Install of SharePoint Fails to Create Configuration Database

Before I get into the details let me give you information about the environment. This was a simple farm installation, one server as the DB Server, and the other as the SharePoint front end. Both Servers are running with Server 2008 Standard 64-bit, the Database server is running SQL Standard 2008, the SharePoint version is MOSS Enterprise.

When I went to install SharePoint the first time around I would get to step 2 and then got Failed to Created Configuration Database.

Failed to create the configuration database
An exception of type System.Data.SqlClient.SQLException was thrown. Additional exception information: The definition for column 'some crazy Japanese character' must include a data type.

This got me thinking that maybe the collation on SQL was incorrect. Looking into this just the default collation for 2008 was created which was not what is recommended. As a reference Microsoft indicates the following should be selected when installing the instance
Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS. My determination was that KS was not set and that was where the strange character request came from. Just as a reference below are the items needed for this collation.

• Case insensitive
• Accent sensitive
• Kana sensitive
• Width sensitive

I uninstalled the instance, SharePoint has its own in this environment. (!note this collation is not in the list you have to select the options), and then reinstalled with the correct collation.

Thought this would have fixed the problem, and it did, but now I ended up with a new error with the Configuration Database still failing to create(Note that it was being created, my guess just not completed, so you will have to go in and delete the config every time you rerun psconfig)

On to the next error:
Failed to create the configuration database.
An exception of type System.Xml.XmlException was thrown. Additional exception information: '㐀' is an unexpected token. The expected token is '='. Line 1, position 568.
System.Xml.XmlException: '㐀' is an unexpected token. The expected token is '='. Line 1, position 568.
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(Exception e)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseAttributes()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElement()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElementContent()
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.LoadNode(Boolean skipOverWhitespace)
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.LoadDocSequence(XmlDocument parentDoc)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(XmlReader reader)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.LoadXml(String xml)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(Guid id, Guid parentId, Guid type, String name, SPObjectStatus status, Byte[] versionBuffer, String xml)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.FetchObject(Guid id)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(Guid id, Boolean checkInMemoryCache)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(Guid id)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(String name, Guid parentId, Type type)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.get_Farm()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPPersistedObject.get_Farm()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPPersistedObject.Update()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPServer.Update()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.RegisterDefaultDatabaseServices(SqlConnectionStringBuilder connectionString)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.Provision(SqlConnectionStringBuilder connectionString)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm.Create(SqlConnectionStringBuilder configurationDatabase, SqlConnectionStringBuilder administrationContentDatabase, IdentityType identityType, String farmUser, SecureString farmPassword)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm.Create(SqlConnectionStringBuilder configurationDatabase, SqlConnectionStringBuilder administrationContentDatabase, String farmUser, SecureString farmPassword)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ConfigurationDatabaseTask.CreateOrConnectConfigDb()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ConfigurationDatabaseTask.Run()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskThread.ExecuteTask()

AND When attempted again

Failed to create the configuration database.
An exception of type System.Xml.XmlException was thrown. Additional exception information: The '=' character, hexadecimal value 0x3D, cannot be included in a name. Line 1, position 1300.
System.Xml.XmlException: The '=' character, hexadecimal value 0x3D, cannot be included in a name. Line 1, position 1300.
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(Exception e)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElement()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElementContent()
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.LoadNode(Boolean skipOverWhitespace)
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.LoadDocSequence(XmlDocument parentDoc)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(XmlReader reader)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.LoadXml(String xml)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(Guid id, Guid parentId, Guid type, String name, SPObjectStatus status, Byte[] versionBuffer, String xml)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.FetchObject(Guid id)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(Guid id, Boolean checkInMemoryCache)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.GetObject(Guid id)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPPersistedObject.get_Parent()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPPersistedObject.CreateDiagnosticString()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPPersistedObject.ToString()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPPersistedObject.Update()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPServer.Update()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.RegisterDefaultDatabaseServices(SqlConnectionStringBuilder connectionString)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPConfigurationDatabase.Provision(SqlConnectionStringBuilder connectionString)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm.Create(SqlConnectionStringBuilder configurationDatabase, SqlConnectionStringBuilder administrationContentDatabase, IdentityType identityType, String farmUser, SecureString farmPassword)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm.Create(SqlConnectionStringBuilder configurationDatabase, SqlConnectionStringBuilder administrationContentDatabase, String farmUser, SecureString farmPassword)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ConfigurationDatabaseTask.CreateOrConnectConfigDb()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ConfigurationDatabaseTask.Run()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskThread.ExecuteTask()

At this point I had already called Microsoft Support

They checked a couple of areas to ensure the right items were created, and permissions had been set up correctly. Found out that some of the web.config files did not actually install, very strange. So we completely uninstalled SharePoint and renamed the HIVE (web server extensions/12) to 12_old and reinstalled SharePoint.

The previous two errors did not appear I got a new one:

Failed to Create Configuration Database

Unknown SQL Exception 156 occurred. Additional error information from SQL Server is included below.
Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'CREATE'.

OK seriously what is going on. Symantec Endpoint had been installed on both servers. While I had stopped the services, I still could not get SharePoint installed, so I went out on a limb and uninstalled it from both machines. Ran PSConfig again and low and behold SharePoint was able to make it through configuration and sequential Service Packs, and is now fully configured.

Enter a new issue. Reinstallation of Endpoint once again brings SharePoint to a standstill. Now I need to figure out a way to resolve this issue. Will update once I figure this out.