Work Item Tracking icons disappear

Question

I noticed this morning, when going to refresh a work Item query that all the icons on the "Work Item Tracking - Results View" toolbar were missing with the exception of the 'Open' icon.  The command buttons seem to function normally just the graphic is missing. ("Work Item Tracking - Query View" has the same issue, only the 'Open' icon remains)

I checked all the usual resource related causes and rebooted for good measure.  Still no icons.

The only change I've made to my enviroment lately is installing the Oct 2008 PowerTools, so I uninstalled the Power Tools and voila, and the icons returned.  I then went ahead and installed PowerTools Oct 2008 again, fired up VS 2008 and they are gone again.

I'm pretty sure the icons were there after the initial install of Oct 2008 PowerTools, and have seen some co-workers install it without the icons disappearing (at least initially).

I suspect that there is some local configuation kicking around somewhere since on the subsequent install the "Collaboration" provider was already set to "none" as I had done after the initial install.

I'd like to try resetting the configuration if I knew where it was.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi Karlton
 

Does running devenv /setup from your Visual Studio installation folder help? This command can reinitialize all packages.

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Answer 2

Any update on this?  This issue also occurs on my system and the above answer does not work for me.

Thanks

Answer 3

I am currently having this issue and running devenv /setup didn't solve the problem. Any other solution available?


Thanks

Answer 4

If that is the case, I would run a set of commands:

devenv /ResetUserData. This command reset user data. You might want to export your VS settings via Tools->Import and Export Settings before you execute this command.

devenv /resetskippkgs. This command makes VS to load all the previously skiped packages the next time you start VS.

devenv /safemode. In save mode, VS only load add-ons, packages issued by Microsoft.

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Answer 5

I would suggest that the "devenv /setup" is NOT the solution for this issue - nor is the second one offered by Bill Wang.

I also have this problem and I'm not sure why I think this, but I believe its related to the sequence in which you install things - I've had these icons working fine, and had to reinstall because of a stuffed SP1 installation and now they are gone... I also had the powertools installed but uninstalling them did NOT bring the icons back...

I think I may have inadvertently installed vs2008 then team system and then sp1 or vice-versa...  it TAKES SO LONG to uninstall and reinstall things that I'm sick of it... and if I just have to live with no icons then I will... because I need to actually get work done, not stuff around installing/uninstalling for days at a time!

However uninstalling and reinstalling doesnt' seem to work, I've read something about once you install sp1 or team addition or something "you can't go back" so maybe I would need to uninstall EVERYTHING and start again... not gonna happen, not anytime soon anyway...

I wish there was some way to slipstream "the basics" (vs2008, sp1, team stuff, db stuff, gdr2, etc...) into one install package... sigh... maybe there is but I dunno how to do it.

IF anyone has a link to a decent "sequence" for installing things related to common development it might be worth posting here...

Answer 6

Okay, the solution I've just (finally) had some success with is:

Uninstall "VS stuff" back to VS SP1 - eg, I uninstalled, devexpress, codesmith and vs power tools.

Ran the dot net 3.5 sp1 installer from the VS SP1 disk (dotnetfx35.exe)
Ran the VS2008SP1 installer "SPInstaller.exe" - and then "Repaired" it.

Viola - icons back... sheesh...

NOTE: I'm *sure* I've done this before but not recieved the same outcome - BUT!! I might have done it "VS2008 sp1 THEN dotnet 3.5 sp1"... and I'm not sure that I uninstalled everything before (like power tools etc)... just not *suuuure*...

I dunno if its just that running the 3.5 sp1 kills the icons or if its to do with the sequence or if its nothing to do with anything and I just lucked out, but I'm able to "vanish" my icons by running 3.5 sp1 and bring them back by repairing with the VS2008sp1 installer.

Anyway, just putting this up here for anyone else who has this issue - it MIGHT help you!