A failure occurred when accessing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\WSS registry key

Question

Something has happened to my SharePoint install. If I try to run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard I get the following error pop up:

An exception of type Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException was thrown. Additional exception information:

A failure occurred when accessing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\WSS registry key. Repair this product by selecting it from the Add/Remove Programs menu.

For further details please see the diagnostic log located at C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN\PSCDiagnostics_7_22_2010_12_19_7_246_77_9654224.log

If I look in the log, the following stack trace is shown:

07/22/2010 12:19:14  1  ERR                  
An exception of type Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException was thrown.  Additional exception information: A failure occurred when accessing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\WSS registry key.  Repair this product by selecting it from the Add/Remove Programs menu.
        Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException: Exception of type 'Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException' was thrown.
       at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskCommon.RegistryHelperGetStringRegistryValue(RegistryHelper registry, String name, Boolean allowEmpty, TaskBase task)
       at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskCommon.RegistryHelperGetStringRegistryValue(String key, String name, RegistryHive hive, Boolean allowEmpty, TaskBase task)
       at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.InitializeTask.GetSetupType()
       at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.InitializeTask.Validate(Int32 nextExecutionOrder)
       at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.WelcomeForm.InitializeComponent()
       at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.WelcomeForm..ctor(PsconfigApplicationContext context) at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PsconfigUserInterfaceMain.Main(String[] args)

Can anyone tell me what the value for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\WSS in the registry should be?

Answer 1

This may be telling you something else about how you set it up. When I first look at the error message, it seems to me as if this is a permissions problem. After checking the same key on my box, snap open the permissions of that key and make sure these permissions are applied:

• SYSTEM ~ Full Control
• Local Admin Group ~ Full Control
• WSS_ADMIN_WPG ~ Full Control
• WSS_WPG ~ Read

All of the other permissions were inherited, so I'd just make sure the permissions above are applied.

Answer 2

As far as I can trace it back, this was caused by an installation of the wrong version of Microsoft J#.

J# is a pre-requisite of the Citrix Web Interface for SharePoint webparts. I installed the 32bit version mistakenly, then uninstalled and installed the 64bit version. I have a hunch (based on a good bit of testing, but not 100% verified) that this caused .NET/CLR applications to start looking in the 32bit node of the registry rather than 64bit.

Answer 3

I had this issue and it was due to a registry setting for .NET 64 bit being set to 0 instead of 1