SharePoint FAQ

Symptom

When you try to access a site, you may see the following message:

Error: Access Denied
You are currently signed in as: [domain]\[login]

Sign in as a different user
Request access

Resolution

If you visit a SharePoint site and receive an access denied message then you should see a link to request access. Follow this link and supply the necessary information. An email will be sent directly to the site administrator who can provide the necessary access. If you don't see this link, then the site administrator has not configured access requests for the site. If you know who the site administrator is, you should contact them directly and request access. If you don't know who the site administrator is then contact the service desk for assistance.

Symptom

You have added permission for the user, but when trying to access the site they still are getting denied access.

Resolution

There are a few possible reasons this may happen.

1. You have given access to the wrong user account
   Some users have multiple Active Directory accounts. Ask the user what account they login to their PC with, that should be the preferred account to add, then try adding that directly.
2. User does not have all of the permissions they need to view the link provided
   Test with another user, adding them only to the groups your other user is in to verify that the groups permissions are configured properly.
3. User has recently moved to a new position or agency
   When users take a new position, it is common for administrators to delete and recreate their account. When this is done, it causes problems if the user previously had access to the site in question. To fix this, go to any group in the site and within the URL, change the MembershipGroupId to equal 0. This will show you a listing of all users in the entire Site Collection, they are not associated to the group you selected. At this point delete the user in question from the site collection, then add them back to the groups needed. Caution: This will remove this users permissions to the entire site collection, only do this if they can not access anything in the collection.

Symptom

When you try to delete a site, you may see the following message:

Error deleting Web site "/sitename/subsitename". You can't delete a site that has subsites.

Resolution

To delete a site, you must first delete any subsites that exist below it.

Symptom

When you try to delete the owners of a Web site collection, you may see one of the following messages:

You cannot delete the owners of a Web site collection. You cannot remove the owners from the list of Web site collection administrators.

Resolution

You cannot remove your own account from the Site Collection Administrators group. Contact another site collection administrator or the server administrator and request that your name be removed from the Site Collection Administrators group.

Symptom

When you try to create a new file or folder, you may see the following message:

The file or folder name "File/Folder Name" contains invalid characters. Please use a different name. Invalid characters include the following: # % & * : < > ? / \ { | } .

Resolution

Certain characters are prohibited from use in file and folder names in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Type a name for the file or folder that does not contain any of the invalid characters.

Symptom

When you try to create a new file or folder, you may see the following message:

The specified file or folder name is too long. The URL path for all files and folders must be 260 characters or less (and no more than 128 characters for any single file or folder name in the URL). Please type a shorter file or folder name.

Resolution

File and folder names cannot be longer than 128 characters. Additionally, the complete URL to the file cannot be longer than 260 characters. Click the Back button in your browser, and then type a new name.

Symptom

When you try to create a new list or library, you may see the following message:

The specified name is already in use. A list, survey, discussion board, or document library cannot have the same name as another list, survey, discussion board, or document library in this Web site. Use your browser's button, and type a new name.

Resolution

You cannot create a new list or library that has the same name as an existing list or library. Either type a different name for the new list or library, or delete the old list or library before you create the new one.

Note If you receive this message but you are unable to locate the existing list or library with the same name, you may not have sufficient permission to view the list or library. Contact your administrator for assistance.

Symptom

When you try to create a new site collection, you may see the following message:

Another site already exists at http://sitename/sites/subsitename. Delete this site before attempting to create a new site with the same URL, choose a new URL, or create a new inclusion at the path you originally specified.

When you try to create a new subsite, you may see the following message:

The Web site address /sites/subsitename/subsubsitename is already in use.

Resolution

The URL of the Web site that you are trying to create already exists in the same site location. Click the Back button in your browser, and then type a different URL for your site.

Symptom

When you try to delete a file, you may see the following message:

The file is currently checked out or locked for editing by another user.

Resolution

You cannot delete a file that is currently checked out by another user. Contact the user who has the file checked out and ask him or her to check in the file, or contact the site owner for assistance.

Symptom

When you try to upload a file, you may see the following message:

The form submission cannot be processed because it exceeded the maximum length allowed by the Web administrator. Please resubmit the form with less data.

Resolution

The default maximum file size for a file that is being uploaded to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is 50 megabytes (MB). Server administrators can increase or decrease the file size, as needed. Contact your server administrator to submit an ESR requesting that the upload file size be increased.

Symptom

When you try to upload a file, you may see the following message:

The file you are attempting to save or retrieve has been blocked from this Web site by the server administrators.

Resolution

By default, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 prevents certain file types from being uploaded to the server. Server administrators can add or remove file types from this list, as needed. Contact your server administrator to submit an ESR request that the file type be unblocked.

Each site, that has its own permissions, by default has the person that created it is the contact for access request.

This can be changed from the site following these steps:

1. Site Actions – Site Settings
2. Advanced Permissions
3. Settings – Access Request

Then just change it to what you want or disable it.