Visual Studio Express Readme

For the most current version of the Readme, click here.

1. System Requirements

1.1. Supported Architectures

1.2. Supported Operating Systems

1.3. Hardware Requirements

2. Known Issues

2.1. Installing

2.1.1. General Issues (Install)

2.1.1.1. Visual Studio Express Setup cannot be run in Program Compatibility Mode

Visual Studio 2010 and/or the .NET Framework 4 Setup fails with a 1603 error code, or blocks running in Program Compatibility Mode.

Windows Program Compatibility Assistant indicates that Visual Studio Setup might not have installed correctly, and prompts to reinstall by using the recommended setting (program compatibility mode).

To resolve this issue:

Visual Studio Setup cannot run in program compatibility mode.  Ensure that the compatibility mode setting is not enabled system-wide or for the Visual Studio Setup application.

Check the manual setting

Compatibility mode could have been set manually on the Compatibility tab on the executable file properties.

  1. On the Visual Studio Setup media, locate setup.exe.
  2. Right-click setup.exe and then click Properties.
  3. On the Compatibility tab, clear "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and then click OK.

Check Program Compatibility Assistant registry settings

Compatibility mode could have been set by Program Compatibility Assistant on earlier failed or canceled attempts to run Visual Studio setup.exe.

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type regedit, and then click OK.
  3. Browse to each of the following keys and delete any value that refers to setup.exe on the path where you are installing Visual Studio:

Rerun Visual Studio Setup

  1. Open Windows Explorer.
  2. Browse to Visual Studio setup.exe.
  3. Double-click setup.exe to run Visual Studio Setup.

Related KB Article

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931709

2.1.1.2. Visual Studio 2010 fails to install on a BitLocker-enabled hard disk when Protection is On

When a user executes a setup process to install to a BitLocker-enabled disk, the process will fail if the disk is locked.

To resolve this issue:

Suspend Protection on the BitLocker-enabled disk before you install Visual Studio 2010. After Visual Studio 2010 installation is complete, resume Protection on the BitLocker-enabled disk.

Alternatively, avoid this issue entirely by preinstalling the .NET Framework 4 and Windows Installer 4.5 by following the Avoiding Restart during Setup steps.

2.1.1.3. Visual Studio Express installation fails because a .cab file has an invalid digital signature

Network issues occasionally cause corrupted files when they are downloaded from a network and then installed, or when the files are installed over a network.  This issue will manifest itself by writing a message in the %temp%\dd_install*.log that resembles this:

[05/16/09,17:47:12] VC 10.0 Runtime (x86): MSI Record result detail: Error 1330.A file that is required cannot be installed because the cabinet file e:\dev10dvd\wcu\vcruntimes\x86\vc_runtime_x86.cab has an invalid digital signature.  This may indicate that the cabinet file is corrupt.

[05/16/09,17:47:12] VC 10.0 Runtime (x86): MSI Record result detail error code: 1330

[05/16/09,17:47:13] InstallReturnValue: GFN_MID Chained VC Runtime 2010 Beta1 x86, 0x643

To resolve this issue:

Download the full Express CD and install the product locally.

2.1.1.4. NetBook installing with too low resolution

When you install Visual Studio on a Netbook, the navigation buttons at the bottom of the dialog box may not appear.

To resolve this issue:

Check the display resolution to ensure that you have allowed for the minimum required resolution:

To do this on Windows XP:

  1. Right-click the desktop and then click "Display". Ensure that the Settings conform.

To do this on Windows Vista or Windows 7:

  1. Right-click the desktop and then click "Screen Resolution".  Ensure that it conforms with one of the above settings.
  2. At the bottom of the dialog box, there is an option to "Make the text and other items larger or smaller".  Ensure that the 2 settings match above.

2.1.1.5. Do not unplug temporary drives during setup

When you install Visual Studio 2010, if you unplug your USB drive, your installation might either prompt for source or fail to install because of missing temporary files.

To resolve this issue:

Either unplug all USB Drives before you install Visual Studio, or do not unplug these drives during Setup because some temporary files may get copied and used on the drive that has the largest amount of free space.

2.1.1.6. Windows XP x64 is not supported because Windows Automation API 3.0 is missing

Applications that leverage Windows Automation APIs, for example, the Windows pen and touch services, can slow Visual Studio IntelliSense performance if the 3.0 version of the Windows Automation APIs is not installed. Windows Automation API 3.0 is not available for Windows XP x64.

