The recommended method of installing SharePoint is not to use the SharePoint Configuration Wizards but to do everything manually. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be that easy any more. Here’s an example I have come across.

 

So, you have installed SharePoint Foundation 2013 using the Complete option during installation. You have elected to cancel the SharePoint Configuration Wizard and do everything manually. You have successfully created a Web Application and a Site Collection inside that application. You can see the SharePoint Foundation web site but when you look at Service Applications in SharePoint Central Administration you only see:

 

 

If you then look at Manage Services on this Server you see that the SharePoint Server Search is Stopped.

 

 

Logically, you press the Start hyperlink to be greeted by the following message.

 

 

So you press the OK button and end up back at:

 

 

Then what you’d previously do is create a new Search Application using the New button in the top left, but selecting that now only reveals:

 

 

So how the hell do you add the Search Application???

 

I reckon you may only now be able to do it via PowerShell. I’ll do some digging and report back, however it once again highlights to me how more difficult SharePoint on premise is with 2013.

Been poking around SharePoint Foundation 2013 and noticed the following reduction in site template options.

 

Here’s the site template options when you go to create a new sub site:

 

Collaboration tab

 

SharePoint 2010 Foundation

 

 

SharePoint 2013 Foundation

 

 

i.e. the following templates are no longer available:

 

– blank site

– document workspace

– group work site

 

There is no longer a meeting tab as there is in SharePoint 2010

 

 

There is now an Enterprise tab that contains:

 

 

So the following site templates are no longer available by default in SharePoint 2013 Foundation:

 

– Blank site

– Document Workspace

– Group Work Site

– Basic Meeting Workspace

– Blank Meeting Workspace

– Decision Meeting Workspace

– Social Meeting Workspace

– Multipage Meeting Workspace

 

The following have been added:

 

– Basic Search Center

 

The reason? My guess is that most people never used the site templates that have been removed and the thinking is that if people want to get them then they will probably be available via the new Office Marketplace that is part of SharePoint 2013.

 

However, the more I look at Foundation 2013 the more I am convinced that it is far more basic that Foundation 2010 was. Maybe the addition of the Office Marketplace in the 2013 products is where additions to the product will appear? I’ll be interested to see whether they do.

The previous blog post I did on setting up SharePoint Foundation 2013 I will admit to cheating a little. There is did the installation completely on a single windows 2012 Server that I had converted to a Domain Controller (DC).

 

Now, technically that isn’t supported, so here are some other ways you can attempt to install it.

 

If you simply try and install it on a stand alone server that is not part of a domain you’ll see

 

 

If you select stand alone and follow it through you’ll end up with the following error during the configuration wizard:

 

 

which is the same sort of error I received when testing the beta.

 

If you instead try and do a complete install you end up at:

 

 

So as:

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2764086/en-us

 

notes, SharePoint 2013 is NOT supported unless it is on a domain connected server, only then will you see:

 

 

and the ultimate end results you are after

 

 

When you use the GUI installation method.

SharePoint 2013 Foundation 2013 RTM is now available for download. You can do so from:

 

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35488

 

Here’s a walk through of the installation process

 

 

Launch the downloaded file and it will expand files

 

 

Next the splash screen will be displayed. Select Install software prerequisites.

 

 

Click Next.

 

 

Accept the terms of the License Agreement and press Next.

 

 

The server will be configured, additional roles will be added.

 

 

The first phase will complete and you will need to reboot.

 

 

 

 

After you reboot and log back into the system the process will continue.

 

 

Pre-requisite programs will be downloaded and installed.

 

 

The next phase will complete and you will need to reboot again.

 

 

After you reboot and login you will see the summary screen (above) detailing that everything is complete.

 

 

Run the downloaded file again and this time select Install SharePoint Foundation.

 

 

The process will commence.

 

 

Accept the terms of the agreements and press Continue.

 

 

Specify a location for search index files. Best bet is not to install these on a boot partition. Press Install Now when complete.

 

 

The SharePoint binaries will now be installed.

 

 

Leave the box checked to run the Products Configuration Wizard. Press Close to continue.

 

 

Press Next to continue.

 

 

Note, the process will start and stop IIS which may affect other users. Select Yes to continue.

 

 

Select the option to Create a new server farm and press Next to continue.

 

 

Enter the database details and login. Press Next to continue.

 

 

Enter the farm passphrase (and don’t forget it!). Press Next to continue.

 

 

Press Next to continue.

 

 

Verify the details and press Next proceed.

 

 

The wizard will now go through its 10 step configuration phase.

 

 

When successfully complete you’ll see a summary page. Press Finish to complete.

 

 

Select whether you wish to participate in the Customer Experience Program.

 

 

Normally you don’t want to run the wizard here but for the sake of this walk through we will.

 

 

Enter a service account and press Next.

 

 

 

 

Enter the details for the site collection.

 

 

 

 

Process is complete, press Finish.

 

 

Interesting, Central Administration has a few more options.

 

 

Open a new browser window and enter the URL of the site and in a few moments you should see SharePoint 2010 Foundation up and running.

One of the most handy features of SharePoint is that you can connect it to Outlook. The most common connection you can make is for a SharePoint calendar that you can then use directly in Outlook.