Hi,I have a question with regards to ASPNET user on my Windows Server 2008 machine. Why can't I see that user? even though I already installed the necessary features and roles using server manager. I tried using aspnet_regiis -i, still no luck. Unless I manually added the ASPNET user on my local machine and use aspnet_regiis -ga MachineName\AccountName which will grant access to the custom account to Access to the IIS Metabase and Permission to write to the %Windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\version\Temporary ASP.NET Files folder.I know I am missing something here, if somebody can enlighten me on this then that would be much appreciated.Thanks for your time.

Hello, Before we go any further, I'd like to confirm whether the Windows Server 2008 machine is domain controller. If so, this is actually an expected behavior.ASP.NET Machine Account (ASPNET) is created for the asp.net worker process (ASPNET_WP.EXE) used in IIS to support ASP.net. The ASPNET account is a local machine account which only exits on member server which helps to increase security. On domain ontroller, as there is no local user accounts, there is no ASPNET account.More information about ASPNET account: 315158 FIX: ASP.NET does not work with the default ASPNET account on a domain controller http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;315158 Default permissions and user rights for IIS 6.0 (Search for Users and ASPNET) <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812614/> IIS and Built-in Accounts (IIS 6.0) (the ASPNET part) http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/3648346f-e4f5-474b-86c7-5a86e85fa1ff.mspx?mfr=true Best regards, Chang Yin

Hi Chang,Thank you for your prompt response.My Windows Server 2008 machine is not a domain controller, just my local workstation. It has IIS 7.0 with .NET Framework 2.0 in it. We actually have a software in which during installation on Windows Server 2008 it will generate this error: "Error 1609. An Error occured while applying security settings. MY_MACHINE\ASPNET is not a valid user or group. This could be a problem with the package, or a problem connecting to a domain controller on the network. Check you network connection and click R..." This error will not be seen if I manually added ASPNET user to MY_MACHINE. During installation of the OS (Windows Server 2008) and its feature, ASPNET user wasn't added automatically. A series of questions runs in my mind though and can't find good articles over the net about it:- Why is it that when our software is being installed on Windows Server 2003 with IIS 6.0 and .NET Framework 2.0 will actually run, why not on Windows Server 2008 with IIS 7.0 and .NET Framework 2.0? - Is it possible to add automatically the ASPNET user to MY_MACHINE during installation of Windows Server 2008 and its features needed?- Does ASP.NET 2.0 run under NETWORK SERVICE on Windows Server 2008 as inherited from Windows 2003? How come it wasn't installed even though .NET Framework 2.0 is present?Thanks for the help.Regards,Salvy

Hi Salvy, Thank you for the reply. This helps me to better understand the question. Well, on Windows Server 2008, the ASP.NET service runs as the NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE account. ASPNET account is no longer supported on IIS 7. Here is some general background information: "All applications must run inside a process. Under Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 (also applying to IIS 7), ASP.NET Web applications run inside the IIS Worker Process (w3wp.exe). By default, this process runs as the Network Service account. Similarly, under IIS 5.0 (and IIS 6.0 in IIS 5.0 isolation mode), ASP.NET Web applications run inside the ASP.NET Worker Process (aspnet_wp.exe). By default, this process runs as ASPNET. The architecture of ASP.NET allows you to change this default functionality to run more secure Web applications." Please take a look at the following article for more detailed information: http://www.bluevisionsoftware.com/WebSite/TipsAndTricksDetails.aspx?Name=AspNetAccount You can try giving access permission to Network Service account as listed in the following MSDN article: How To: Use the Network Service Account to Access Resources in ASP.NET http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms998320.aspx Best regards,Chang Yin