Installing and running IIS can be a highly technical topic and a lot of things can go wrong. Troubleshooting everything that can happen there goes w-a-a-a-a-y beyond the scope of this course, but fortunately, Microsoft has made great strides in making it work automatically and seamlessly, especially when you're running a current version of the XP Pro OS.
To check whether IIS is set up correctly on your computer, simply open a browser and enter the web address:
http://localhost/
This SHOULD open the default home page for the IIS web server installed on your computer. If nothing has been updated (for example, if it's a new installation), then you should see a default web page like the one shown on the previous page. (There's good information on this page. Read it!) If you get any web page served by the "localhost" domain, then IIS is running! Another way to check - and something that you should learn how to do anyway - is to open the IIS server administration application. In Control Panel, click on "Performance and Maintenance" > "Administrative Tools" and then start "Internet Information Services". The IIS administration tool should pop open as shown.
