I'm trying to install Sql Server 2014 on my Windows 7 (x64) box, and I'm getting an error:
Sql Server Setup has encountered the following error:
'.', hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character. Line 1, position 94686.
Error code 0x94B10001.
When I look in the Setup boostrap log, I see this:
(08) 2015-10-07 16:38:47 Slp: Searching updates on server: '7971f918-a847-4430-9279-4a52d1efe18d'(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: Error: Action "Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SetupExtension.RunDiscoveryAction" threw an exception during execution.
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.ActionExecutionException: '.', hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character. Line 1, position 94686. ---> Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.ChainerInfrastructureException: '.', hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character. Line 1, position 94686. ---> System.Xml.XmlException: '.', hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character. Line 1, position 94686.
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(Exception e)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ThrowInvalidChar(Int32 pos, Char invChar)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseNumericCharRefInline(Int32 startPos, Boolean expand, BufferBuilder internalSubsetBuilder, Int32& charCount, EntityType& entityType)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseNumericCharRef(Boolean expand, BufferBuilder internalSubsetBuilder, EntityType& entityType)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.HandleEntityReference(Boolean isInAttributeValue, EntityExpandType expandType, Int32& charRefEndPos)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseAttributeValueSlow(Int32 curPos, Char quoteChar, NodeData attr)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseAttributes()
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElement()
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElementContent()
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlLoader.LoadNode(Boolean skipOverWhitespace)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlLoader.LoadDocSequence(XmlDocument parentDoc)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(XmlReader reader)
(01) 2015-10-07 16:38:48 Slp: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.DataStoreService.LoadXmlDocument(String xml, XmlSchema schema, String namespacePrefix, String namespaceUri, String rootPath)
Googling around, I see this exact error being reported during installation, as far back as Sql Server 2008, with various vague recommendations about uninstalling this, or cleaning up registry entries for that.
Can anyone tell me precisely what is wrong? Or exactly what it is I need to do to fix this?
