If I make a change to the file:

%windir%\system32\inetsrv\config\applicationHost.config

and update it with a change resulting in a valid config, will it cause IIS7 to restart and force restarts on all the apps?

I am trying this out with a hot-cloned vm of the server, but like to know if anyone has experience of either of these scenarios, what the expected outcome should be.

Many thanks