Failure to display content of any library when inserting media

Question

I've got the delightful job of managing a SP2010 instance as one of my systems. There are two main 'sites' and for some reason the asset selection section will not display any content (screenshot: imgur link). This is happening across both sites and as far as I know the views haven't been touched, and all file modifications for the templates are pre-2012. This was working flawlessly a fortnight ago.

I've done the following:

• Restarted the IIS server and then the whole server (it's dedicated for SP)
• Cleared the XML cache in Config and reset the timer
• Completely disabled the Publishing* features and re-enabled them

... to no avail.

The error will be displayed for any item on the left. I'm by no means a SharePoint expert but I did try and decipher the logs; all of which display these same lines when the error occurs:

07/11/2013 12:46:58.39  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Monitoring                      nasq    Medium      Entering monitored scope (Request (POST:http://sp2010:80/sites/IAE/_layouts/AssetPortalBrowser.aspx?List=12d026f7%2D2805%2D4e06%2Db3ea%2D0ffcb87cf988&MDWeb=85d8b94f%2D8d3b%2D40cc%2D9bee%2D0aad67b2070b&AssetType=Image))   
07/11/2013 12:46:58.39  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Logging Correlation Data        xmnv    Medium      Name=Request (POST:http://sp2010:80/sites/IAE/_layouts/AssetPortalBrowser.aspx?List=12d026f7%2D2805%2D4e06%2Db3ea%2D0ffcb87cf988&MDWeb=85d8b94f%2D8d3b%2D40cc%2D9bee%2D0aad67b2070b&AssetType=Image)    2fcb7194-94d9-425e-a244-2d5a2658ea83
07/11/2013 12:46:58.40  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Logging Correlation Data        xmnv    Medium      Site=/sites/IAE 2fcb7194-94d9-425e-a244-2d5a2658ea83
07/11/2013 12:46:58.42  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Monitoring                      b4ly    High        Leaving Monitored Scope (Load CachedList:12d026f7-2805-4e06-b3ea-0ffcb87cf988). Execution Time=9.55791867402142 2fcb7194-94d9-425e-a244-2d5a2658ea83
07/11/2013 12:46:59.59  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Web Parts                       89a1    High        Error while executing web part: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.     at System.Xml.Xsl.XslCompiledTransform.Load(MethodInfo executeMethod, Byte[] queryData, Type[] earlyBoundTypes)     at Microsoft.Xslt.STransform.GetCompiledTransform()     at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.BaseXsltListWebPart.LoadXslCompiledTransform(WSSXmlUrlResolver someXmlResolver)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.DataFormWebPart.GetXslCompiledTransform()     at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.DataFormWebPart.PrepareAndPerformTransform(Boolean bDeferExecuteTransform)    2fcb7194-94d9-425e-a244-2d5a2658ea83
07/11/2013 12:46:59.59  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Monitoring                      b4ly    High        Leaving Monitored Scope (DataBinding DataFormWebPart ()). Execution Time=1147.79112987824   2fcb7194-94d9-425e-a244-2d5a2658ea83
07/11/2013 12:46:59.61  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Monitoring                      b4ly    Medium      Leaving Monitored Scope (Request (POST:http://sp2010:80/sites/IAE/_layouts/AssetPortalBrowser.aspx?List=12d026f7%2D2805%2D4e06%2Db3ea%2D0ffcb87cf988&MDWeb=85d8b94f%2D8d3b%2D40cc%2D9bee%2D0aad67b2070b&AssetType=Image)). Execution Time=1208.49828679343  2fcb7194-94d9-425e-a244-2d5a2658ea83
07/11/2013 12:46:59.97  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Monitoring                      nasq    Medium      Entering monitored scope (Request (GET:http://sp2010:80/sites/IAE/_layouts/none))    
07/11/2013 12:46:59.97  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Logging Correlation Data        xmnv    Medium      Name=Request (GET:http://sp2010:80/sites/IAE/_layouts/none) 1a5ba071-8860-4e9a-baaf-1e1d6fa6426c
07/11/2013 12:46:59.97  w3wp.exe (0x1320)                           0x016C  SharePoint Foundation           Monitoring                      b4ly    Medium      Leaving Monitored Scope (Request (GET:http://sp2010:80/sites/IAE/_layouts/none)). Execution Time=2.17513678414435   1a5ba071-8860-4e9a-baaf-1e1d6fa6426c

If anyone's stumbled into something like this before and can help, or knows a specific resource to check, I'd be quite thankful.

Answer 1

I had the same issue with all the controls using the Asset.js like PublishingImage and PublishingHyperlink field. After a bit of head banging, I figured out that the issue has been caused by the Windows KB update KB2844287 which I think got updated last night. Uninstall it and restart the box and the fields should start working fine.

Answer 2

Microsoft released a hotfix, no need to uninstall KB2844286 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2872441

Answer 3

I was also seeing the same error in the asset browser. The corresponding USL error was:

Error while executing web part: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

at System.Xml.Xsl.XslCompiledTransform.Load(MethodInfo executeMethod, Byte[] queryData, Type[] earlyBoundTypes)

at Microsoft.Xslt.STransform.GetCompiledTransform()

at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.BaseXsltListWebPart.LoadXslCompiledTransform(WSSXmlUrlResolver someXmlResolver)

at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.DataFormWebPart.GetXslCompiledTransform()

at Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.DataFormWebPart.PrepareAndPerformTransform(Boolean bDeferExecuteTransform)

Confirmed that hotfix http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2872441 resolved the issue. The hotfix says no restart is required, however we have had to restart the server for the effects to take place.

Answer 4

Had the same problem (nightmare) because many employees where affected.

This is what the real problem was, and I solved it by uninstalling Windows Update KB2844286.