To resolve this issue:

Use an operating system that supports Windows Automation API 3.0.

2.1.1.7. Help Library Manager: Clicking the "Install Documentation" button at the end of Visual Studio Setup appears to have no effect

Clicking the "Install Documentation" button starts the Help Library Manager, which is the application that lets you install local help.  Help Library Manager first prompts you to set a local content location. This prompt is displayed in a dialog box that might not appear in front of the Visual Studio Setup window.

To resolve this issue:

Complete the Visual Studio installation to close the Setup window, or minimize the Setup window.

2.1.1.8. SQL Server 2008 Express Service Pack 1 may not be available to be selected for installation

If Setup determines that SQL Server 2008 Express SP1 cannot be installed on the computer, Visual Studio 2010 will remove SQL Server 2008 Express from the list of components available to install. In this case, the installation of SQL Server 2008 Express SP1 is blocked by the existing installation of SQL Server 2005 Express. To install SQL Server 2008 Express SP1, uninstall SQL Server 2005 Express and then rerun Visual Studio 2010 Setup, or install SQL Server 2008 Express SP1 as a separate installation.

SQL Server 2005 Express cannot be upgraded to SQL Server 2008 Express SP1 in the following situations:

To resolve this issue:

Workaround 1 - Uninstall existing SQL Server 2005 Express Editions and then rerun Visual Studio Setup.

Workaround 2 - Install SQL Server 2008 Express SP1 separately.

2.1.1.9. Visual Studio will not install additional language versions of the Silverlight 3 SDK if a build of the Silverlight 3 SDK is already installed

If a version of the Silverlight 3 SDK is already installed, additional language versions of it will not be installed by Visual Studio 2010.

To resolve this issue:

You can download additional language versions of the Silverlight 3 SDK from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=157102 and install them side-by-side with other Silverlight SDK versions.

2.1.2. Visual C++ Express (Install)

There are no known issues.

2.1.3. Visual C# Express (Install)

There are no known issues.

2.1.4. Visual Basic Express (Install)

There are no known issues.

2.1.5. Visual Web Developer Express (Install)

There are no known issues.

2.2. Uninstalling

2.2.1. General Issues (Uninstall)

2.2.1.1. Important System Updates to keep on your computer when you uninstall Visual Studio Express

Visual Studio 2010 may install important system updates.

To resolve this issue:

 We recommend that you keep these updates on your system after you remove Visual Studio:

2.2.1.2. Visual Studio 2010 Express uninstall instructions

This section applies to Visual Studio 2010. All pre-release versions must be removed in the correct order BEFORE you install the official release version.  For instructions about how to uninstall earlier versions, see:

All pre-release versions must be removed in the correct order BEFORE the official release version is installed.  We recommend that you uninstall the main product first (for example, Visual Basic 2010 Express), which removes the majority of the components.  Then, uninstall other supporting products that may also have been installed.

To resolve this issue:

For complete steps, see the uninstall documentation on MSDN.

2.2.1.3. Help Library Manager: Help content is not uninstalled when you uninstall Visual Studio

Setup does not remove local help content when you uninstall Visual Studio. The default location for the local content directory changed between Beta 2 and this release.

To resolve this issue:

If you have already uninstalled Visual Studio, you can manually delete the files in the local help content directory.  If you did not reuse the Beta 2 local help content directory you must manually delete the Beta 2 content directory to remove it from your computer.

2.2.2. Visual C++ Express (Uninstall)

There are no known issues.

2.2.3. Visual C# Express (Uninstall)

There are no known issues.

2.2.4. Visual Basic Express (Uninstall)

There are no known issues.

2.2.5. Visual Web Developer Express (Uninstall)

There are no known issues.

2.3. Maintenance

2.3.1. General Issues (Maintenance)

2.3.1.1. How to add or remove components in Visual Studio Express products

After you install Visual Studio, you can add components that were not installed by default.

To resolve this issue:

To install optional components on Windows XP or earlier versions of Windows

To install optional components on Windows 7 or Windows Vista

2.3.1.2. How to repair Visual Studio Express

If Visual Studio becomes unstable, you can put it back into a known state by repairing it.

To resolve this issue:

For complete steps, see the Visual Studio repair documentation on MSDN.

