Installation Program Known Issues

5. Installation Program Known Issues

This section contains the list of known issues related to the setup executable installaiton program.

EXE installer errors when using dot or localhost as a SQL server name
Applies to: CMS 6.2 and later
Reference number: 344046
Description: When trying to install Sitecore on a default instance of SQL Server and “.” (dot) or “localhost” as a server path, the .EXE installer may fail with a “Failed to connect to SQl database. (-2147467259 master)" error.
Solution:
The issue may be caused when the TCP/IP protocol is not enabled for the SQL instance connected to during the installation process. In case it is a default SQL instance, it can listen only to the static ports, and the default port should be 1433. See this article for details: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823938.
To solve the issue, make sure the TCP/IP protocol is enabled for the instance you’re connecting to and it listens to the proper port as described using the above link.
Errors after using space in site or application pool name in EXE installer
Applies to: CMS 6.2 and later
Reference number: 346211
Description: Sitecore CMS may fail to start after installing it with .EXE installer when using space characters in the IIS site or application pool name.
Solution:
You can use on of the two options:
a) Do not use spaces in IIS site or application pool names when installing Sitecore CMS.
b) If a version of Sitecore CMS is already installed and spaces were used, rename the application pool and also change the hostname bindings for the Sitecore site so that they do not use spaces in their names.
“Path to Transform file not found…” message
Reference numbers: 337278, 333863
When trying to install Sitecore 6.3.0 Update-1 or later on an operating system with a non-English language pack, the setup.exe will fail with a “Path to Transform file not found…” message.
This issue does not occur for Japanese language packs, and was resolved for Danish language packs in 6.3.0 Update-3 and 6.4.0 Update-1.
Workaround:
As a workaround, switch to an English operating system language pack and re-run the installation. Alternatively, you can install Sitecore manually using the zip distribution.
The “IIS 6 Scripting Tools” feature required
The installation program checks the “IIS6 compatibility mode” prerequisite incorrectly. It is required to enable the “IIS 6 Scripting Tools” feature in order to pass this step, though it is NOT necessary for the installation program functionality. The wizard lets you continue the installation with this feature turned OFF, however the process will stop at a later stage (unless you have selected the “Database Only” option).
Workaround: Enable the “IIS 6 Scripting Tools” feature in the Windows Features dialog box in the section “Internet Information Services > Web Management Tools > IIS 6 Management Compatibility”.
The "Extracting" dialog might be displayed incorrectly
Reference numbers: 330619, 331052
The "Extracting" dialog at the beginning of the installation may display broken text or use language different from the Display Language of the operating system. This does not affect the actual installation and appropriate Display Language is used in all other dialogs.
The “Database Prefix” dropdown is empty when using the “Client Only” installation mode
Reference number: 330305
The option “Client Only” is included into the installation program in order to make it possible to connect to the databases on another server. Usually it is a good idea to install the databases to a DB server (using “Database Only” option) first, and later on install the “Client Only” instance on a workstation (application server).
During “Client Only” installation the user should be able to select a prefix of already installed “Database Only” instance form the dropdown to connect to, but due to this issue, the dropdown will be empty.
Workaround: Enter the correct prefix manually – the dropdown is editable.
Uninstallation process always uses the same language as the installation process
Reference number: 330618
Uninstallation process always uses the same language as used during the installation process, even if the system language is changed after Sitecore is installed.
When removing a Sitecore instance using the Sitecore setup.exe, one or more Sitecore databases may stay attached after uninstall
Reference number: 322421
This can lead to a situation when you select a previously used but now uninstalled InstanceName – which will be recognized as unique – but will cause an error when attaching to the database: “Can’t attach database - it already exists”. A this point, the installation will fail and roll back.
Workaround 1 (safe): When removing a Sitecore instance using the Sitecore setup.exe, after the uninstall, check the databases with the SQL Management Studio. If there are broken references, remove them.
Workaround 2 (for development environments only): When removing a Sitecore instance using the Sitecore setup.exe, when the installation program asks which option to use to close the SQL connection, manually restart the MS SQL service and then choose “Automatically close applications and attempt to restart them after setup is complete”.
The executable installation program is not compatible with Windows 7
Sitecore cannot be installed on Windows 7 Home Premium edition using the executable installation program.
The installation program may throw a warning “ASPNET user is not found”
On the early steps of the installation process, the installation program may throw a warning “ASPNET user is not found” in some environments. If you are absolutely sure the ASPNET account on this machine exists, you can ignore the warning and press YES to continue the installation. In order to verify the presence of the ASPNET account manually, right-click My Computer, select Manage in the context menu, browse for System Tools » Local Users and Groups » Users in the tree on the left and make sure the user list contains the ASPNET account.
The installation program does not detect the mode IIS 6 is currently running and set the x64 component up if the OS is 64-bit
Valid for Sitecore CMS 6.0 rev.080627 setup executable.
