Set up Search Service App For SharePoint server 2013 on Windows server 2012 R2 not working

Question

Hi all,
I installed SharePoint server 2013 on Windows  server 2012 R2 using VirtualBox.  I created a DC(domain controller) server with a domain set up on one VM and it has SQL server 2012 SP1 installed. Then SharePoint 2013 on another VM was set up to access
the DC server.  Everything seems working except Search Service App which cannot be sucessfully set up. Creation process for Search service app says Successful and 4 search databases were created and look fine. But when I navigate to search service app
admin page, it gives error info:
System status:  The search service is not able to connect to the machine that hosts the administration component. Verify that the administration component '386f2cd6-47ca-4b3a-aeb5-d9116772ef16' in search application 'Search Service Application 1' is in
a good state and try again.
Search Application Topology:  Unable to retrieve topology component health states. This may be because the admin component is not up and running.
From event viewer, I see following errors:
(1) Error From source: SharePoint Server
Application Server Administration job failed for service instance  Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance
(b7c72eb8-cbaf-435e-b4c9-963cb6e4e745).
Reason: The object you are trying to create already exists. Try again using a different name.  
Technical Support Details:
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80040D02): The object you are trying to create already exists. Try again using a different name.  
   at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance.Synchronize()
   at Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.ApplicationServerJob.ProvisionLocalSharedServiceInstances(Boolean
isAdministrationServiceJob)
(2) Error From source: SharePoint Server Search
Could not access the Search database. A generic error occurred while trying to access the database to obtain the schema version info.
Context: Application '386f2cd6-47ca-4b3a-aeb5-d9116772ef16'
(3) Warning from source: SharePoint Server Search
A database error occurred. Source: .Net SqlClient Data Provider Code: 8169 occurred 0 time(s) Description:  Error ordinal: 1 Message:
Conversion failed when converting from a character string to uniqueidentifier., Class: 16, Number: 8169, State: 2    at
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
(4) Error From source: SharePoint Server
Application Server Administration job failed for service instance Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance
(b7c72eb8-cbaf-435e-b4c9-963cb6e4e745).
Reason: The gatherer application could not be mounted because the search administration database schema version does not match the expected backwards compatibility schema version. The database might not have been upgraded.  
Technical Support Details:
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0xC0041235): The gatherer application could not be mounted because the search administration database schema version does not match the expected backwards compatibility schema version. The database might not have
been upgraded.  
Since separate DC server and SharePoint server do not work, I installed SharePoint 2013 on DC server ( so DC server has everything on it now ) but it gives exactly same result. Later I installed SharePoint 2013 SP1 and still have the same problem with Search
Service app. I spent two weeks tried all suggestions available from Web and Google but SharePoint Search Service simply does not work. Config and other databases work but why Search Service has this issue seemingly related to search DB.
Could anybody please help out? You deserve a top SharePoint consultant award if you could find a solution. I am so frustrated and so tired by this issue.    This seems also to be a SP set up issue.
Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

Using new Search Service App wizard to create SSA is always a success. I could delete existing SSA and recreate it and no problem. It says successful but when I open Search Admin page from CA, it gives me errors as mentioned.
Now I used the following PS script for creating SSA from Max Mercher, but it stays at the last setps in following script:
Add-PsSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$IndexLocation = "C:\Search"  #Location must be empty, will be deleted during the process!
$SearchAppPoolName = "SSAPool"
$SearchAppPoolAccountName = "mydomain\admin"
$SearchServiceName = "SSA"
$SearchServiceProxyName = "SSA Proxy"
$DatabaseServer = "W12R2DC1"
$DatabaseName = "SSA"
$spAppPool = Get-SPServiceApplicationPool -Identity $SearchAppPoolName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if (!$spAppPool)
 $spAppPool = New-SPServiceApplicationPool -Name $SearchAppPoolName -Account $SearchAppPoolAccountName -Verbose
$ServiceApplication = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Identity $SearchServiceName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if (!$ServiceApplication)
# process stays at the following step forever, already one hour now.  
$ServiceApplication = New-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Name $SearchServiceName -ApplicationPool $spAppPool.Name -DatabaseServer  $DatabaseServer -DatabaseName $DatabaseName
Account mydomain\admin is an farm managed account, domain admin account, in WG_ADMIN role, It is in all SQL server roles and is DBO. I see search DBs are already on SQL server. From Event viewer, I got following errors in sequence:
(1) Crawler:Content Plugin under source Crawler:Content Plugin 
Content Plugin can not be initialized - list of CSS addresses is not set.
(2) Warning for SharePoint Server Search
A database error occurred. Source: .Net SqlClient Data Provider Code: 8169 occurred 0 time(s) Description:  Error ordinal: 1 Message: Conversion failed when converting from a character string to uniqueidentifier., Class: 16, Number: 8169, State: 2   
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
(3) Error for SharePoint Server Search
Could not access the Search database. A generic error occurred while trying to access the database to obtain the schema version info.
Context: Application 'cbc5a055-996b-44a7-9cbc-404322f9cfdf'
(4) Error for SharePoint Server
Application Server Administration job failed for service instance Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance (b7c72eb8-cbaf-435e-b4c9-963cb6e4e745).
Reason: The gatherer application could not be mounted because the search administration database schema version does not match the expected backwards compatibility schema version. The database might not have been upgraded. 
(5) Error Shared Services for SharePoint Server Search 
Application Server Administration job failed for service instance Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance (b7c72eb8-cbaf-435e-b4c9-963cb6e4e745).
Reason: The object you are trying to create already exists. Try again using a different name. 
Technical Support Details:
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80040D02): The object you are trying to create already exists. Try again using a different name. 
   at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceInstance.Synchronize()
   at Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.ApplicationServerJob.ProvisionLocalSharedServiceInstances(Boolean isAdministrationServiceJob
Above errors keep being generated. Last step for SSA creation stay there forever.  Any clue what is really going on?  Thanks.