Approval workflow failed to start in MOSS 2007

Question

Hi there,

i am having the OOB approval wokflow in MOSS 2007, it starts whenever users want's to publish major versions. i have enabled both version controlling in the document library, namely "pages",(coz it's a publishing site i am working on) where all the pages are stored. but whenever i click the "submit for approval" button the workflow initialization window shows up, but after i click on start it says that workflow creation is in progress but then it fails. what could be the reason? Am i missing something?? or else there is something extra i need to start a workflow in a publishing site?

i am using MOSS 2007 and .net framework 3.0

please help...

thanks in advance

Answer 1

hi,
may be problem with  Instantiation Data . you can do one thing u can debug the Work flow simple attach the process in Vs and select w3w process and when u start the work flow i goes for debugging . try this

Answer 2

I'm having the same issue. This was working this morning, but I have had to move the database to a new server, and now the workflow isn't working.

 

Would love to hear if you come up with a solution...

Answer 3

sorry,

but i din get u actually. the workflow i have created in not custom developed but is out of the box. so i am not exactly how to do this.

can u explain a bit more?it'll b quite helpful...

Answer 4

sure thing,

but as far as i have traced the problem might be with permissions, coz other sites in my server are working perfectly fine.

try checking the event viewer in your server or the logs present in the the following folder:-

c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\logs, over here u can find logs related to sharepoint.

just check them, maybe u can find some useful info.and if u find a way just lemme know, that will be quite helpful

 

Answer 5

arduk wrote:

I'm having the same issue. This was working this morning, but I have had to move the database to a new server, and now the workflow isn't working.   Would love to hear if you come up with a solution...

 

after much of headache and searching i came to the following solution...actually i have selected the 'collaboration' template instead of 'publishing' template for my site collection.and publishing via workflows is disabled by default in collaboration templates.so u cant do much bout it. instead what i think is that u have to create a new web application, this time select the publishing template for your site collection.Then u can publish major versions thru ur approval workflow..just check it out and lemme know

 

regards

chris

Answer 6

Hi all,

 

I'm having the same Issue.

I'm trying to use OOB workflow and it casts a Failed On Start Error.

 

I'm using a standalone server.

The only change we've done its to replace the Administrator accout with a Service Account. It causes some problems so now everything seems fine except the workflows.

 

Regards

Answer 7

Charles wrote:

Hi all,   I'm having the same Issue. I'm trying to use OOB workflow and it casts a Failed On Start Error.   I'm using a standalone server. The only change we've done its to replace the Administrator accout with a Service Account. It causes some problems so now everything seems fine except the workflows.   Regards

 

hi charles,

 

the reason might be that u have selected "collaboration" template instead of "publishing" template for ur site collection. That was the reason why my workflow was not workin, coz by default publishing through workflow is disabled in "collaboration" template. For using the OOB approval workflow for publishing ur pages u need to select the "publishing" template when u create ur site collection.

Answer 8

As well I am having the same issue.

 

Have you checked your Log file in the HIVE?

 

I have a coninually occuring error saying:

Load Workflow Assembly: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'SharePointWorkFlowLibrary3, Version=30.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=151abb0cc98e00a8' or one of its dependencies.

 

Any ideas for why it sayd "Failed on Start" when I try to run?

 

Mike

Answer 9

Hi,

 

I don’t know if this is the exact same issue that you have, but in my case this worked for me.

 

Problem:

Each time I started an Approval workflow process, the following error message was displayed: "Failed on Start".

 

Cause:

This happened because I had run the command "lodctr /R" to rebuild the performance counters on the Sharepoint Server.

 

Resolution:

I Checked the logs at “C:\Program Files\common files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\Logs” and verified that at the time I started an approval workflow process the following error was registered:

 “workflow Infrastructure 72fu Unexpected” ….”Load workflow class”…. “the requested performance counter is not a custom counter”

 

To resolve this issue I reload the “Windows Workflow Foundation” performance counters using the following command:

Lodctr c:\Windows\Microsoft.Net\Framework\v3.0\Windows Workflow Foundation\perfcounters.ini

 

 

Products:

Sharepoint 2007

 

Note:

If the error "Failed on Start" occur while trying to start the workflow look into the LOGS files found at %Program Files%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\LOGS. The information provided is excellent - you'll get a detailled explanation of the issue.

Answer 10

I am receiving the following error when I try to start the ECM Kit StateMachine Approval Workflow:
The workflow failed to start due to an internal error.

I can add the workflow to a document library and fill in the Association Form.  When I attempt to start the workflow for a specific document, I get the Initiation Form.  When I click Submit on this form, that's when I get the error.

I have looked in the Event Log, as well as the ...\12\LOGS and find no messages relating to the workflow.

When I run the project through the debugger, I get the same error.  I have a breakpoint at InitializeComponent(); in the main constructor and have set my start action to start at the url of the document library that I've associated this workflow with.  This breakpoint is never hit.

Without anything in the logs I'm at a complete loss to figure out what is going wrong here.  Any suggestions??

Answer 11

Hi, Hmac!

