FTP Access stopped working on Windows Server 2012

Question

In the process of adding a new FTP user on my dedicated 1and1 server, I somehow blew out the access for myself (FTP ONLY) on that very server.

I'm getting, in IIS manager, that port 21 is already being used. I have NO FTP site under the "sites" folder in IIS, but rather FTP running for each individual site I work on.

The FTP Auth is set correctly and the Basic Authentication is DISABLED as it was when I first installed FTP. The service is running and under server manager, it shows no problems in the event logs except this:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
    <System>
        <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-IIS-IISManager" />
        <EventID Qualifiers="0">1106</EventID>
        <Level>2</Level>
        <Task>0</Task>
        <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
        <TimeCreated SystemTime="2014-09-06T01:16:12.000000000Z" />
        <EventRecordID>8559085</EventRecordID>
        <Channel>Application</Channel>
        <Computer>346536345345349</Computer>
        <Security />
    </System>
    - <EventData>
        <Data>IISWMSVC_AUTHENTICATION_UNABLE_TO_READ_CONFIG An unexpected error
            occurred while retrieving the authentication information. 
            Exception:System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Filename:
            \\?\C:\Windows\system32\inetsrv\config\redirection.config
            Error: Cannot read configuration file due to insufficient permissions
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.Interop.AppHostAdminManager.GetAdminSection(String bstrSectionName, String bstrSectionPath)
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.Configuration.GetSectionInternal(ConfigurationSection section, String sectionPath, String locationPath)
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.LoadRedirectionInfo()
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.GetAdministrationConfigMapIfNeeded()
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.SetAdminManagerProperties(WebConfigurationMap webConfigMap, Boolean isAdminConfig, IAppHostAdminManager adminManager, Boolean isRemote, Boolean isRedirectionConfig)
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.CreateAdminManager[TClass,TInterface](WebConfigurationMap webConfigMap, Boolean isAdminConfig, Boolean isRedirectionConfig)
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.CreateConfiguration(WebConfigurationMap configMap, String configPathToEdit, Boolean isAdminConfig, Boolean isRedirectionConfig)
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.GetConfiguration(String rawConfigurationPath, String cacheKey, Boolean isAdminConfig, Boolean isRedirectionConfig)
            at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ConfigurationManager.GetAdministrationConfiguration(WebConfigurationMap configMap, String configurationPath)
            at Microsoft.Web.Management.Server.ConfigurationAuthenticationProvider.GetSection(ServerManager serverManager) Process:dllhost User=NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
        </Data>
    </EventData>
</Event>

So, I've tried to set up an FTP site and that doesn't work. I've tried to delete the FTP site and that doesn't work. I don't know what I did to blow off the FTP access I had just 1 day ago. This is frustrating.

Answer 1

OK, this is what I found that worked:

PROBLEM:

But first, this is what you don't do which caused this problem in the first place.

1. DO NOT remove FTP Server from the Default website. BAD MOVE.
2. DO NOT start changing things in IIS if you have no clue as to what you're doing (Me included)
3. DO NOT start messing with services, turning them on and off and such.
4. DO follow the instructions of your Server admin, if you are the Admin, the take your time
5. DO relax and be patient since I was and took me over 3 days to find out why this happened in the first place.
6. DO consult with Stackoverflow and Google to find the exact wording of what's happened because it's probably already happened to someone else in the world before. You are not alone.

SOLUTION:

http://xpertnotes.net/blog/2014/03/21/iis-7-5-ftp-530-user-cannot-log-in-home-directory-inaccessible/

1. I removed all FTP sites from IIS
2. I then removed the new user from Windows Server 2012
3. I restarted IIS and just for good measure, I opened a CMD prompt, and performed an IISReset
4. Then, in the ACTUAL DEFAULT site, I removed FTP as well.
5. IISReset again
6. Finally, following the above link's solution, I added BACK FTP Server ONLY to the Default Website
7. I made sure that I assigned ALL users Read, Write access and did ONLY basic AUTH without SSL.
8. I restarted IIS, and performed one more IISReset
9. I went to my machine, I'm RDP into the headless server on 1and1, and opened Filezilla.

I entered everything in the quick connected and WHAMO!!!!!!!!!! It all worked as needed without having to uninstall IIS and WAS, or the W3SVC. I didn't even have to reboot the server.

Patience, my friends and persistence and a lot of "Googling"

I hope this helps others as I was able to help myself.