“Farm Configuration is Incomplete” – Detailed Troubleshooting Guide for SharePoint

The “Farm Configuration is Incomplete” error in SharePoint typically occurs when certain configurations are missing or incorrectly set up within the SharePoint farm. This issue can arise due to:

• A failed or incomplete configuration during SharePoint installation.
• Missing or improperly configured service applications.
• Problems with databases, permissions, or SharePoint Timer Service.
• Unconfigured or incorrectly set up Web Applications.

To fix this issue, follow the detailed step-by-step troubleshooting guide below.

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🔍 Step 1: Verify Farm Configuration in Central Administration

The first step is to check if SharePoint Central Administration is reporting the farm as incomplete.

✅ Steps to Check Farm Configuration in SharePoint Central Administration

1. Log in to your SharePoint Central Administration.
2. Navigate to Configuration Wizards → Check Farm Configuration.
3. Look for any warnings or missing configurations in the Health Analyzer.
4. If a warning message appears stating “Farm Configuration is Incomplete”, click on it to get more details.
5. If the issue is related to missing service applications, you will need to configure them (explained in later steps).

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🔍 Step 2: Run the SharePoint Configuration Wizard

If the farm configuration is incomplete, running the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard can help resolve missing or misconfigured components.

✅ How to Run the Configuration Wizard:

1. Log in to the SharePoint Server with a Farm Administrator account.
2. Open SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard from the Start menu.
3. Click Next and then select Repair Existing Configuration.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions and allow SharePoint to complete the configuration.
5. After completion, restart IIS using the command: iisreset /noforce
6. Check if the issue persists in Central Administration.

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🔍 Step 3: Verify Required SharePoint Services

If certain SharePoint services are stopped, it can cause the “Farm Configuration is Incomplete” issue.

✅ Steps to Check and Start Services:

1. Open SharePoint Central Administration.
2. Navigate to System Settings → Manage Services on Server.
3. Ensure that the following services are Started:
   • Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application
   • SharePoint Timer Service
   • User Profile Service Application
   • Search Service Application
   • Managed Metadata Service
   • Distributed Cache (if applicable)
4. If any of these services are stopped, click Start to enable them.

Alternatively, you can use PowerShell to check running services:

Get-SPServiceInstance | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Disabled"}

To start a specific service:

Start-SPServiceInstance -Identity <ServiceID>

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🔍 Step 4: Verify and Recreate Missing Service Applications

SharePoint requires essential Service Applications to function properly. If any required services are missing or not configured, the farm will be incomplete.

✅ Steps to Check and Configure Service Applications:

1. Open SharePoint Central Administration.
2. Navigate to Manage Service Applications.
3. Ensure that the following service applications exist:
   • State Service (Required for Central Administration)
   • User Profile Service
   • Search Service Application
   • Managed Metadata Service
   • Business Data Connectivity Service
4. If any service application is missing, create it using the New Service Application option.

✅ How to Create the State Service (If Missing) via PowerShell:

New-SPStateServiceDatabase -Name "StateServiceDB" -DatabaseServer "YourDBServer"
New-SPStateServiceApplication -Name "State Service"
New-SPStateServiceApplicationProxy -Name "State Service Proxy" -ServiceApplication "State Service"

After creating missing services, restart IIS and check Central Administration again.

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🔍 Step 5: Check SharePoint Timer Service (SPTimerV4)

The SharePoint Timer Service is essential for farm health. If it is stopped, many configurations will not apply properly.

✅ Steps to Restart the SharePoint Timer Service:

1. Open Services.msc (Run → services.msc).
2. Locate SharePoint Timer Service (SPTimerV4).
3. If it is stopped, right-click and select Start.
4. If it is already running, restart it.

Alternatively, restart it using PowerShell:

Restart-Service SPTimerV4

After restarting, check if the farm configuration issue is resolved.

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🔍 Step 6: Verify SharePoint Database Connectivity

If SharePoint cannot connect to its configuration databases, it may report “Farm Configuration is Incomplete”.

✅ Steps to Check Database Health:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
2. Connect to your SharePoint Database Server.
3. Run the following query to check database status: SELECT name, state_desc FROM sys.databases
4. If any SharePoint databases are in Suspect or Offline mode, bring them online using: ALTER DATABASE [YourDatabaseName] SET ONLINE;
5. Check that the SharePoint Farm account has the required db_owner role in SQL Server.

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🔍 Step 7: Check Farm Account Permissions

The Farm Account needs correct permissions to configure SharePoint services and databases.

✅ Steps to Check and Fix Farm Account Permissions:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
2. Go to Security → Logins.
3. Find the SharePoint Farm Account.
4. Ensure it has the following roles:
   • db_owner on all SharePoint databases.
   • SecurityAdmin and DBCreator at the server level.
5. If missing, assign the permissions and restart the SQL Server service.

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🔍 Step 8: Restart IIS and Clear SharePoint Cache

✅ Restart IIS

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the following command: iisreset /noforce

✅ Clear SharePoint Configuration Cache

1. Stop the SharePoint Timer Service: net stop SPTimerV4
2. Navigate to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\GUID (Replace GUID with the actual folder name.)
3. Delete all XML files except cache.ini.
4. Open cache.ini, change its value to 1, and save.
5. Restart the SharePoint Timer Service: net start SPTimerV4

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🔍 Step 9: Check Event Viewer for Errors

If the issue persists, check Event Viewer logs for specific error messages.

✅ Steps to Check Event Logs:

1. Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc).
2. Navigate to Windows Logs → Application.
3. Look for errors related to SharePoint, SQL Server, or IIS.
4. Address any critical errors found.

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🔍 Step 10: Final Checks and Server Restart

1. Ensure all SharePoint Services are running.
2. Ensure SQL Server is online and accessible.
3. Restart IIS, SharePoint Timer Service, and the Server.

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