Finding the right ASP.NET webhost has sure become a lot harder these days. Finding a webhost in general is not all that easy, and the parameters to account for are numerous. I won't get into these in this article, but rather talk about the asp.net specific paremeters.

First of all it all depends on what type of application you want to run. Possibly you need a database, and the choice is typically between MySQL and MSSQL2005. I would not go with a host offering SQL2000, likewise if the host only supports ASP.NET 1.1. It was ages ago, newer versions were out, and therefore I take that as a sign of ignorance/incompetence.

Out of the very personal research I've done I have seen some hosts *only* offering MySQL and I put that also on the negative side. Not only is it a fact that a lot of thirdparty applications will only run on MSSQL, but also I would interpret that as a  sign of ignorance/incompetence as well.

Next, make sure the webhost has a good control panel. A panel which lets you create virtual applications. If possible also it's a plus to be able set the .NET framework version from the control panel. Cause it's so frustrating needing to wait for support. The more you can do yourself the better.

Last - ask the webhost if they are running the sites under medium trust or full trust. If medium trust is used you might face some MySQL problems - be sure to ask explicitly if they have updated the medium trust configuration to allow MySQL. But - plase note that I don't see medium trust as something negative, on the contrary. It's a good plus, as long as you are sure you know your applications will work under it. Please read more here on how to test your web application under medium trust.

Now last - I must say that all these criterias for selecting a ASP.NET webhost are of course very, very personal. However, keep them as a guideline and you might not need to cancel your account after a few weeks after understanding your particular site wont work.