SharePoint Pain

Microsoft has simplified the installation of SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (SE) compared to previous versions, a significant improvement for administrators. However, it is important to note a new prerequisite introduced with the March 2023 update (version 23H1 , 16.0.16130.20206): because the software was recompiled with the Visual C++ 2022 compiler , the Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2015-2022 (in lieu of the 2015-2019 version) has since become the new prerequisite for subsequent SE installations. Currently the latest major feature release is 25H2  (Sept. 2025). Recently I had to install SE  offline  with the latest cumulative updates, so I pre-downloaded the Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable and the March 2026 CU (KB5002843, 16.0.19725.20076) for slipstreaming. That process exposed a bit of SharePoint pain. Two things: 1. (Minor) The Visual C++ Redistributable file name is the same between the old and new packages -  VC_redist.x...

One of the unexpected occurrences in a segregated IT environment is that an action intended to help one organization may inadvertently harm others. For example, when the Active Directory (AD) team deletes an inactive service account as part of a cleanup process, it may seem well justified from their perspective. However, that account could still be linked to SharePoint’s managed accounts, which must be cleaned up before its deletion in AD. If this cleanup is overlooked, SharePoint will display an error on the Central Admin's "Configure Service Accounts" page at <https://CentralAdminUrl>/_admin/FarmCredentialManagement.aspx: Diagnosis/Remedy 1. Navigate to the Managed Accounts page in Central Admin at <https://caUrl>/admin/ManagedAccounts.aspx. 2. Check if any service accounts listed are missing a value in the PasswordExpiration column. You can also retrieve the info in PowerShell by running Get-SPManagedAccount : 3. If any missing values are found under  Pass...

[SharePoint 2016, 16.0.5530.1000]  Suppose you have a site collection in read-only mode and want to remove that status. Normally this is achieved by selecting the " Not locked " option on the " Site Collection Quota and Locks " page in Central Admin or by running one of the following PowerShell commands: (Get-SPSite "<https://siteCollectionUrl>").ReadOnly = $false or Set-SPSite "<https://siteCollectionUrl>" -LockState Unlock There is also the LockState parameter of the Set-SPSiteAdministration command that can be utilized, but I did not try it in this particular case. Nonetheless, there is a rare case where neither of these PowerShell commands works. They do not output any errors in PowerShell or even in verbose-enabled ULS logs when they fail to run, and the interface in Central Admin is grayed out as follows: The site collection is truly locked for read-only access, as site collection admins do not see the full site menu. Additiona...