IIS Application Pool Identity User not created or available until website starts

I'm trying to add an Application Pool Identity user to folder permissions in Windows Server 2012 Standard, Build 9200. This is IIS 8.0.

When I try to add the user IIS APPPOOLExampleAppPoolIdentity Windows reports that the Name is not found. All Object types are selected, and Locations is set to the local machine.

I am adding the permissions through folder properties -> security -> edit -> add

If I set a website or web application to point to the Application Pool, and browse to the site, the user is then created/available and works when adding to folder permissions.

I have tried this on my local version of Windows 7 with IIS 7.5 and the behaviour is that as soon as the Application Pool is created the user is created and ready to add as permissions to a folder. I have also not had this problem with IIS 7.5 before on other Windows environments including 2012.

My end goal is to programmatically add the permissions to the folder, and I have had the same trouble using Microsoft.Web.Administration to create the Application Pool and then translate that to a user SID with System.Security.Principal.NTAccount.Translate. However, this question is purely an operating system question at this point, as I can't achieve the same result through the standard Windows GUI.

Is there a way I can force the creation/availability of the user without first running a website that is pointing to the Application Pool?

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