Error while generating web report: The Sort expression for the table 'shiftDescriptionTable' contains an error: Conversion from string "12:00 a.m." to type 'Date' is not valid.

Goals and Symptoms

Generating any web report will result in the following error being generated:
An error had occurred during report processing.
The Sort expression for the table 'shiftDescriptionTable' contains an error: Conversion from string "12:00 a.m." to type 'Date' is not valid.

• The time format configured in the regional and language settings is using the AM and PM format
• Reboot after applying settings does not help
• Data being displayed in Vista is using this format as well

Facts and Changes

Errors like the follow may be present in the EventException table in the ION_SystemLog database:
System.ApplicationException: Error creating SQL Agent heartbeat. ---> Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.FailedOperationException: Drop failed for Job '[ION SUBSCRIPTION] - Heartbeat'. ---> Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Common.ExecutionFailureException: An exception occurred while executing a Transact-SQL statement or batch. ---> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Cannot perform this operation while SQLServerAgent is starting. Try again later. at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection) at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj) at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Run(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteNonQueryTds(String methodName, Boolean async) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.InternalExecuteNonQuery(DbAsyncResult result, String methodName, Boolean sendToPipe) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteNonQuery() at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Common.ServerConnection.ExecuteNonQuery(String sqlCommand, ExecutionTypes executionType) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Common.ServerConnection.ExecuteNonQuery(String sqlCommand, ExecutionTypes executionType) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Common.ServerConnection.ExecuteNonQuery(StringCollection sqlCommands, ExecutionTypes executionType) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.ExecutionManager.ExecuteNonQuery(StringCollection queries) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.SqlSmoObject.ExecuteNonQuery(StringCollection queries, Boolean includeDbContext) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.SqlSmoObject.DropImplWorker(Urn& urn) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.SqlSmoObject.DropImpl() --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.SqlSmoObject.DropImpl() at Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Agent.Job.Drop() at PowerMeasurement.Scheduling.SQLAgentScheduler.CreateSQLAgentHeartbeat() at PowerMeasurement.Apps.Services.ReportSubscriptionService.SetupSQLAgentHeartbeat() --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at PowerMeasurement.Apps.Services.ReportSubscriptionService.SetupSQLAgentHeartbeat() at PowerMeasurement.Apps.Services.ReportSubscriptionService.OnStart(String[] args)

Causes and Fixes

The browser version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Version 6 or older is installed. Upgrade to Internet Explorer version 7 or newer and this should resolve this particular issue.