So good it’s worth quoting:

… Within 1/2 an hour the “rocking” VSTS team had resolved the problem, leaving me stranded on a vertical cliff, wondering how I ever got up there and why I bothered in the first place. Yes I am delirious from lack of sleep and yes, I am angry … not because I could not solve the puzzle, but because I ignored one of my fundamental rules which is mentioned not once, but many times in the third book “Software Engineers on their Way to Pluto”.

Note to self: Memorise this Rule –> If you are battling with something and you cannot solve it, STOP … find a whiteboard, find a colleague and discuss the problem. An additional pair of eyes and in the case of our VM a sprinkle of SharePoint magic, works wonders.
Note to self: Read my own books and learn from my own mistakes (Willy-Peter Schaub, MSDN Blog)

Or the simpler version:
When you’re in a hole, STOP DIGGING.  And ask for help.