Sharepoint site not working?

Question

Okay; sorry I know this isn't a programming question as such, but it was too generic for me any particular forum off stackexchange.

Microsoft software is starting to feel more and more like dull RPG fetch quests.

I have created an Access 2010 database and want to produce some sort of front-end for collaboration. Apparently Sharepoint is a good base for this.

Use Sharepoint Workspace 2010 - but this seems to have nothing to do with Access integration.

It turns out that Access requires a Sharepoint Site - which can only be created through Sharepoint Designer. Fair enough, download.install.run Sharepoint Designer 2010.

Designer demands that Sharepoint Foundation be installed in order to create a Sharepoint Site. Even locally. Apparently no server that I have access to has Sharepoint Foundation installed, so I go about installing it locally, so at least I'll have a basis from which to work.

Sharepoint Foundation 2010 complains that it cannot install because Windows Server 2008 SP2 isn't installed (are you serious?). So I diligently go off and get Windows 2008 SP2.

Windows 2008 SP2 refuses to install because it "does not apply to the version of Windows running on this computer". Apparently it can only be installed on Windows Vista, and I'm running Windows 7.

So I go looking for a Windows 7 version. I mean, it's becoming obvious that I'm being led up the garden path at this stage, but got to exhaust every option, you know.

So the nearest I can find is Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2 . Yeh, this works, installs fine, and predictably Sharepoint Foundation 2010 still refuses to install.

sharepoint server install error

(sorry for the size of the png - I'd edit the html markup if I could)

Any advice on the above? I mean either in relation to online collaboration of Access, or specifically in relation to the bug installing Sharepoint Foundation?

(and the "install prerequisites" button on Sharepoint Foundation also returns an error fwiw)

Edit: Following HansUp's advice I installed Microsoft FilterPack 2.0. & Microsoft Sync Framework

I couldn't install SQL Server Native Client or Windows Identity Foundation (Windows6.1-KB974405-x64.msu) because they were already installed.

Sharepoint Foundation install prompt produces same error. I wouldn't mind if this was some archaic technology that I was using - (either the software or my hardware), or buggy free-ware. I mean, this is a state-of-the-art proprietary Microsoft product ... c'mon! ;-)

Note sure if the term collaboration makes sense in terms of a database. To Access for editing and sharing some data, I would think using something like one of the free editions of SQL server makes far more sense. You then use Access to create the front end to SQL server. Access does have some great features for use with SharePoint but unless you looking to use a specific Access and SharePoint feature, then adopting a simple SQL install makes far more sense than setting up a whole SharePoint farm for such a simple task. And you don't even need SQL server for small workgroups with Access — Albert D. Kallal
I was never suggesting to dump Access, but only move the data tables to SQL server, and continue to use Access as the front end. In other words why adopt a whole huge SharePoint farm setup to just have a few linked tables from Access to SharePoint in place of simply linking the same tables from that application to SQL server? Unless you going to use some specific feature of SharePoint 2010 with Access then using Access as a front end to SQL server makes MUCH more sense than Access as a front end to SharePoint. I — Albert D. Kallal
Also, as I noted, if there is specific features you plan to use with SharePoint, then you can make a case for setting up SharePoint. The two cases I can think of is the new off-line mode (disconnected) that we have for Access 2010. The other case of course is the new web publishing feature of Access 2010, but this requires SharePoint Enterprise edition, and standard will not work. So I was never suggesting dumping Access, but SQL is a far more lightweight solution unless you make a good case for setup of a whole SharePoint system for this task. — Albert D. Kallal

Eric Overfield Eric Overfield · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-15T19:14:17

You want to allow collaboration to your Access database so you are trying to install SharePoint to your local windows 7 desktop? That does not sound like a good idea and has the makings of a massive headache. SharePoint requires a lot of overhead that Windows 7 is not designed to handle.

When you install SharePoint 2010 to Windows 7, that is there really only for development, i.e. so that a developer can build custom SharePoint solutions on their workstation without having to install Windows Server. Further this install of SP will only allow for

What you should be doing is installing SharePoint 2010 to a Windows 2008 server that is then publicily available to everyone who will be collaborating on your Access database.

Sharepoint site not working?

2 Answers