Exception from hresult 0x800a03ec excel - Error ‘Microsoft Office Excel cannot access the file’ while accessing Microsoft Office 11.0 Object Library

We got this error with SharePoint 2007 farm custom coding. Code downloads all the list items to excel template. Generally we can see this error with rows updating in excel. But we haven’t changed anything from DEV to PROD. We have investigated the error in SharePoint logs and Event logs.

We are seeing the error as there are several possible reasons: 

·           The file name or path does not exist.

·           The file is being used by another program.

·           The workbook you are trying to save has the same name as a currently open workbook.

After checking the issue. We have found that there is the error with excel service. To fix that we have to create a folder.

If we are running in Windows Server 2008 64-bit/R2,

·           Navigate to C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile folder and create the following directory “Desktop”

If we are running in Windows Server 32-bit

·           Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop folder and create the following directory “Desktop”

If still you have the issue, you have to change the security setting to run excel application using following steps,

·           Start –> enter DCOMCNFG.exe to open Component Service

·           This will bring up the component services window, expand out "Console Root" -> "Computers" -> "DCOM Config"

·           Find "Microsoft Excel Application" in the list of components.

·           Right click on the entry and select "Properties"

·           Go to the "Identity" tab on the properties dialog.

·           Select "The interactive user."

·           Click the "OK" button.

·           Switch to the services console

·           Start the service automating Excel

·           Test you application again.

Enable Windows authentication in IIS if excel application in your site prompting for credentials.

SharePoint 2007 error while unblocking a file - An update conflict has occurred, and you must re-try this action. The object SPWebApplication Name=XXXX Parent=SPWebService is being updated by XXXXX, in the OWSTIMER process, on machine XXXXX. View the tracing log for more information about the conflict while unblocking a fie type

While working with SharePoint 2007, unblocking a file extension, I got an error saying that “An update conflict has occurred, and you must re-try this action. The object SPWebApplication Name=XXXX Parent=SPWebService is being updated by XXXXX, in the OWSTIMER process, on machine XXXXX. View the tracing log for more information about the conflict while unblocking a fie type” as shown the image below.

To fix this error we have to clear the configuration cache in SharePoint server. To clear the cache we have to follow the steps below,

• Go to the server where we are seeing the error and stop windows SharePoint service in services.
• Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\GUID (here GUID is guid of the folder, we can see the Guid number, Drive is not specifically “C” that might be any drive that SharePoint installed)
• If we are using Windows server 2008 folder path would be C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\GUID. If we didn’t see ProgramData file, we have to change the folder view settings.
• Back up the GUID folder another location, and delete all the XML files except Cache.ini file in the folder.
• Open the cache.ini file in any editor like notepad, select all the data, and delete it. Enter 1 and save the file.
• Start the Windows timer service in services.
• Clear the cache in all the WFE servers in the farm.
• Now we can block/unblock file without any error. 

Hope this helps.

SharePoint 2007 error while opening the site in designer - this website has been configured to disallow editing with SharePoint designer

One my client having SharePoint 2007 environment. We got some requirement to check the existing functionality in one of the site. To verify the existing web parts I have tried to open the page in SharePoint designer. 

While opening the site in SharePoint designer 2007, I got the error saying as “This website has been configured to disallow editing with SharePoint designer.”I am having Site Collection Admin privileges over the site and having Farm Admin credentials on the server.

In my current site designer settings are disabled. In SharePoint 2013/2010 environments we can enable designer settings through SharePoint central Administration. But in SharePoint 2007 we have to enable through onet.xml file located in file system 12 hive.

To enable designer settings, Navigate to 12 hive templates folder located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extentsions\12\Template\SiteTemplates \XML , (Here Site Templates is generic folder, Depending on site template we have to choose the folder)

Select  Onet.xml, Open it with any text editor. Check for “<Project Title” tag and Remove “DisableWebDesignFeatures=wdfopensite” text. Save Onet.xml file and Reset IIS by running IISRESET command.

By removing the text from Onet.xml file we can enable editing through designer. But to update this change in Onet.xml file we need to have farm admin permissions on the farm.

Hope this helps.