COMException when designing blank Windows Store App

Question

Hi everybody,

I created a new project using the Windows Store Blank App template for C#, but I am unable to use the designer in Visual Studio 2012. Instead, I always get a COM Exception (the full stack trace can be seen at the end of this message). However, the app compiles and runs just fine.

I am working on a fresh install of Windows 8 Pro x64 and remember that this used to work in the CTP/RC versions. There are numerous post by other people in the forums, none of which pointed me in the right direction to solve the problem.

What am I missing?

Thanks in advance

System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException

Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.

   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.WaitForCompletion(NestedCallContext nestedCallContext, BlockingCall call, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalOutSynchronous(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId, WaitHandle aborted, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalOut(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId, WaitHandle aborted, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalOut[TValue](RemoteHandle`1 targetObject, Action action, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalOut[TResult,TValue](RemoteHandle`1 targetObject, Func`2 func, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.CreateDesignerImpl(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, RemoteCancellationToken remoteCancelToken)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass12.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__11(RemoteCancellationToken remoteToken)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.CallWithCancellation[TResult](CancellationToken cancelToken, Func`2 func)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, CancellationToken cancelToken)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IsolatedDesignerService.IsolatedDesignerView.CreateDesignerViewInfo(CancellationToken cancelToken)

System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException

Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.

Server stack trace:    at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.WaitForCompletion(NestedCallContext nestedCallContext, BlockingCall call, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalIn(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalIn(IRemoteObject targetObject, Action action)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalIn[TResult](IRemoteObject targetObject, Func`1 func)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IRemoteHostSourceItem remoteItem, IRemoteHostTextEditor remoteEditor, IRemoteCancellationToken remoteToken)   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink._PrivateProcessMessage(IntPtr md, Object[] args, Object server, Object[]& outArgs)   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink.SyncProcessMessage(IMessage msg)Exception rethrown at [0]:    at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage reqMsg, IMessage retMsg)   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgData, Int32 type)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IRemoteHostSourceItem remoteItem, IRemoteHostTextEditor remoteEditor, IRemoteCancellationToken cancelToken)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass8.<CreateDesignerImpl>b__6(IRemoteDesignerService d)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.<>c__DisplayClass4`2.<MarshalOut>b__3()   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.Call.InvokeWorker()

System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException

Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.

   at Windows.Foundation.IAsyncOperation`1.GetResults()   at Microsoft.Expression.WindowsXamlPlatform.Host.RuntimeResourceManager.GetStorageFileForPath(String indexPath)   at Microsoft.Expression.WindowsXamlPlatform.Host.RuntimeResourceManager.ProcessIndexUpdates()   at Microsoft.Expression.WindowsXamlPlatform.Host.RuntimeResourceManager.OnNewIndex(String newFileName, String newResourceMapName)   at Microsoft.Expression.WindowsXamlPlatform.Host.XamlUIPresenterHostServices.OnResourceIndexUpdated(HostResourceIndexUpdatedEventArgs args)   at Microsoft.Expression.WindowsXamlPlatform.Host.WindowsUIXamlResourceIndexProvider.OnResourceIndexUpdated(EventArgs args)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.DesignerService.CreateDesigner(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, CancellationToken cancelToken)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass10.<>c__DisplayClass12.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__f(CancellationToken cancelToken)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.CallWithCancellation[TResult](IRemoteCancellationToken remoteToken, Func`2 func)   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass10.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__e()   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.<>c__DisplayClass16`1.<MarshalIn>b__15()   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.Call.InvokeWorker()