2.3.2. Visual C++ Express (Maintenance)

There are no known issues.

2.3.3. Visual C# Express (Maintenance)

There are no known issues.

2.3.4. Visual Basic Express (Maintenance)

There are no known issues.

2.3.5. Visual Web Developer Express (Maintenance)

There are no known issues.

2.4. Product Issues

2.4.1. General Issues (Product)

2.4.1.1. "Improve Visual Studio Performance" notification

Applications that use Windows Automation APIs, for example, the Windows pen and touch services, may slow Visual Studio IntelliSense performance if the 3.0 version of the Windows Automation APIs is not installed. If Visual Studio detects that Windows Automation APIs are being used and the 3.0 version is not installed, the "Improve Visual Studio Performance" notification is displayed.

To resolve this issue:

  1. To download the 3.0 version of the Windows Automation APIs, click the link in the notification and then follow the instructions. (See KB981741.)
  2. Customers who cannot install the update can set the following registry key to prevent the notification from being displayed:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0\General]

"UIAOverride"=dword:00000001

2.4.1.2. Importing a pinned DataTip crashes Visual Studio

In design mode, importing a DataTip that already exists and is pinned to the source code causes Visual Studio to crash.

To resolve this issue:

There are two workarounds for this issue:

  1. Import DataTips in debug mode instead of design mode.
  2. Or, clear the pinned DataTip before you import a DataTips file that contains a duplicate copy of an existing pinned DataTip.

2.4.1.3. Three project locations for loading templates are migrated when a Visual Studio 2008 settings file is loaded

When you reset your user data and import a Visual Studio 2008 settings file, the contents in the Options dialog box under Projects and Solutions displays incorrect values.

To resolve this issue:

  1. Open the Options dialog box.
  2. Select the Projects and Solutions node.
  3. Manually change the Projects location, User project templates location, and User item templates location to the correct path.

If necessary, remove the extra "1" at the end.

2.4.1.4. Help Library Manager cannot download content from the cloud when the current user and the logged-on user are different

Help Library Manager (HLM) uses the BITS service to download content. If HLM is started by using the "Run as" feature, BITS will not be able to schedule jobs because the service is available only to the logged-on user account.

To resolve this issue:

When you download content, start HLM under the user account that is currently logged on.

2.4.1.5. The offline Help Viewer search button and the code snippet tabs might not be clickable

On Windows Server 2008 systems that have Internet Explorer running with restricted permissions, the offline Help Viewer search button and the code snippet tabs might not be clickable.

To resolve this issue:

You can add 127.0.0.1 to the I.E. trusted sites. Alternatively, for the search button issue, you can press ENTER to perform the search.

2.4.1.6. Help Library Manager running on Windows XP shows incorrect error message when a UNC path is specified for the content store

When Help Library Manager (HLM) is running on Windows XP, if you attempt to set the local content store to a UNC path (path that starts with \\), HLM displays a misleading error message.  When HLM checks that the local store directory is a valid and writeable location, it incorrectly reports that the  UNC path is a system directory. This causes HLM to display a misleading error message.

To resolve this issue:

There is no workaround for this issue.

2.4.1.7. Help Library Manager: Local content store path cannot include the "#" character

When you start Help Library Manager for the first time, you are prompted for the location where local content will be stored. This folder path cannot include a "#" character. If the path includes the character, the Help Library Agent will not be able to render the content.

To resolve this issue:

There is no workaround for this issue.

2.4.1.8. Help Library Agent: Closing the "Invisible" window causes the Help Library Agent to stop working

A window titled "Help Library Agent Invisible Window" can become visible. If you close the window, the Help Library Agent will stop responding.

To resolve this issue:

Use Task Manager to end the agent process. It will restart itself when you restart Help by using the shortcut, Help menu, or F1.

2.4.1.9. Cannot migrate Visual Studio 2008 VC++ directories to Visual Studio 2010 when devenv /useenv is used

When devenv /useenv is used in Visual Studio 2010, VC++ directories settings from Visual Studio 2008 cannot be migrated from the .vssettings file.

To resolve this issue:

If you want to migrate Visual Studio 2008 settings, start Visual Studio 2010 by using "devenv" and not "devenv /useenv".

