When search doesn't work from SharePoint MySites - Preferred Search Center Weirdness

I've seen this issue with two MOSS 2007 implementations now - end-users report that performing a search from a MySite returns Access Denied.  The typical scenario is that a user will do a People Search for an individual, click through to the result which puts them on that individual's MySite, and then from that Mysite they'll try another search for a different user.  At this point they get an access denied error or other weirdness.

The solution to this issue is to go to the Shared Service Provider in Central Administration, click on My Site Settings, and ensure that the Preferred Search Center URL is correct (i.e. that it points to the desired Search Center, typically the one used in your main SharePoint portal - like http://[sitename]/searchcenter/Pages/)

The worrisome aspect of this is that both times I've seen this issue, it has happened after a new site collection was created, and that new site collection's Search Center URL got plugged into the SSP's Preferred Search Center setting.  One of my colleagues theorized that this setting points to the most-recently-created Search Center (and a new Search Center is created each time you use the Collaboration Portal template for a new site collection).  I could not find a setting in Central Administration, or at the time of creation of a new site collection, to prevent this from happening.

Comments

[Joe]

thanks, this fixed my problem!!!

[Reetu]

Can you please let me kow how this problem was fixed. I am seeing a Mysite Search Center URl changed and not sure how to revert the seetings back?

Thanks,

[sadalit]

Reetu -

1. Copy the URL of the Search Center that the MySite should be using (for example http://[sitename]/searchcenter/Pages/) - without copying the actual aspx page.
2. Go to SharePoint Central Administration
3. Go to your Shared Service Provider or SSP (under Shared Services Administration in the quick launch of Central Admin)
4. click on My Site Settings
5. The first field in My Site Settings is for Preferred Search Center. Paste the URL of the correct search center there (that you copied in Step 1).
6. Click OK at the bottom of the page.

You should be all set!

[Reetu]

Hi Sadalit,

Thanks a bunch! It worked. Appreciate your help.

Regards,
-Reetu

[simon]

hello, I followed your steps but I still get access denied. but for some users not.
our search center is not anonymous access, you have to login, Is there any permission related issue.

[sadalit]

Simon - can you tell me what URL you see when you get the access denied message? You can blank out your server name, I don't need to know that, but it would be helpful to see the rest of the address to see where your search is trying to go.

[MBuus]

Hi

Thanks for the info. Saved my day :=) Sometimes SharePoint just hides things from you deliberately.

/Martin

[sadalit]

Martin, so glad this was helpful!

[DunxD]

Annoyingly, changing the My Site Search Center URL doesn't seem to work. After clicking ok, it reverts to the previous setting which is wrong!

[sadalit]

Hi DunxD, does it seem to revert immediately, or later, for example after a new site collection is created?