Windows Server 2008 R2: Active Directory Domain Services - Installation Failed

If, like me, you installed Windows Server 2008 R2  and then went on to disable several of the windows services you thought you didn't need prior to installing the Active Directory Domain Services role - you may have noticed that the Installation Fails.

I usually disable services that I feel are not required for what I'm doing. This especially helps create an optimal system when using a virtual machine.

However - learn from my mistake: Don't disable Remote Registry.

Remote Registry is a dependency of DFS Namespaces which is a dependancy of Active Directory Domain Services. Make sure these two services are enabled and you won't experience the same Installation Failed message.

SharePoint Designer: Errors were found when compiling the workflow

The Issue
Recently, while attempting to publishing a SharePoint Designer workflow I was receiving the following error message:

“Errors were found when compiling the workflow.The workflow files were saved but cannot be run”.
Detail: “Unexpected error on server associating the workflow”

I researched the issue and found many suggestions and workarounds for this issue. Fixes and workarounds that worked for others range from Permissions configuration, configuring the correct task list, right through to code fixes. On some occasions the problem was purely a minor detail that had been overlooked by the developer.

Knowing that none of these fixes and workarounds applied to my scenario I was a little baffled to say the least.

What worked for me
A colleague of mine suggested using ProcessMonitor (opens in new window) to find out what was happening when attempting to publish the workflow. What we discovered is that each time I tried to publish the workflow, it was writing to and referencing a cache on the client machine (where SharePoint Designer is running).

Cache Location on Vista/Win2008:- C:\Users\[Username]\ApPData\Local\Microsoft\WebsiteCache

Note: If you happen to know where the cache is located on other operating systems I’d appreciate your input.

Having cleared out the cache the workflows published. Hurrah!