My server startup default is File based and I need it to be Com based. Using Web Connection version 7.15. My Messaging Mechanism is COM. Does AutoStartSErver must be True? What am I missing? My web.config file is:

  <webConnectionConfiguration>
    <!-- NOTE: These settings apply only to the Web Connection Managed Module! -->
    <add key="MessagingMechanism" value="Com" />
    <add key="Timeout" value="90" />
    <add key="TempPath" value="~\..\deploy\temp\" />
    <add key="TempFilePrefix" value="WC_" />
    <add key="ComServerProgId" value="Crmserver.CrmserverServer" />
    <add key="ComServerLoadingMode" value="LoadBased" />
    <add key="ServerCount" value="2" />
    <add key="AutoStartServers" value="False" />
    <add key="ExeFile" value="~\..\deploy\Crmserver.exe" />
    <add key="UpdateFile" value="~\..\deploy\Crmserver_Update.exe" />
    <add key="AdminAccount" value="ANY" />
    <add key="AdminPage" value="/crmserver/admin/admin.aspx" />
    <add key="LogDetail" value="False" />
    <add key="ValidateRequest" value="False" />
    <add key="MessageDisplayFooter" value="Generated by Web Connection IIS .NET Connector Module" />
    <!-- Live Reload Settings -->
    <add key="LiveReloadEnabled" value="False" />
    <add key="LiveReloadExtensions" value=".pac,.wc,.wcs,.html,.htm,.css,.js,.ts" />
    <add key="UseStaComServers" value="False" />
    <add key="UseCustomManifestLoading" value="False" />
    <add key="AuthenticationMode" value="Default" />
    <add key="PassAspNetContext" value="False" />
  </webConnectionConfiguration>

Go to the admin page of the server and check to make sure the setting is actually set. Could be you're looking at the wrong config file?

You should go to Administration.wc (latest version earlier go to /admin/admin.aspx then into the module configuration) and check there what the actual active mode is.

