I'm deploying a web app that uses the Membership API. Great stuff. Until
deployment :-(

On my development maching, i run everything from a database registered in
the SQL Server Management Studio. That is, my aspnetdb and a "homebrew"
database for other purposes. In my web.config, I have set up a
connectionstring, and have defined a new provider that uses this
connectionstring. Like this:

<connectionStrings>
   <add name="aspnetConnectionString"
connectionString="Server=.;database=aspnetdb;Integrated Security=True;" />
</connectionStrings>

My provider is defined as follows:

<membership defaultProvider="AspNetSqlMembershipProvider" >
  <providers  >
      <clear/>
       <add name="AspNetSqlMembershipProvider"
           connectionStringName="aspnetConnectionstring"
           enablePasswordRetrieval="true"
           enablePasswordReset="true"
           requiresQuestionAndAnswer="true"
           applicationName="/[APPLICATIONNAME-FRA-DIN-VELKOMST-EMAIL]"
           requiresUniqueEmail="false"
           passwordFormat="Clear"
           maxInvalidPasswordAttempts="5"
           minRequiredPasswordLength="6"
           minRequiredNonalphanumericCharacters="0"
           passwordAttemptWindow="10"
           passwordStrengthRegularExpression=""
           type="System.Web.Security.SqlMembershipProvider,System.Web,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral,PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />
   </providers>
</membership>

What I was hoping, was that this configuration would completely bypass the
App_Data folder. On my dev machine, this seems to work, except that it DOES
create the database files in App_Data - but it still uses my "original"
aspnetdb database that is registered on the SQL Server (not Express).

I coult live with that if it only worked on my production server - but it
doesn't.

So.... how do I use ONLY the registered database on my non-express SQL
Server without ASP.Net creating App_Data folders (and contents) when I don't
want or need it?

Jeppe Jespersen
Denmark