Windows Hosting - Best Windows Web Hosting (2009)

Windows-based Web hosting provider uses Microsoft's Windows software to drive its servers. The operating system allows Windows hosts to offer their customers Microsoft-licensed applications and technology like ASP, .NET, Visual Basic, Visual Interdev and ColdFusion.

Windows hosting ensures straightforward support for Websites developed with Microsoft FrontPage. With a Unix-/Linux-based host, on the other hand, you need to make sure the company supports the FrontPage extensions you're using for your site. Other Microsoft applications aren’t supported at all by Unix-/Linux-based hosting providers.

Windows hosting also provides a familiar environment for administering and managing your Website. If you're comfortable using Windows on your home or work computer, you'll find it relatively easy to begin maintaining your site via a Windows-based server.

Windows hosting is the obvious choice if you plan to develop or use a lot of Windows-based applications on your Website. It’s also the better option if you plan to integrate your site with an Access database; you would have to convert your Access database – which isn’t quick or easy – to run on a Unix-/Linux-based server.

Besides supporting your Windows-based application requirements, a good Windows host should also be able to offer other features you might need, including adequate disk space and bandwidth, email accounts, databases, a Web-based control panel, WebMail, FTP access, ecommerce, Windows-compatible scripts and support for applications like Weblogs, discussion forums, live chat, photo galleries and more. A Windows host should also be able to provide you with 24/7 technical help, FAQs and other types of support to help you make the most of your Website.