+++ Rick ---

I did use the Web Connection Admin page on my Windows2016 server, URL is admin/wc.wc?wwMaint~EditConfig. The complete IIS Module configuration is:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="webConnectionConfiguration" type="System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler,System,Version=1.0.3300.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" />
    <section name="webConnectionVisualStudio" type="System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler,System,Version=1.0.3300.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" />
  </configSections>
  <appSettings>
    <add key="enableSimpleMembership" value="false" />
  </appSettings>
  <webConnectionConfiguration>
    <!-- NOTE: These settings apply only to the Web Connection Managed Module! -->
    <add key="MessagingMechanism" value="Com" />
    <add key="Timeout" value="90" />
    <add key="TempPath" value="~\..\deploy\temp\" />
    <add key="TempFilePrefix" value="WC_" />
    <add key="ComServerProgId" value="Crmserver.CrmserverServer" />
    <add key="ComServerLoadingMode" value="LoadBased" />
    <add key="ServerCount" value="2" />
    <add key="AutoStartServers" value="False" />
    <add key="ExeFile" value="~\..\deploy\Crmserver.exe" />
    <add key="UpdateFile" value="~\..\deploy\Crmserver_Update.exe" />
    <add key="AdminAccount" value="ANY" />
    <add key="AdminPage" value="/crmserver/admin/admin.aspx" />
    <add key="LogDetail" value="False" />
    <add key="ValidateRequest" value="False" />
    <add key="MessageDisplayFooter" value="Generated by Web Connection IIS .NET Connector Module" />
    <!-- Live Reload Settings -->
    <add key="LiveReloadEnabled" value="False" />
    <add key="LiveReloadExtensions" value=".pac,.wc,.wcs,.html,.htm,.css,.js,.ts" />
    <add key="UseStaComServers" value="False" />
    <add key="UseCustomManifestLoading" value="False" />
    <add key="AuthenticationMode" value="Default" />
    <add key="PassAspNetContext" value="False" />
  </webConnectionConfiguration>
  <webConnectionVisualStudio>
    <!-- Configuration Settings for the Web Connection Visual Studio Add-in
       Not used at runtime, only at the design time -->
    <add key="FoxProjectBasePath" value="c:\WebConnectionProjects\crmserver\deploy\" />
    <add key="WebProjectBasePath" value="c:\WebConnectionProjects\crmserver\Web\" />
    <add key="WebProjectVirtual" value="http://localhost/crmserver" />
    <!-- Optional PRG launched when VFP IDE launches -->
    <add key="IdeOnLoadPrg" value="" />
    <!-- The editor used to edit FoxPro code - blank means FoxPro Editor is used -->
    <add key="FoxProEditorAlternate" value="%LocalAppData%\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\Code.exe" />
  </webConnectionVisualStudio>
  <system.web>
    <!-- for Live Reload the targetFramework has to be set to at least 4.6.1 -->
    <compilation defaultLanguage="c#" targetFramework="4.6.1" />
    <!-- ASP.NET Request Limit Configuration for POST buffer and Script Timeout -->
    <httpRuntime maxRequestLength="10000000" executionTimeout="120" requestValidationMode="2.0" targetFramework="4.6.1" />
    <!-- Web Connection Managed Module requires that it runs in FULL TRUST (COM Interop) -->
    <trust level="Full" />
  </system.web>
  <!-- IIS 7 Script Map Configuration -->
  <system.webServer>
    <validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false" />
    <!-- use this on IIS 7.5 and later to bypass IIS default Error handlers for failures -->
    <!-- httpErrors existingResponse="PassThrough" /-->
    <!-- IIS 7 Script Map Configuration -->
    <handlers>
      <!--
        Live Reload for HTML files
        **************************
        For **Development** uncomment the `".LiveReload_StaticHtml_wconnect-module"` below.
        For **Production** comment it so it's not loaded as it slows static file serving.
      -->
      <!-- <add name=".LiveReload_StaticHtml_wconnect-module" path="*.htm*" verb="*" type="Westwind.WebConnection.WebConnectionHandler,WebConnectionModule" preCondition="integratedMode" /> -->
      <add name=".pac_wconnect-module" path="*.pac" verb="*" type="Westwind.WebConnection.WebConnectionHandler,WebConnectionModule" preCondition="integratedMode" />
      <add name=".wc_wconnect-module" path="*.wc" verb="*" type="Westwind.WebConnection.WebConnectionHandler,WebConnectionModule" preCondition="integratedMode" />
      <add name=".wcs_wconnect-module" path="*.wcs" verb="*" type="Westwind.WebConnection.WebConnectionHandler,WebConnectionModule" preCondition="integratedMode" />
      <add name=".md_wconnect-module" path="*.md" verb="*" type="Westwind.WebConnection.WebConnectionHandler,WebConnectionModule" preCondition="integratedMode" />
      <add name=".pax_wconnect-module" path="*.pax" verb="*" type="Westwind.WebConnection.WebConnectionHandler,WebConnectionModule" preCondition="integratedMode" />
    </handlers>
    <defaultDocument>
      <files>
        <clear />
        <add value="default.pac" />
        <add value="Default.htm" />
        <add value="index.html" />
      </files>
    </defaultDocument>
    <!--
      EXTENSIONLESS URL HANDLING
      - Requires IIS Url Rewrite Module 2.0 (Web Platform Installer)

      matches any URLs that do not have a '.' in the path
  -->
    <!--
    <rewrite>
      <rules>

        <rule name="Redirect to HTTPS" stopProcessing="true">
          <match url="(.*)" />
          <conditions>
            <add input="{HTTPS}" pattern="^OFF$" />
          </conditions>
          <action type="Redirect" url="https://{HTTP_HOST}{URL}" redirectType="SeeOther" />
        </rule>

        <rule name="Extensionless Urls" patternSyntax="ECMAScript" stopProcessing="true">
          <match url="^((?!\.).)*$" />
          <conditions>
            <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsDirectory" negate="true" />
            <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsFile" negate="true" />
          </conditions>
          <action type="Rewrite" url="UrlRewriteHandler.pac" appendQueryString="true" />
        </rule>

      </rules>
  </rewrite>
  -->
  </system.webServer>
</configuration>

I don't care what's in the file, it's more important what the interface says is actually running.

It's possible you don't have permissions to read the config file. Make sure the Application Pool Account used has read and write permissions in the Web Folder.

It's also possible you're running the ISAPI extension and not the .NET Handler in which case settings come from wc.ini. +++ Rick ---