Why is my MySite looking at hive 60 for its files?

Question

404: "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\Template\SiteTemplates\CUSTOMMYSITE\default.aspx"

It was working perfectly fine until I got the above after one deployment, I went back to a slightly older solution and the same, I can't seem to find the error.

I believe 60 is to do with SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (Windows) (WMSDE) but why is my sharepoint suddenly looking there.

The only thing I did was to use feature stapling to create a MyContent page which succeeded but going back to the MySite is now not possible. All other site collections work correctly.

The only new code that was run is below:

string masterPageUrl = "/_catalog/masterpage/MyContentCustom.master";
currentWeb.CustomMasterUrl = masterPageUrl;
currentWeb.MasterUrl = masterPageUrl;

[update] I forgot the url for the site collection which stopped the 404 in the above code for the master page, however I still don't understand why it is falling back to the 60 folder, can anyone explain this behavior?

[update] This appears from the face of it to be a fallback mechanism for errors that could of arisen from an upgrade and just part of 2010 trying not to error? I can't seem to confirm this however. (I have +1 the posts which are in the right direction but no definitive answer as yet of this behavior although it seems linked)

Answer 1

I dont know if this has anything to do with it.... I thought that 60 was for SPS 2003 and WSS 2.0 files. It looks like you had a problem upgrading.

Windows SharePoint Services uses a different strategy for upgrading a page depending on whether or not it has been customized (unghosted).

Windows SharePoint Services tracks whether a Web site was created through a Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 (\web server extensions\60) or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (\web server extensions\12) site definition. A Web site can be upgraded by virtue of having an update definition that translates front-end site definition files that have not been customized. After the upgrade process, any references to uncustomized front-end files are mapped from the \web server extensions\60 directory to \Web server extensions\12.

Not every Web site is upgraded from \60 to \12 at the time of initial upgrade. Any existing site definitions that do not have upgrade paths will still function, but continue to point to their \60 pages. Also, a Web site that is updated from \60 to \12 may still have Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 pages (in other words, no master page, no Web Part manager) that have been customized and thereby stored in the database.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms456521(v=office.12).aspx

Answer 2

60 hive is where WSS 2.0 or SPS 2003 files were stored. Did you upgrade to 2007/WSS 3.0 on the same machine or box?

Answer 3

Okay I gave points for work trying to figure this out and the helpful ones, however the answer is there is an internal automatic fallback to the old hive 60 when a file can't be found straight OOTB.

I tested this by watching the IO errors for master templates when putting in wrong files in the ULS and either the code was left in by accident or by design but it definitely falls back for files to the old install.

This I feel could result in unintended behavior on a SharePoint system which has received an upgrade, but it's there, I am aware of the behavior now and have to live with it.