STSADM Export FatalError: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes

 

 Today I ran across a problem while attempting to export a SharePoint (MOSS2007) site.    While running stsadm -o export, the process terminated with “FatalError: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes (xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)“

 

 

 

Curiously, the error happened while the app was trying to process objects of type “Field.”    After looking through the template columns on the SharePoint site (which revealed absolutely nothing), I started examining the field templates in the c:program filescommon filesmicrosoft sharedweb server
extensions12template subfolders.   Searching for “Fields.xml” returned 2 results:  pwsfields.xml and Fields.xml.      The pwsfields.xml file had Guids formatted in the way the stsadm -o export was expecting them.    Fields.xml was another story.   Fields.xml had Guids surrounded by curly brackets.    

 

Okay, okay, “enough!”, you say.   “Thanks for the discovery insight, but did you fix it or not?!”  

 

Wow, pushy lad/lass are ye?  Fixed.   Here’s the solution:

 

1)  Create a copy of “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\FEATURE\STSATypesFields.xml” (you know why.)

 

2) Open Fields.xml 

 

3) Replace all instances of }” (curly-bracket-quote) with “ (quote)

 

 

 

 

5) Save Fields.xml and retry the export operation.