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PHP does not have directory list privileges for your web site's root. Typically this is where we ask you to contact your host but since you're your own host I will try to give you some good pointers. FYI I don't have a Windows machine at hand so I'm giving instructions adapted from notes I kept on Windows 7. My Windows 10 machine is about 30 miles away and shut down right now :( Some labels may be different (and they do differ slightly from one Windows version to the next!).

First you need to know which user your server runs under. It is typically a user named something like IUSR_SOMETHING. I will call this IUSR_SOMETHING from now on. If I recall correctly you can find this information in the Internet Information Services management console.

Use Windows Explorer to find your site's root (websitename inside the C:\inetpub\wwwroot folder). Right click on it, select Properties and click on the Security tab. Click on the Edit... button. If you can't see a user named IUSR_SOMETHING, you will have to click on the Add... button, type IUSR_SOMETHING in the big text box and click OK. Now click on the IUSR_SOMETHING user and then take a look at the list of checkboxes below. Click the Accept checkbox on the Full Control row (the topmost one). Click on OK, then again on OK.

Note: instructions adapted from https://www.akeebabackup.com/documentation/troubleshooter/kscantextract.html#kstslocal Same principle, just DON'T use the Everyone user on a live server! Seriously bad mojo.

I hope that helps.

Thank you for posting the fix! Yes, the IIS_IUSRS is not the user the sites normally run under. I know there is a way to find the user each and every site runs under but for the life of me I can't remember it. Going the app pool identity way is much easier, indeed :)