Cannot Create New Site Collection

Question

Getting the Error below:

Event log message was: 'The site template was not provisioned successfully. Delete this site collection in Central Administration, and then create a new site collection.'. Exception was: 'Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.WebPartPageUserException: This page has encountered a critical error. Contact your system administrator if this problem persists. at Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SafeControls.IsSafeControl(Boolean isAppWeb, Type type, String& unsafeErrorMessage) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.TypeCache.CheckIfSafeControl(Type type, Boolean isAppWeb) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.TypeCache.get_Item(Type type, Boolean isAppWeb, Boolean disableSafeControlsCheck) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.WebPart.WriteXmlGlobal(Boolean disableSafeControlsCheck) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.BinaryWebPartSerializer.Serialize(SerializationMode mode, BinaryWebPartSerializerFlag binaryWebPartSerializerFlags, BinaryWebPartSerializerWriter writer) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.BinaryWebPartSerializer.Serialize(SerializationMode mode, BinaryWebPartSerializerFlag binaryWebPartSerializerFlags) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.SPWebPartManager.AddWebPartToStore(WebPart webPart, Int32 viewId, String viewGuid) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.SPWebPartManager.AddWebPartInternal(SPSupersetWebPart superset, Boolean throwIfLocked) at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.SPLimitedWebPartManager.AddWebPart(WebPart webPart, String zoneId, Int32 zoneIndex) at Microsoft.Office.DocumentManagement.Internal.DocumentSetFeatureReceiver.FeatureActivated(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeature.DoActivationCallout(Boolean fActivate, Boolean fForce) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeature.Activate(SPSite siteParent, SPWeb webParent, SPFeaturePropertyCollection props, SPFeatureActivateFlags activateFlags, Boolean fForce) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureCollection.AddInternal(SPFeatureDefinition featdef, Version version, SPFeaturePropertyCollection properties, SPFeatureActivateFlags activateFlags, Boolean force, Boolean fMarkOnly) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureCollection.AddInternalWithName(Guid featureId, Int32 compatibilityLevel, String featureName, Version version, SPFeaturePropertyCollection properties, SPFeatureActivateFlags activateFlags, Boolean force, Boolean fMarkOnly, SPFeatureDefinitionScope featdefScope) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureCollection.AddInternal(Guid featureId, Version version, SPFeaturePropertyCollection properties, Boolean force, Boolean fMarkOnly, SPFeatureDefinitionScope featdefScope) at Microsoft.Office.DocumentManagement.VideoAndRichMedia.Internal.VideoAndRichMediaFeatureReceiver.FeatureActivated(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeature.DoActivationCallout(Boolean fActivate, Boolean fForce) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeature.Activate(SPSite siteParent, SPWeb webParent, SPFeaturePropertyCollection props, SPFeatureActivateFlags activateFlags, Boolean fForce) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureCollection.AddInternal(SPFeatureDefinition featdef, Version version, SPFeaturePropertyCollection properties, SPFeatureActivateFlags activateFlags, Boolean force, Boolean fMarkOnly) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureCollection.AddInternalWithName(Guid featureId, Int32 compatibilityLevel, String featureName, Version version, SPFeaturePropertyCollection properties, SPFeatureActivateFlags activateFlags, Boolean force, Boolean fMarkOnly, SPFeatureDefinitionScope featdefScope) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureManager.EnsureFeaturesActivatedCore(SPSite site, SPWeb web, String sFeatures, Boolean fMarkOnly) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureManager.<>c__DisplayClassa.b__9() at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSecurity.RunAsUser(SPUserToken userToken, Boolean bResetContext, WaitCallback code, Object param) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeatureManager.EnsureFeaturesActivatedAtSite(Byte[]& userToken, Guid& tranLockerId, Int32 nZone, Guid databaseid, Guid siteid, String sFeatures) at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequestInternalClass.ApplyWebTemplate(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebTemplateContent, Int32 fWebTemplateContentFromSubweb, Int32 fDeleteGlobalListsWithWebTemplateContent, String& bstrWebTemplate, Int32& plWebTemplateId) at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequest.ApplyWebTemplate(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebTemplateContent, Int32 fWebTemplateContentFromSubweb, Int32 fDeleteGlobalListsWithWebTemplateContent, String& bstrWebTemplate, Int32& plWebTemplateId) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPWeb.ProvisionWebTemplate(SPWebTemplate webTemplate, String webTemplateToUse, SPFeatureWebTemplate featureWebTemplate) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPWeb.ApplyWebTemplate(SPWebTemplate webTemplate) at Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.PortalProvisioningProvider.CreatePortal(String xmlFile, SPWeb rootWeb)'

I have removed all the webparts but nothing else is working.

Answer 1

FIRST USING STSADM.EXE TO CREATE EMPTY SITE COLLECTION

There are situations when we want to create empty site collection, like when your content deployment job is failing due to conflicting content. In these cases STSADM.EXE comes handy.

STSADM.EXE is the only means to create a completely empty site collection.

Syntax STSADM.EXE -o createsite -url -ownerlogin domain\user -owneremail

Example STSADM.EXE -o createsite -url http://servername:9009/sites/EmptySiteCollectionName -ownerlogin mydomain\praveen -owneremail [email protected] -sitetemplate CMSPUBLISHING#0

Remember, using the “Blank Site” template does NOT creates an completely empty site collection. The site collection created by “Blank Site” template create some content for default website. You can see the difference if you create a site collection using both methods and then inspect the content of the created sites using SharePoint designer.

Then go to http://servername:9009/sites/EmptySiteCollectionName, it will ask you to choose a site template. After select “Collaboration Portal”, the site is created without error.

Answer 2

FWIW.

I came across this post looking for an answer to my issue. I am getting the same error message 'The site template was not provisioned successfully. Delete this site collection in Central Administration, and then create a new site collection.' on a 2016 farm.

I attempted to create a new site via PowerShell. It failed with a similar error message as above. I then attempted to create a site via CA and received the above error. I even attempted to use @Suriya suggestion of utilizing STSADM with no luck.

Using his blank site suggestion, I then created a site collection in CA, but opted to select the template later. I then went to the URL and was able to select a publishing template.