The installation program does not detect the mode IIS 6 is currently running and set the x64 component up if the OS is 64-bit. This can cause the following error:
“Attempted to load a 64-bit assembly on a 32-bit platform. Use ReflectionOnlyLoad() instead if trying to load for reflection purposes.”
In order to fix this manually, replace the system.data.sqlite.dll in the bin folder of your site with the file provided on this page.

Download system.data.sqlite.zip file.
Attempted to load a 64-bit assembly on a 32-bit platform
You may see any of the following messages in the browser if the installer cannot detect the active bit mode of IIS as required to correctly configure 64-bit components:
"Attempted to load a 64-bit assembly on a 32-bit platform"
"Use ReflectionOnlyLoad() instead if trying to load for reflection purposes"
"Could not load file or assembly System.Data.SQLite or one of its dependencies"
"An attempt was made to load a program with an incorrect format"
"System.BadImageFormatException: Could not load file or assembly System.Data.SQLite or one of its dependencies"
Workaround: replace the System.Data.SQLite.dll assembly in the /bin folder of the Web site with the correct 64-bit version of this file. Alternatively, if you do not use the SQLite database, such as if you use Microsoft SQL Server, rename this file without the .dll extension, or delete this file.
To download the 64-bit version of the System.Data.SQLite.dll, see the previous known issue.
An exception occurred during the commit
You may see any of the following messages from the installer if the Windows My Documents setting does not specify the default location:
"Error 1001"
"An exception occurred during the Commit phase of the installation"
"This exception will be ignored and installation will continue"
"The application might not function correctly after installation is complete"
"Length cannot be less than zero"
Workaround:
1. Note the original value of the Windows My Documents setting.
2. Configure the Windows My Documents setting to the default location.
3. Install Sitecore.
4. Reset the Windows My Document setting to its original value.
For more information about this issue, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 310147.
ASPNET user is not found
You may see any of the following messages from the installer if Microsoft Windows is configured in an unexpected way:
"ASPNET user is not found"
"ASPNET account is not present on this machine"
If you have properly configured IIS andASP.NET, you can ignore the warning by clicking Yes to continue the installation. If you experience further errors, you may need to reinstall IIS or .NET as described in the section Install, Repair, or Reinstall .NET or IIS.
ASP.NET version
You may see any of the following messages in the browser if IIS configuration for the Web site specifies the wrong version of the .NET framework, or if the configuration for different Web sites in a single application pool specifies two or more versions of the .NET framework:
"Server Error in '/' Application"
"Configuration Error"
"Parser Error Message"
"Unrecognized attribute type"
"Unrecognized configuration section roleManager"
"Compilation Error"
"Sitecore.Web.HttpModule.OnApplicationEnd"
"Server Application Unavailable"
"The web application you are attempting to access on this web server is currently unavailable"
Workaround:
If you have just reconfigured from a .NET 1.1 Web site to a .NET 2.0 Web site on Windows XP, restart IIS.
Otherwise, to correct this issue on Windows XP or Windows 2003:
1. In the IIS management console, right-click the Web site, and then click Properties.
2. On the ASP.NET tab, for ASP.NET version, select the 2.0 option.
IIS concurrent request limits
IIS on Windows Vista and XP limits the number of concurrent HTTP connections allowed by IIS. If the Web server receives too many requests at the same time, some HTTP requests result in errors. This can cause unpredictable behavior in browsers and other clients as JavaScript, CSS, image, Web service, and other HTTP requests fail intermittently.
Browsers should not allow more than two concurrent HTTP requests to any Web server. Many browsers allow the user to override the default number of allowed connections to a Web server. Ensure browser configuration properly limits concurrent HTTP connections to each HTTP server, and take other measures to prevent exceeding this limitation of IIS, such as upgrading to a server version of Microsoft windows or limiting the number of concurrent users.
For instructions how to configure the number of simultaneous HTTP connections to a single Web server allowed by Internet Explorer, see the following page.
There is a problem with this Windows Installer Package
You may see any of the following messages from the installer if you have not installed IIS 6 compatibility components:
"Error 1720"
"There is a problem with this Windows Installer package"
"A script required for this install to complete could not be run"
Contact your support personnel or package vendor
Workaround:
Install the missing components, and then install Sitecore.
To install the missing components on Windows Vista:
1. In the Windows Control Panel, click Control Panel Home, and then click Programs.
2. Within Programs and Features, click Turn Windows Features on or off. If the User Account Control dialog appears, click Continue. The Windows Features dialog appears.
3. In the Windows Features dialog, expand Internet Information services, then expand Web Management Tools, and then expand IIS 6 Management Compatibility, without selecting any checkboxes.
4. Select the IIS 6 WMI Compatibility and IIS Metabase and IIS 6 configuration compatibility checkboxes, and then click OK.
