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