Error Running Node JS in IISExpress and IISNode

I recently started exploring Node.js while following TekPub’s Backbone JS tutorials, which utilized Node for the backend. Following along with the instructor’s use of WebMatrix on Windows 8, I encountered an error upon first attempting to run the site via IISExpress and IISNode.

The Error

The iisnode module is unable to start the node.exe process. Make sure the node.exe executable is available at the location specified in the system.webServer/iisnode/@nodeProcessCommandLine element of web.config. By default node.exe is expected to be installed in %ProgramFiles%\nodejs folder on x86 systems and %ProgramFiles(x86)%\nodejs folder on x64 systems.

The Solution

Upon examining the web.config file, I found a commented-out section containing various IISNode configuration options, including nodeProcessCommandLine — the path specification for node.exe. Although the path appeared correct on my 64-bit system, IISNode still refused to initialize.

Research on StackOverflow revealed a known bug where IISNode consistently searches for Node in the 32-bit Program Files (x86) directory path, regardless of system architecture or configuration settings.

The resolution was to download and install the 32-bit version of Node.js from the official Node website rather than using the default 64-bit installation. This resolved the issue immediately.

It was surprising that this problem wasn’t more widely documented, given that the default Node.js download targets 64-bit systems.