  1. Run devenv.
  2. Migrate Visual Studio 2008 VC++ directories from the attached .vssettings file.
  3. Close devenv.

2.4.1.10. "Inherited Project Property Sheets" property from Visual C++ projects has been removed

"Inherited Project Property Sheets" property from Visual C++ projects has been removed.

To resolve this issue:

Use property manager to add/remove property sheets to the project. To view property manager, in the IDE, click "View -> Property Manager".

2.4.1.11. Managed Incremental Build for Visual C++ projects is not supported

Managed Incremental Build for Visual C++ managed projects is not supported in Visual Studio 2010.

To resolve this issue:

There is no workaround.

2.4.1.12. Changing two property values causes error

If you bring up the property pages and change two properties on the property page, and then click "OK", an "Object Reference not set to instance" error appears.

To resolve this issue:

If you encounter this issue, first click "Apply" to persist the settings and then click "OK" to dismiss the dialog box.

2.4.1.13. When a new x64 platform is created from a Win32 platform for C++ projects, TargetEnvironment property is not correctly copied

When a new x64 platform is created from a Win32 platform for C++ projects, TargetEnvironment property is not correctly copied. This may cause link errors.

To resolve this issue:

  1. Right-click the project.
  2. Bring up property pages for the project.
  3. Go to "Link->Advanced".
  4. Change property "Target Machine" to "Machine X64 (/MACHINE:X64)".

2.4.1.14. Clean Solution does not work for Configuration Type: Makefile (2010 RC)

Doing "Clean Solution" on an nmake solution reports the following error:

1>------ Clean started: Project: makefiletest, Configuration: Debug Win32 ------

1>  'nmake' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

1>  operable program or batch file.

1>C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\Microsoft.MakeFile.Targets(33,5): error MSB3073: The command "nmake /?" exited with code 9009.

================= Clean: 0 succeeded, 1 failed, 0 skipped ==========

To resolve this issue:

  1. Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt window.
  2. Open Devenv by typing "devenv /useenv".
  3. Now "Clean Solution" should work.

Or:

Pass a batch file to the clean command.  In the batch file, set up PATH to the nmake tool as well as the other build environment.

2.4.2. Visual C++ Express (Product)

2.4.2.1. Exception a static library project that uses "New Project From Existing Code" is created

Performing the following steps reports this error:  "Error message: Object reference not set to an instance of an object, which is NullReferenceException"

  1. Create a folder that has some .cpp files.
  2. In Visual Studio, run File->New->Project From Existing Code from that folder, select C++, browse to the folder, name the project, click Next.
  3. Select Static Library project type and click Finish.

To resolve this issue:

  1. Select another project type instead of Static Library project type and click Finish.
  2. After the project is created change the project type by changing the project properties.

2.4.2.2. Migrating property sheets from Visual Studio 2008 to Visual Studio 2010 does not upgrade the OutputFile property

If you run migration and you have property sheets that change properties for both Linker tools and Librarian tools, after conversion, only the properties in the Linker or only the properties in the Librarian will be converted. Properties in one of the tools will remain to be their default values.

To resolve this issue:

  1. Open the property sheet in Visual Studio 2010.
  2. Modify the Librarian or Linker properties manually.

2.4.3. Visual C# Express (Product)

There are no known issues.

2.4.4. Visual Basic Express (Product)

There are no known issues.

2.4.5. Visual Web Developer Express (Product)

2.4.5.1. Resources from external Silverlight 3 assemblies fail to resolve at design time

Resources from external Silverlight assemblies (that is, the projects that build these assemblies are not part of your solution) will fail to be found by the designer.

To resolve this issue:

For any Silverlight ResourceDictionary that is contained in an assembly that will be consumed as an assembly reference, you must include the following in the ResourceDictionary definition:

    x:Class="ResourceDictionary"

As a more detailed example, your ResourceDictionary will need to look like this:

<ResourceDictionary

    x:Class="ResourceDictionary"

    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" P>    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">

</ResourceDictionary>

2.4.5.2. Assemblies downloaded from the Web fail to load

In Visual Studio 2010, assemblies that have been downloaded from the Web may not load correctly.  This is because these assemblies have been given the "Mark of the Web" and therefore are not fully trusted.  Using these assemblies as-is may cause errors when you build an application, reference these assemblies in XAML, or attempt to consume one of these assemblies by using the Choose Items dialog box.  In these cases, the error will generally indicate that this assembly may have been downloaded from the Web.

