Network Management

Unable to launch Configuration Wizard in SolarWinds Platform 2025.4

This article addresses an issue where the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard fails to launch due to an error related to the sw.web.compression.config file.

First published date

11/4/2025 4:04 PM

Last published date

11/15/2025 2:06 AM

Overview

Users may encounter a failure when attempting to launch the Configuration Wizard in SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) 2025.4. The error is caused by a problem loading a configuration section handler related to web compression, which prevents the wizard from starting. This article explains the cause and provides steps to resolve the issue.

The following error message may appear:

 

INFO  OipClient - Tracking event: ConfigurationWizard - Error - System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'SolarWinds.Iis.Common.Iis7Installer' threw an exception. ---> System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: An error occurred creating the configuration section handler for sw.web.compression: Could not load type 'SolarWinds.Orion.Core.Common.Configuration.WebCompressionSection' from assembly 

Product section

Network Performance Monitor

Cause

This issue occurs due to incompatible sw.web.compression.config file located in the C:\ProgramData\SolarWinds\ directory. This file prevents the Configuration Wizard from initializing properly.

Resolution

  1. Move the Problematic File:
    • Navigate to C:\ProgramData\SolarWinds\ on the server hosting the SolarWinds Platform.
    • Locate the file named sw.web.compression.config.
    • Move this file to a different location outside the SolarWinds directory (e.g., a backup folder).
  2. Re-run the Configuration Wizard:
    • After moving the file, launch the Configuration Wizard again. It should now start without the previous error.