After re-installing the OS on a Dell Powervault 715n, I remembered that out of the box, it won’t connect to Windows Update (which is of course really, really stupid for a Windows 2000 Server based NAS).

If you RDC into the box, and then try to connect to Windows Update, you’ll see a message like this:

Access Denied

Network policy settings prevent you from using Windows Update to download and install updates on your computer.

If you believe you have received this message in error, please check with your system administrator.

Solution

To get around this on the 715N, follow these instructions:

  1. Log in as Administrator
  2. Go Start > Run… > gpedit.msc
  3. In the Left pane: Open User Configuration, Administrative Templates, and then click Start Menu and Taskbar
  4. In the Right pane: Double-click on Disable and remove links to Windows Update
  5. Choose ‘Disable’ and click OK
  6. You can now get Windows Updates via the Start Menu
  7. Don’t forget to Enable Automatic Updates! (Control Panel > Automatic Updates)

For any other Operating System, have a look at the Microsoft KB article