 

Any luck? I'm stuck with the same problem and see now way forward... on a project that's already late. Any hints / experiences?

 

Regards,

 

Ziga

Answer 12

hi all,

in my case i solved the problem by writing the new Event handler.(item editing) in that eventhandler i have triggered workflow progarmatically.if any one let me know more details on this . please mail me

thx...

 

Answer 13

Got it... in my case it was the security setting for InfoPath forms.

 

Domain doesn't work, has to be FullTrust, and signed.

 

Regards,

 

Ziga

Answer 14

Hello Mike
Have  u got the solution  for  ur post..? if  possible pls. le me know bcz i am having the same problem

Answer 15

 

Pls check the type of exception in the /12/Logs file.

If it is System.IO.FileNotFoundException then it is because the workflow assembly is not found by the system.

Please verify the entry for the assembly in the Manifest file (usually workflow.xml) under the node Elements->Workflow.

Also, make sure that the same assembly is gaced.

 

 

Rgds

SnJy

Answer 16

Hi there,

 

"The workflow failed to start due to an internal error. " was also an issue at our project.

 

We solved it just be activating the

Office SharePoint Server Standard Site features.

Greetings,

Dirk

Answer 17

Hi,

I too have the same issue, whenever i start the workflow for any document it gives the message "Failed to start" and one more message "workflow has been cancelled by system account". Can anyone help me out...I have an urgent requirement for my client.

Regards
sakin

Answer 18

Just try deactivating the workflow feature in site features and reactivate...

This might work..

I had a similar issue and gave that a try..

It worked!!!!!!!!

 

Answer 19

This didn't work for me.  I had a page created and was trying to fix one thing and deactivated "Workflow" on the Site Features page and since I have done that it will not let me approve this page.  Keeps giving me the same error as you guys have listed. 

Answer 20

Hi,

i am also facing this issue. i made 2 level approval state machine workflow, that worked perfectly fine. Now i have made another approval workflow and i am getting error "Failed on start" , "Workflow [workflowname] was canceled by System Account".

Even deactivating the workflow feature and re-activating didn't work for me.

Could anyone tell me what is causing the issue?

Thanks.

 

Answer 21

Hi Gentleman,

Am an amateur with SP2007.I have the same error ( Workflow failed to start due to an internal error) when I tried to run the default Approval workflow as well as a sharepoint designer created workflow. I checked the log file , no logs were created. But I have  Application Error logged on the server that EventID6481

Application Server job failed for service instance Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance (83ee8d9b-4daf-4fbd-bce6-cb1f226b429a).

Also I  have another Application Error logged on Windows Sharepoing Serives on the server

Also Event ID 6398

The Execute method of job definition Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.ApplicationServerAdministrationServiceJob (ID ba42cc5a-abae-4ce7-be6e-798f3af240ad) threw an exception. More information is included below.

Any Idea, whatz the mess all about. I tried search all over internet , but till not useful.

Thanks & Regards,

Suresh

Answer 22

Hi, another one with the same problem... My assembly is on GAC, i restarted iis, reinstalled feature, tryed with three different workflows and allways the same error... My user is a computer administrator, and is the same user that is set to app pool... Any one have more ideas?

 

Answer 23

Hi, another one with the same problem... My assembly is on GAC, i restarted iis, reinstalled feature, tryed with three different workflows and allways the same error... My user is a computer administrator, and is the same user that is set to app pool... Any one have more ideas?

Thanks

Answer 24

Hi,

 

Suresh:  First error you mention is more likely to be caused by search being incorrectly configured - In particular look at the accounts being used for the search service (both the SharePoint and Office search services) and make sure they have sufficent access (to the database server as well as the MOSS server).  A good test is to use a domain user account that has local Administrator rights to both the MOSS Server and the Database Server.

 

All:  Anyway like everyone else here I've got the same problem and I'm afraid can't offer a solution, though I do have some pointers that may help in tracking it down:

 

I have a development server VM I was using to develop some workflows all of which worked ok.  I sent the feature to a customer but when they installed it the workflows gave the "unable to start'' error detailed here.

 

Got the customer to send me a backup of the site collection, when I loaded this the workflows worked fine.  However when I created a new workflow and applied that I got the "unable to start" error.

 

The workflow never even gets to the breakpoint in Visual Studio that I've added to the workflow initialise and I get no meaningful errors in the log file.

 

Even worse the new workflow, and any others that I create no longer work on any of my other site collections!

 

The only thing I can think of is some form of corruption to where features are stored in the Server Farm.  This customer has installed and then removed the Microsoft NZ PRA features and as these do not remove cleanly that's going to be my first line of investigation.

 

PS Anyone looking at the Microsoft NZ PRA stuff DON'T install it on any server that's important to you as it's a mess.  We've ended up developing are own version to fix all the bugs.

 

Thanks,

 

Jos

Answer 25

I had the System.IO.FileNotFoundException when trying to manually install the workflow on the live server. My workflow worked on the test/development server but not the live server, and this was for a few reasons:

 

Ensure you use the correct version of .NET! especially if you are using Visual Studio 2008. I was compiling my workflow for 3.5 and it only had version 3.0 on the server.

