Microsoft visual studio express 2012 for windows desktop cannot find one or more components. Please reinstall the application

Hello

Have you installed any other development tools since the last time it worked?  If so, it may have altered a registry entry which is used by Visual Studio Express 2012, but which is not changed during install/uninstall of Visual Studio Express 2012.

Can you perhaps let us know which other development tools, if any, you installed since the last time Visual Studio Express 2012 worked fine?

I had a similar case recently where it failed to start an application and it turned out that i only used the wrong desktop icon which still pointed to an elder (already uninstalled) version.

you might try to open a cmd (shell) window, navigate to the place where the new visual studio 2012 express was installed (should be like 'cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0 Express\Common7\IDE"')  and then type: devenv

if it works then, you have to correct your icons in the start menu or desktop accordingly.

if you get the same error you might look whether the shell gives additional information which component is missing.

you also could look into event viewer (eventvwr at the command prompt) whether there are additional information.

Sara

I navigated to the folder but there is no folder for Studio Express my icon is pointing to visual Studio 11.0... When I run WSDExpress.exe I get the same error no additional information

I also have directories for visual studio  and visual studio 8. Althohg I have uninstalled all old versions

In terms of installing other prodcuts. I have installed SQL Server 2012

Hi pcomb,

I've read a Microsoft Support article discussing a similar problem involving SQL Server 2012 and Visual Studio 11.

It may be that SQL Server 2012 has a registry entry that incorrectly refers to a prior version of SSMS.

Please look in the following registry key for an entry called "11.0_Config":

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SQL Server Management Studio

If it does indeed have an entry called "11.0_Config", then you can safely delete the "11.0_Config" entry and then run SQL Server Management Studio, because SQL Server 2012 SSMS will then reconstruct the missing entry with the correct configuration for SQL Server 2012.

I'm only suggesting this because Visual Studio and SQL Server have some level of integration, and if the user configuration for SSMS points to the wrong version of SQL Server,  I can imagine it also causing some errors in Visual Studio.

I also have directories for visual studio  and visual studio 8.

you might check the PATH environment variable, and also INCLUDE and LIB environment variable, whether they contain paths which nolonger were present. you do that by opening a command window and type

PATH
set INCLUDE
set LIB

it is not case sensitive.

if there are wrong paths or paths with space characters not within double-quotes you can correct that in the system settings via system - advanced - environment variables.

note there are two sections for admin (system) variables and user variables which both should be checked. you probably would not define environment variables doubly there.

also check the paths defined in visual studio properties - configuration properties - vc++ directories for absolute paths which may be taken from old environmemt variables. you definitively should clean those entries from old or not existing folders. note, you should use 'All configurations' when you do so.

Sara

nothing in regedt for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SQL Server Management Studio. I did find some old studio entries so delete those.
Delete old Sudio 8 and studio directors

Found a reference to Studio 8 in PATH so removed that but everything else looked fine

Still got the same problem

with visual studio 2008 sqlserver may have installed a database service.

you may look into task manager / services if there still is a sql service running. if so it could block your new setup.

nothing in regedt for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SQL Server Management Studio.

the visual studio is a 32-bit application. you would need to look into Wow6432Node of both HKCU\Software and HKLM\Software.

Sara

Sara,
I uninstalled every Vistual Stuiod I could find plus all sql server 2012 (is Visual Studio that is installing those). ALso saw .net was updated recently so uninstalled that.

TThere were a few services for sql server I stopped those.

I have installed VS again and its still running but I already got a oppup window saying cannot find one or more components. Usually on clicking ok it complets the install and says finished successfulyl but then gives me the error when I try and run it. I see that I have MSSQLServer service runing (suspect it started when i did a reboot after install. I will stop it uninstall and try installing one more time

Not sure I know what I am supposed to do regarding you Wow6432Node  suggestion?

thanks

I assumed you run the setup at a windows 7 or windows 8 64-bit platform. here the 64-bit os registry has a key Software\Wow6432Node where all 32-bit registry entries were below.

if you try to install at an XP system, the reason why it not worked is probably because of that. i failed to install vs2012 (the pro version) at my xp notebook, some time ago. the dvd setup failed with a specific error which i don't remember.

Sara

Sara it is windows 7 64 bit. So should I delete Wow6432Node?

The install first gives the error message when it appears to be insalling 2012 data tier app.

NO.

the Wow6432Node in registry makes your windows 7 capable to run 32-bit applications. the node is the 32-bit registry within the windows 7 registry.

my comment means that you need to look in this node and not in the 64-bit registry if you want to search for entries valid for visual studio 2012 (vs 11.0) cause it is a 32-bit program.

Sara

still failing, anyone know how to run the install in a debug mode to find out what exactly is causing the failure?

I read in some situations that it was believed that the registry had become corrupted, and the fastest (ugh) solution was to do a reimage.

did you install a windows sdk? if yes, you have to uninstall as well.

what installation you were doing? standard installation or user-defined installation.

you may change the mode from one to other. same applies for installation paths. if you tried with a user-defined path, use default paths. if you always used the default paths till now, you might try with a simple path like  c:\vs12.

did you start the setup with administrator modus? note, for win 7 it is a difference to be logged in as administrator and to run setup compared to running setup 'as administrator'. for the first, windows could skip some 'dangerous' requests underhand for security reasons, especially if the setup was from a download.

if the issues are still the same, you might use depends.exe to find out which components are missing. this tool is free and could be down-loaded from http://www.dependencywalker.com/.

Sara

i found the following in a VSIXInsataller log?


3/30/2014 3:44:13 PM - System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs' threw an exception. ---> System.BadImageFormatException: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Settings.11.0.dll' or one of its dependencies.  is not a valid Win32 application. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800700C1)
   at VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs.AddInstalledIsolatedShells(Version vsVersion)
   at VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs..cctor()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs.get_SupportedSKUsList()
   at VSIXInstaller.App.InitializeInstall()
   at VSIXInstaller.App.OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
3/30/2014 3:44:13 PM - System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs' threw an exception. ---> System.BadImageFormatException: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Settings.11.0.dll' or one of its dependencies.  is not a valid Win32 application. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800700C1)
   at VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs.AddInstalledIsolatedShells(Version vsVersion)
   at VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs..cctor()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at VSIXInstaller.SupportedSKUs.get_SupportedSKUsList()
   at VSIXInstaller.App.OnExit(ExitEventArgs e)

is not a valid Win32 application. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800700C1)

I recently got the same message on a vista pc. it happened because one of the exe files downloaded has size 0 due to security lacks. I made the download in administrator mode and all was ok.

Sara

i dont believe that is my issue- I have tried everything I can think of

Similar errors occurred for some users who had a beta version of the .NET Framework 4 installed. Please try the following:

Ledigimate
I tried your suggestion. After the repair which was successful and the reboot ir does additional install. When it gets to Applying Entity Framework Designed for Visual Studio - enu . I get the same pop error of Cannot find one or more components. Please reinstall application.

When I click ok it runs to completion but I get he above error when I open the app.

i installed VS Express 2013 and that has resolved my issues thanks

I am glad I could help.