BizTalk Server Configuration Error: Failed to configure with error message [Catastrophic failure]

This week, while helping a client do a brand new BizTalk Server 2020 installation, I encountered a brand new, strange error that I had never seen in all my years working in BizTalk Server:

[2025-05-20 11:26:11:0556 Error Configuration Framework]Feature: [Group] Failed to configure with error message [Catastrophic failure]

Yes, you read it right: Catastrophic failure! It seems like a message from a horror movie or a comedy sketch.

Cause

This is indeed a strange error message that doesn’t give us many details. Going through the log file does not bring us better evidence:

• [2025-05-20 11:26:02:0994 Error BtsCfg] Catastrophic failure
• [2025-05-20 11:26:02:0994 Error BtsCfg] e:\bt\57588\private\source\setup\btscfg\btscfg.cpp(1877): FAILED hr = 8000ffff
• [2025-05-20 11:26:03:0041 Error BtsCfg] The server has not been configured.
  To configure the server, run the BizTalk Server Configuration wizard and configure the Group feature.

We found that UAC was enabled, and we were running the BizTalk Server Configuration Console without administrator privileges. And we were getting this strange error.

Solution

By running the BizTalk Server Configuration wizard using administrator privileges

We could work around that error and successfully configure BizTalk Server 2020.

I hope you find this helpful! If you liked the content or found it useful and want to help me write more, you can buy (or help me buy) my son a Star Wars Lego! 

Author: Sandro Pereira

Sandro Pereira lives in Portugal and works as a consultant at DevScope. In the past years, he has been working on implementing Integration scenarios both on-premises and cloud for various clients, each with different scenarios from a technical point of view, size, and criticality, using Microsoft Azure, Microsoft BizTalk Server and different technologies like AS2, EDI, RosettaNet, SAP, TIBCO etc. He is a regular blogger, international speaker, and technical reviewer of several BizTalk books all focused on Integration. He is also the author of the book “BizTalk Mapping Patterns & Best Practices”. He has been awarded MVP since 2011 for his contributions to the integration community. View all posts by Sandro Pereira