 

I was adding the Workflow.dll file on the live server to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) using \\server\C$\Windows\Assembly but this method did not actually add the Workflow.dll to the GAC. When I looked in C:\Windows\Assembly, my file workflow.dll was not there!

 

I tried to add the Workflow.dll file on the live server dragging and dropping it into C:\Windows\assembly, but even though I thought it was signed it appeared to have problems saying the Workflow.dll was not signed. I used "caspol -af Workflow.dll" from the DOS prompt on the live server and this correctly installed the Workflow.dll to the GAC.

 

My other problem after that was that I was referencing a DLL that was not in the live servers GAC, it only came up with reference to this DLL not being available in 12\LOGS after the Workflow.dll was finally installed into the GAC.

 

Ensure that you always use IISRESET after installing files into the GAC!

 

I did not need to deactivate the feature and reactive it on the live server after it had failed on previous attempts, but I guess this doesn't hurt. Ensure that you are referencing the correct version of your Workflow.dll file in your feature.xml and workflow.xml files in your Workflow Feature.

 

The procedure I used to install the Workflow manually:

1. Copy the Workflow.dll to the GAC, along with and any other DLL's you reference in your workflow that are not in the GAC of the server you are installing your worfklow on.
2. Reset IIS using IISRESET
3. Copy the workflow folder into 12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES. This should contain your Feature.xml, Workflow.xml, and any custom InfoPath Form/Form files you have (Association, Initiation, Tasks/Modification).
4. Install the feature using 'stsadm -o installfeature -name [WorkflowFeatureName]
5. Activate the feature using 'stsadm -o activatefeature -name [WorkflowFeatureName] -url [SiteCollectionUrl]

Providing you've done all this right, you should be good to go. The other thing I read was that you can try repair your .NET 3.0/ .NET 3.1 SP1 installation in Add/Remove Programs. This didn't do anything for me though, but worth a go if you've tried and checked everything else.

 

Regards,

Mark

Answer 26

Error:  "The workflow failed to start due to an internal error" when trying to use an out of the box SharePoint workflow we just created.

 

Solution:

Site Actions - Settings - Site Collection Features

Deactivate all features with the word "WorkFlow" in the title.

Activate all features with the word "WorkFlow" in the title.

 

Cause:

We created a new site collection using stsadm from a site template we created.  The workflow features do not get provisioned correctly.

 

Where I found my solution:  http://glorix.blogspot.com/2007/12/workflow-failed-to-start-due-to.html

Answer 27

Adding to AssortedWires' suggestions, here are my unauthoritative suggestions that have worked for me (for the most part):

• Ensure that all custom Activities in your corresponding VS Solution have their own VS projects (separate from that of the SP workflow).
• Ensure that all dependent assemblies are signed / strongly-named.
• Deploy all dependent assemblies the GAC (via gacutil) prior to deploying the workflow.
  
• Include any assemblies associated with any InfoPath forms built with VSTA or VSTO, along with corresponding .xsn's, are:

1. copied to your Feature folder
   
2. included in your Feature.xml file

• Pray, because only God knows how this stuff actually works.
  

Naturally, I recommend maintaining a custom build script to do the above.  Even with VS 2008's OOTB SP Workflow project file, I still had to specify deployment to the GAC for all dependencies, even for the included Workflow activities.

Anyway, the plot thickens: My workflow will work unless I am debugging and a (certain?) breakpoint is hit, in which case it says "The workflow failed to start due to an internal error."  Still researching that one.

Answer 28

Aha!  Also beware the bug (as I'm calling it) in running xsd on an infopath form.  'Twas the root of my prob.

Answer 29

 Even i am getting the same error. did anyone know exactly wat the root cause y it is failing

Answer 30

 - For no apparent reason, I suddenly get and error on compile stating Unable to deploy, Assembly Not Signed.  If I create a new key file, the compile error will go away but the workflow will no longer start in SP.  It generates the infamous "Failed to start" error.  (Yea, ummmmmm......I HATE THAT ERROR!!!)

  

 Here's what I did to resolve the issue

    - Open the assembly cache C:\Windows\assembly

    - Right click on the Workflow's Assembly file and select properties

    - Copy the Public key Token value shown in the properties window to the PublicKeyToken value in the workflow.xml file

    - Redeploy the workflow.

Why this worked for me or why this problem has happened to me 3 or 4 times is way beyond me.

Answer 31

Even I am getting the same error. Did u find any solution for this issue?

Answer 32

Hi Snehal,

                Deactivate for all active feature and activate for all deactive feature in top level sites.

Thanks
Prabhakar
Bangalore

Answer 33

Hello

There is way to go around that check the version settings on your list

and set it to major version then make sure that all pages or documents are

checked in. Now you can approve them without problem.

Normally, when you got minor and major versions, some stuff may go wrong

and you got that famous error "Workflow fail to initiate".

Cheers  

---

Momo

Answer 34

Go into the Pages list settings --> Workflow settings. Locate the workflow associated with publishing (probably called Parallel Approval) and change it from "No new instances" to "Allow".