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  • SharePoint 2010 Updates and 503 Error

    Today I updated a SharePoint Server 2010 test virtual machine with service pack 1 (SP1; Foundation and Server) and the August 2011 cumulative updates for SharePoint Foundation and SharePoint Server. I ran the SharePoint configuration wizard after installing all the updates. When I rebooted the server (suggested when encountering the User Profile sync problem after applying the patches) and tried to open one of the team sites, I received a 503 Service Unavailable error (as shown in the picture below). Service Unavailable – HTTP Error 503. The service is unavailable. Once I got over the “what did I do??!?” moment, I of course recognized this as an IIS error, not…

  • Renaming a document – ”The Specified name is already in use”

    A SharePoint document library in some ways acts similar to a folder when storing documents on your local computer. For example, you can’t have two documents with the same name within a document library (or folder, if you are using folders). If you try to rename a document and give it the same name as another document in the library, you will be given this wonderful error (in SharePoint 2007): [Server Error in ‘/’ Application. The specified name is already in use. A document cannot have the same name as another document or folder in this library or folder. Click your browser’s Back button, and type a new name.] This…

  • Error Connecting to Database Server

    I recently setup yet another SharePoint farm (this time using virtual machines) and ran into a problem that happens all too often. The scenario is this: I setup MS SQL server in preparation for getting SharePoint installed on a separate server. After setting up your service accounts in Active Directory and installing MS SQL on Server1, I set off installing SharePoint on Server2. When I got to the screen in the Specify Configuration Database Settings within the SharePoint configuration wizard, I received the following error: Cannot connect to database master at SQL server at ServerName. The database might not exist, or the current user does not have permission to connect…

  • SharePoint Datasheet View and Office 2010 64-bit

    If you have installed the 64-bit new version of Microsoft Office, Office 2010, then you will most likely see the following message when trying to edit a SharePoint list using the Edit in datasheet function: The list cannot be displayed in Datasheet view for one or more of the following reasons: – A datasheet component compatible with Windows SharePoint Services is not installed. – Your Web browser does not support ActiveX controls – Support for AxtiveX controls is disabled   The issue revolves around the fact that 64-bit versions of Office 2010 do not ship with the 32-bit Activex control that would make the datasheet option work with Internet Explorer.…

  • Intermittent forbidden errors (403)

    After applying a new master page and related theme components, we have been receiving reports that users were being presented with 403 ‘forbidden’ errors when trying to load our intranet site. After refreshing the screen four (4) times, the page would finally load. I checked the web server’s Application log and found that every time a user received a 403 error, there was an “Information” Web Event message logged with a source of ASP.NET and an ID of ID 1314. The body of the event included, among other information: Event code: 4011 Event message: An unhandled access exception has occurred. After doing research and knowing this was most likely a…

  • Cannot Connect to the Meeting: Live Meeting

    Today I experienced some issues with Office Communicator 2007 R2 and Live Meeting 2007. First, Communicator was complaining about not being able to update the address book. Then, when I tried to start a meeting using Live Meeting (via the Meet Now function), I received the following error: When I looked to find some hints to the “Live Meeting cannot connect to the meeting.” message online, all the posts were pointing to issues with trying to connect to an external meeting. I was trying to connect to my internal Office Communications Server. I next tried to do a nslookup on the FQDN for the server and I received a reply…

  • Access Denied Message When Trying to Edit Properties of a List or Library Item

    I created a new Office SharePoint Server 2007 Web Application a few months back and moved our existing sites around to create a new structure in the new Web Application. I did this to move all the project sites under one ‘roof' and get things more organized. At the time, we were a little behind the curve on patching SharePoint. We were on version 12.0.0.6327, which is SP1 plus the August 2008 Cumulative update. When new sites were created though, users were unable to edit the properties of anything they added to the site, whether a document or list item. As the SharePoint farm administrator, I received the Access Denied…

  • File Not Found When Trying to Create a Site

    I recently was trying to create a SharePoint site and was surprised to see a “File Not Found.” error when I submitted the action. After scratching my head for a short amount of time, I remembered that I had created a managed path that was the same name as the site I was trying to create. After removing the managed path, I was able to create my site and go merrily along my way.