WOW! Apparently this blank Windows Features On/Off Dialog box is a very well known and wide spread problem. Just start searching for Windows Feature Blank ...

Anyway, after trying various options here is the solution for anyone who encounters this cr*p:

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/03/06/fix-blank-or-empty-list-in-vista-turn-windows-features-on-or-off-optionalfeaturesexe





>OK. It was just a thought.
>
>That dialog really takes forever to fill, doesn't it? (Or not fill in your case). It's even slower than the list of non-system installed programs. It must be churning through the whole registry.
>
>Good luck!
>
>>I thought the same thing :) Turnerd UAC back on, rebooted, tried again but still the dialog remains blank. It dispays the dialog, pauses while it presumabley tries to find the features to turn on/off, then displays a blank list box and the buttons become enabled so that I can click OK or Cancel.
>>
>>
>>>Could this be an issue with UAC? Maybe it only shows Windows features the user is authorized to monkey with. I notice on my Vista machine that the UAC shield icon appears to the left of "Turn Windows features on or off." I have UAC turned off so don't know the full ramifications.
>>>
>>>>Thanks for these links but although I have found the correct dialog to turn Windows features on/off the dialog just comes up empty! Nothing is shown at all, not IIS but also nothing else either!
>>>>
>>>>I'm not sure if that's the way this laptop came installed or what ... might have to install and use Apache instead.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Jos,
>>>>>
>>>>>This might help:
>>>>>http://www.west-wind.com/webconnection/docs?page=_22f0xkbmq.htm
>>>>>
>>>>>IIS is installed on all versions of Vista and Windows 7. I can't remember the details exactly, but I think on Vista Home Basic you can't configure it explicitly. All other versions however do support it and I believe Windows 7 does as well on all versions.
>>>>>
>>>>>+++ Rick ---
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Historically when developing websites I always uploaded my development work to a web server and tested on the web server itself. Then made corrections and re-loaded my work to the web server. If I want to develop a new website on my own laptop then I assume I would need to install IIS on it in order to test how it works. Is that right? If so, is there a downloadable IIS installer package for Vista?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Thanks
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Jos