Could not load file or assembly 'System.Data.SQLite'

Question

System.Data.SQLite.dll is a mixed assembly, i.e. it contains both managed code and native code. Therefore a particular System.Data.SQLite.dll is either x86 or x64, but never both.

Update (courtesy J. Pablo Fernandez): Cassini, the development web server used by Visual Studio when you press F5 or click the green «play» button, is x86 only which means that even if your workstation is x64, you'll only be able to use the x86 version of System.Data.SQLite.dll.

An alternative is not to use Cassini but IIS7 which is properly x64.

Make sure that "Enable 32 - Bit Applications" is set to false for the app pool.

Go to the IIS7 Application Pool -> advanced settings and set the 32-bit application to true.

This is very simple if you are not using SQLite:

You can delete the SQLite DLLs from your solution's bin folders, then from the folder where you reference ELMAH. Rebuild, and your app won't try to load this DLL that you are not using.

I have a 64 bit dev machine and 32 bit build server. I used this code prior to NHibernate initialisation. Works a charm on any architecture (well the 2 I have tested)

Hope this helps someone.

Guido

        private static void LoadSQLLiteAssembly()
        {
            Uri dir = new Uri(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().CodeBase);
            FileInfo fi = new FileInfo(dir.AbsolutePath);           
            string binFile = fi.Directory.FullName + "\\System.Data.SQLite.DLL";
            if (!File.Exists(binFile)) File.Copy(GetAppropriateSQLLiteAssembly(), binFile, false);
        }

        private static string GetAppropriateSQLLiteAssembly()
        {
            string pa = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE");
            string arch = ((String.IsNullOrEmpty(pa) || String.Compare(pa, 0, "x86", 0, 3, true) == 0) ? "32" : "64");
            return GetLibsDir() + "\\NUnit\\System.Data.SQLite.x" + arch + ".DLL";
        }