I’m testing the process of migration Windows Small Business Server 2003 ( SBS 2003 ) to Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (EBS 2008). While this is a supported process according to MS, “supported” means you can pay MS big money to help you fix your problems. Normally, because Microsoft products are so widely used, the community (aka Google) is of the utmost assistance.
So I’m installing, and I hit an error message. Here, have a screenshot:
Inside that log file, we find the following “the directory services safe mode password does not meet the minimum…” which google was able to help with just fine as it relates to SBS 2008: the domain admin password is not complex enough.
Now why in the name of all that is Holy doesn’t it just say that? And why didn’t Microsoft think – “hey, maybe people’s server 2003 password doesn’t meet the STRICTER server 2008 password requirements, and we should let them know BEFORE THEY WASTE AN HOUR INSTALLING just to get an erro and have to start over”
When you click cancel, you get a nice error message that tells you:
Essentially, if I click yes, I am going to have to start over from scratch installing the Management server. If I click no, I have the option of rebooting, and the installer should restart.
I’m not messing around with this, time to ask google!
I search for “Essential Business Server” “installation tasks have failed”. No results.
I try ebs “installation tasks have failed”. Same.
…
So am I really the first person to have an error while installing this thing? Why doesn’t Microsoft at least have some mention of the phrase?
I am going to have to change the domain admin password, then start over from scratch. This is stupid. If they did any user testing they should have seen this coming and accounted for it.
I swear, Microsoft software only pretends to be easy to use. 1 little error, and GAME OVER, YOU LOSE, NO CONTINUES. It’s like a freaking LJN game.
GAAAAAAAHHH!!!
Several hours later, I make it through almost everything, then the installer for system center essentials fails. At thins point, I should just be able to rerun the SCE installer, right? Right??? NO. No, it is going to make me start over… from the beginning. I WAS ON THE LAST STEP!!! Literally. The next step is “Final verification”
Seriously, I’m going to find out who is responsible for this and send him/her a dead fish.
Next time I’m taking a VM snapshot before the SCE installer.