failed to decrypt file web.config

[syarbrou]

We are upgrading or trying to, our Windows 2012R2 Console server to at least Windows 2016 as required to upgrade WS1 further.  Our systems team did the upgrade.  As part of that we couldn't get the services to start.  Oddly had to install .NET 4.8.  Services then start however now getting failed to decrypt file web.config like when I try to do an in place upgrade or when we try and launch the web console.  Found some suggestions to set 

useOAEP="true"

to

useOAEP="false"

in the machine.config of the .NET config area but didn't help.  Any thoughts?

Note keep in mind this is an in place upgrade so isn't a new system.

[Phil_Helmling]

Not sure how to fix that particular issue, however can you just build a new VM and install the console on it pointing at your SQL DB?

[syarbrou]

Thanks for the reply Phil.  Yes we are going that route but having an oddity I never had before.  Windows 2012R2 was fine, but now need to be on a newer OS obviously to keep updating our  on premise instance.  That said our systems team does Server 2019.  OK so that's installed.  Installed the Console piece.  Everything is "running", not tested yet, however the API service keeps failing to start.  Never had this before.  Was able to get around it by updating the Windows registry to allow more time for a service to run before timing out or waiting for everything else to start and then start the service manually but not sure that's the right answer.

We do see in one of the API logs an error:

keyversion is not defined or equals the default key version

But the log for installation of all the WS1 internal certs was successful.  I do not see this message in our production system so questioning it.