Question : Cannot Create or Extend Web Application in Central Administrator.  Receive Error: Access Denied

I have the following environment:
1 SQL Server running SQL 2008 on Windows Server 2008
1 SharePoint Front End Server running Windows Server 2008 with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 installed. (running IIS 7.0)

I can get into Central Administration, but when I click on Create or Extend Web Applicaion in Application Management i get Error: Access Denied in both Create a new Web application and Extend an existing Web application.

I cannot find any way to create a brand new Web application in stsadm.  Can anyone point me in the right direction to get this up and going.  I tried all admin passwords with no luck.  I also made sure the user had full rights to the SQL server as well.

Thanks ahead of time!!!!

Answer : Cannot Create or Extend Web Application in Central Administrator.  Receive Error: Access Denied

Is you sharepoint web app pool running as network service ? If so change it to an account with WSS_WPG group membership and local admin rights on the MOSS Servers and has DBcreator / SecAdmin as a miniumum in SQL.

:-)