Package 'Visual Studio Explorers and Designers Package' has failed to load properly due to add-in?

Question

I've got a couple of computers where I get Package 'Visual Studio Explorers and Designers Package' has failed to load properly errors; but only since I've started playing around with some VSX add-ins.

Is it possible that this error is due to a command or CommandBar created on add-in startup that wasn't deleted on shutdown?

Cheers -- Peter

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http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog

Answer 1

This should be Package Load Failures and should not be because of the command or CommandBar.

And I'd like to provide you with the following references about troubleshooting tips of such kind of issue:
Definitive list of workarounds for Package Load Failure errors in Visual Studio 2005
Debugging Package Load Failures

And please feel free to tell me if these do not help you about this issue. If you still can not solve it, could you please provide more information about the error?

Thanks!

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Answer 2

This is in VS 2008, Aaron's detail in the first link details "if you have never had a VS 2005 on your system and are encountering package load failure errors, these steps will most likely not help."  Repairing .NET 2.0 and deleting the native images does not fix the problem, and running ttool.exe finds no problems.

The second link deals with custom packages; I am unable to debug "Visual Studio Explorers and Designers Package".

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http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog

Answer 3

Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear that this problem still exits.

Could you please provide the GUID following the error message? Have you used Assembly Binding Log Viewer? Based on my experience, this kind of issue might caused by assembly loading failure. Also you can use Process Monitor to see if there are any registry error causing this issue.

Thanks!

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Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 4

  The GUID was 8D8529D3-625D-4496-8354-3DAD630ECC1B.  I was getting the failure going into project properties.  I'm unable to reproduce the same failure. I'm now getting "An error has occurred trying to load the page. COM object that has been separated from its underlying RCW cannot be used.

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http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog

Answer 5

This problem was due to Microsoft Source Code Analysis for C#.  See http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/sourceanalysis/WorkItem/View.aspx?WorkItemId=9

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http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog

Answer 6

Mate u r the MAN! - that was really bugging me as no onelese at my work was getting it - removed it an it works fine.

Thanks for your post!

G

Answer 7

What version of Source Code Analysis for C# were you using?

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http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog

Answer 8

Hi.

Same package failing to load here. Could not open Servers window. Fixed running in safe mode with:

devenv /SafeMode.

Open that way, show the panel, close VS, re-run normally and there is the panel without errors.

regards

EDITED: ooops, it works only the first time I run VS in normal mode, not subsequent. Im sorry.