To install the missing components on Windows 2008:
1. In Server Manager, expand Roles, and then click Web Server (IIS).
2. Within Role Services, click Add Role Services. The Add Role Services dialog appears.
3. In the Add Role Services dialog, expand Management tools and IIS 6 Management Compatibility, without selecting any checkboxes.
4. Select the IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility and IIS 6 WMI Compatibility checkboxes.
5. Complete any remaining dialogs.
Note: You can remove IIS 6 management compatibility features after installing Sitecore.
Empty strings are not allowed
Due to a defect in certain versions of IIS7 on Windows Vista, you may see any of the following messages in the browser if you have used the IIS management console to update the configuration of a Sitecore instance:
"Empty strings are not allowed"
"Parameter name: name"
These messages may indicate that web.config is corrupt. You can correct this error by obtaining the patch from Microsoft or enabling default.html at the server instead of the site level, and then uninstalling and reinstalling Sitecore. For more information, see the section Register Default.html as a Default Document.
Tip: You can correct web.config by using a tool such as WinMerge to compare against a working Sitecore instance or the Sitecore distributive.
Your IIS server is not running at the moment
You may see the following message from the installer if Microsoft Windows is configured in an unexpected way:
"Your IIS server is not running at the moment"
In general, you can ignore this warning and continue. Otherwise, you may need to install, repair, or reinstall IIS or .NET as described in the Installation Troubleshooting manual, section "Install, Repair, or Reinstall .NET or IIS".
The page cannot be found
You may see any of the following messages in the browser if you have not enabled ASP.NET on Microsoft Windows 2003:
"The page cannot be found"
"The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable"
"HTTP Error 404"
"File or directory not found"
To enable ASP.NET on Windows 2003:
1. In the IIS management console, expand the instance name, and then expand Web Sites.
2. Click Web Service Extensions.
3. Click the ASP.NET 2.0 framework Web Service Extension.
4. Click Allow.
Counter category does not exist on this server
You may see any of the following messages in the Sitecore log if Sitecore is unable to update performance counters in the Windows registry:
"Counter category does not exist on this server"
"Using temporary internal counter"
Workaround:
On the Sitecore Developer Network download a tool to register the performance counters.
The selected server is not MS SQL Server 2005
You may see any of the following messages in the browser or from the installer if you try to install Sitecore using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or 2008:
"The selected server is not MS SQL Server 2005/Express"
"Enter another server name"
Sitecore supports Microsoft SQL Server and later editions, but the Sitecore installer refuses to install using SQL 2008. Install from a zip archive instead of using the installer.
Server does not exist or access denied
You will see this error if Sitecore cannot communicate with the database server:
"Error 2750"
"Could not connect to Microsoft SQL Server"
"Server does not exist or access denied"
Ensure SQL Server is installed and running on the database server.
Ensure the database server and instance name are correct. For an existing Sitecore installation, or an installation from a zip archive, check the SQL Server connection strings in /App_Config/ConnectionStrings.config.
Ensure any hardware and software firewalls between the Sitecore server and the database server do not block the TCP/IP port used by SQL Server, which is 1433 by default.
To configure the default Windows firewall on the database server:
1. From the Windows Control Panel, access the Windows Firewall.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Clear the Don’t allow exceptions checkbox.
4. Click the Exceptions tab.
5. If an entry for SQL/1433 does not exist, click Add Port and, then enter a name for the port such as SQL Server (Port 1433), and then enter the port number 1433.
6. Select the checkbox next to the port.
To ensure that SQL Server allows remote connections:
1. Open SQL Server Surface Area Configuration.
2. Click Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections.
3. Expand the database instance, then expand Database Engine, and then click Remote Connections.
4. Select Local and remote connections, then select either Using TCP/IP only or Using TCP/IP and named pipes.
To ensure SQL Server allows TCP/IP connections:
1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Expand Network Configuration, then click Protocols for the database instance, then right-click TCP/IP, and then click Enable.
The user is not associated with a trusted SQL Server connection
You may see any of the following messages in the browser or from the installer if you have not configured SQL Server to allow SQL authentication.
"Login failed for user"
"The user is not associated with a trusted SQL Server connection"
To enable SQL authentication:
1. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect using Windows authentication.
2. Right-click the database instance, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Security tab.
4. Under Server authentication, select SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode.
5. Restart SQL Server.
Note: You may need to enable the SQL Server sa user and set its password. For more information, see the following section The Account is Disabled.
The account is disabled
You may see any of the following messages in the browser or from the installer if the SQL Server user is disabled.
"Login failed for user"
"The account is disabled"
To enable the sa user:
1. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect using Windows authentication.
2. Expand the database instance, then expand Security, and then expand Logins.
3. Right-click the sa user, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Status tab, and under Login, select Enabled.
Note: If you do not know the password for the sa user, click the General tab, and for Password and Confirm password, enter a new password.