You receive a "Server Error in '/' Application. Access to the path <path> is denied" error message when you log on to Windows SharePoint Services 2.0

When you try to log on to Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 after you install Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 on a domain controller, you receive an error message that appears after you type your user name and password three times. The error message may be similar to the following: You receive this error message even though you use the correct user name and password.

Note You may encounter similar symptoms when you access the following sites in Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003:

This issue occurs if Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 and ASP.NET are installed on the server before the server is promoted to a domain controller. This issue occurs if the following conditions are true, in the order that they are presented in:

1. You install IIS 6.0 and ASP.NET on a member server.
2. You use the Dcpromo.exe tool to promote the member server to a domain controller.
3. You install Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 on the domain controller.

In this situation, the Network Service group does not have sufficient permissions to the Temporary ASP.NET Files folder on the domain controller.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of ASP.NET that you are running.

ASP.NET 1.1

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Switch to the Drive:\Windows\Microsoft.Net\Framework\v1.1.4322 folder. In this folder, Drive is the drive where Windows is installed. To do this, type the following line at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
   cd Drive:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v1.1.4322
3. Add the appropriate permissions to the Network Service group for the Temporary ASP.NET Files folder. To do this, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   aspnet_regiis -ir
   Note For more information about the difference between the -ir command-line option and the -i command-line option, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k6h9cz8h(vs.71).aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k6h9cz8h(vs.71).aspx)
4. Type exit, and then press ENTER to quit the command prompt.

ASP.NET 2.0

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Switch to the Drive:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 folder. In this folder, Drive is the drive where Windows is installed. To do this, type the following line at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
   cd Drive:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
3. Add the appropriate permissions to the Network Service group for the Temporary ASP.NET Files folder. To do this, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   aspnet_regiis -ir
   Note For more information about the difference between the -ir command-line option and the -i command-line option, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k6h9cz8h(vs.71).aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k6h9cz8h(vs.71).aspx)

To avoid this issue if you plan to install Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 on a domain controller, make sure that you promote the server to a domain controller before you install IIS 6.0 and ASP.NET.