Installing SharePoint 2010 RC on Win7

I figured an installation of SharePoint 2010 RC on Windows 7 would have some hiccups for two reasons:

1. I never installed on Win7 before
2. I have heard about issues getting the correct prerequisites for the installation

So, I went to the MSFT source first and used the installation guide posted here.  I followed every step in order and had no issues until it was time to run the configuration wizard.  I received the following error:

SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard
Configuration Failed
Failed to create the configuration database
An exception of type System.IO.FileNotFoundException was thrown. Additional exception information: Could not load file or assembly ‘Microsoft.IdentityModel, version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35’ or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.The Geneva framework version on the installation link above is not correct for RC.  Use this link instead – Geneva Framework for SharePoint 2010 RC.  Once I updated the installation of the Geneva framework, the configuration was successful.

During installation, my laptop used about 3GB of the available 4GB install.  There is documentation indicating that the install requires a minimum 2GB RAM, but I would recommend using at last 4GB.

SharePoint Saturday Houston

It is now April and SharePoint Saturdays have already been occurring around the world.  I attended my first SPS event last year in San Antonio.  It was a good event and had a great turnout.  Getting to meet other folks in the community and learn about experiences using the SharePoint platform was certainly eye opening.  I was ready for Houston to host an event since the SharePoint community has been growing based on the local user group attendance.

After a month of getting organized and accumulating speaker abstracts, the Houston event’s speakers are about to be announced.  The Norris Conference center will host the event.  The H-SPUG December event was held there at the end of 2009 and was a big hit.  This time, we’ll be using more space and have a larger audience which is exciting. 

If you are interested in getting more out of SharePoint and don’t want to go to an event like SPTechCon or the SharePoint Conference, then this may be the event for you.  The best part about SharePoint Saturdays are that they are free to the community attendees.  Speakers volunteer their time and sponsors generously donate funding to help make the event successful. 

If you have not registered, you can visit the SharePoint Saturday Houston (SPSHOU) site to sign up.  If you’d like to sponsor, it is not too late.  Sponsor info can be found here.  The forms are all available on the SPSHOU portal. 

I plan to post an update once the speakers are finalized.  Look forward to seeing you at the event!