To resolve this issue:

If you fully trust these assemblies, you may work around this issue by following the instructions here:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=179545

2.4.5.3. User code exceptions may affect designer and Visual Studio

Any user code that throws an exception at design time can cause unhandled exceptions in the designer and may even cause Visual Studio to crash.  To protect against this, prevent your code from executing at design time by wrapping it with DesignerProperties.GetIsInDesignMode checks.  Common examples of methods that will be executed at design time are the UserControl.Loaded event handler, binding converters, and WCF async event handlers.

To resolve this issue:

Refer to the following articles:

2.4.5.4. Some features are unavailable in the Web Development (Code Optimized) Profile

The HTML Designer is not available in the Web Development (Code Optimized) Profile.  Therefore, features that require the HTML Designer, for example, the Style Builder, are not available in this profile.

To resolve this issue:

The HTML Designer can be enabled by using a profile other than the Web Development (Code Optimized) Profile. To change the profile, on the Tools menu, click Import and Export Settings.  Reset the settings and then select a different profile.

2.4.5.5. Some Visual Studio 2010 Web Deployment features will not work if Visual Studio 2010 is installed on Windows Vista original release version instead of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)

If the new Web Deployment features in Visual Studio 2010 are used together with any of the following features (which integrate with MSDeploy):

then Windows Vista users must have SP1 installed.

To resolve this issue:

Upgrade to Windows Vista SP1.  The Web Deployment features in Visual Studio 2010 also work on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows 7. (Note: We recommend that you always use the most up-to-date operating system Service Pack so that all the required dependencies are in place.)

2.4.5.6. ASP.NET Development Server requires IPv4 to be installed

The ASP.NET Development Server requires IPv4 to be installed on the development computer.  However, IPv4 does not have to be enabled.

To resolve this issue:

If security policy requires IPv6 to be used, install IPv4 on the development computer but do not enable it.  Alternatively, IIS can be used for Web site development.

2.4.5.7. Upgrading an ASP.NET 3.5 Web site that has a 3.5 Chart control to ASP.NET 4 requires changes to web.config and register directive

When an ASP.NET 3.5 Web site that has a 3.5 Chart control is upgraded to ASP.NET 4 and built, the following error occurs:

Error 1 The type 'System.Web.UI.DataVisualization.Charting.Chart' exists in both 'c:\Windows\assembly\GAC_MSIL\System.Web.DataVisualization\3.5.0.0__31bf3856ad364e35\System.Web.DataVisualization.dll' and 'c:\Program Files\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\System.Web.DataVisualization.dll' C:\Websites\Vs2008Sp1_Website_35_Cs_WithChart\Default.aspx 15

To resolve this issue:

After the upgrade, in web.config, update references that still point to the 3.5 Chart control to point to version 4.

<pages controlRenderingCompatibilityVersion="3.5" clientIDMode="AutoID">

<controls>

<add tagPrefix="asp" namespace="System.Web.UI.DataVisualization.Charting" assembly="System.Web.DataVisualization, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35"/>

</controls>

</pages>

<httpHandlers>

<add path="ChartImg.axd" verb="GET,HEAD" type="System.Web.UI.DataVisualization.Charting.ChartHttpHandler, System.Web.DataVisualization, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" validate="false"/>

</httpHandlers>

......

<system.webServer>

<validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false"/>

<handlers>

<remove name="ChartImageHandler"/>

<add name="ChartImageHandler" preCondition="integratedMode" verb="GET,HEAD" path="ChartImg.axd" type="System.Web.UI.DataVisualization.Charting.ChartHttpHandler, System.Web.DataVisualization, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35"/>

</handlers>

</system.webServer>

......

Register directive, in the Web forms page, must be removed or updated to reference version 4.

<%@ Register assembly="System.Web.DataVisualization, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" namespace="System.Web.UI.DataVisualization.Charting" tagprefix="asp" %>

You may have to delete the existing System.Web.DataVisualization assembly in the \bin\ folder because the assembly is part of the .NET Framework 4.

3. Related Links

3.1. Visual Studio 2010 Readme

3.2. Visual Studio 2010 Team Foundation Server Readme

3.3. Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Readme

3.4. ASP.NET MVC 2 Readme

For details about what's new in ASP.NET MVC 2, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=185038. This includes a list of breaking changes and known issues.

 

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