Packages not loading after installing Visual Studio 2015 RTM

Question

The problem

I had Visual Studio 2015 RC installed and installed Visual Studio 2015 RTM over it. I couldn't find anything on the Internet that said you couldn't do this. I don't know if this is relevant to the problem.

Unfortunately, when I started up Visual Studio 2015 RTM for the first time after restarting it popped up message boxes with:

"The 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editor.Implementation.EditorPackage' package did not load correctly"

Also:

• XamarinShellPackage
• TestWindowPackage
• NuGetPackage
• ErrorListPackage

How can I resolve this error?

Logs

It said to look in the ActivityLog.xml. I couldn't find Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editor.Implementation.EditorPackage.

But for XamarinShellPackage it said:

<entry>
    <record>339</record>
    <time>2015/07/21 13:01:54.011</time>
    <type>Error</type>
    <source>VisualStudio</source>
    <description>SetSite failed for package [XamarinShellPackage]</description>
    <guid>{2D510815-1C4E-4210-BD82-3D9D2C56C140}</guid>
    <hr>80070057 - E_INVALIDARG</hr>
    <errorinfo>'providers' cannot contain a null (Nothing in Visual Basic) element.
Parameter name: providers</errorinfo>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <record>340</record>
    <time>2015/07/21 13:01:54.013</time>
    <type>Error</type>
    <source>VisualStudio</source>
    <description>End package load [XamarinShellPackage]</description>
    <guid>{2D510815-1C4E-4210-BD82-3D9D2C56C140}</guid>
    <hr>80070057 - E_INVALIDARG</hr>
    <errorinfo>'providers' cannot contain a null (Nothing in Visual Basic) element.
Parameter name: providers</errorinfo>
  </entry>

For TestWindowPackage:

<entry>
   <record>394</record>
   <time>2015/07/21 13:02:02.751</time>
   <type>Error</type>
   <source>TestWindowPackage</source>
   <description>TestWindowPackage.Initialize failed with exception:
&#x000D;&#x000A;&#x000D;&#x000A;System.NullReferenceException:
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.&#x000D;&#x000A;
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestWindow.VsHost.TestWindowPackage.Initialize()
&#x000D;&#x000A;&#x000D;&#x000A;PackageContainer loaded: False &#x000D;&#x000A;</description>
</entry>
<entry>
   <record>395</record>
   <time>2015/07/21 13:02:02.752</time>
   <type>Error</type>
   <source>VisualStudio</source>
   <description>SetSite failed for package [TestWindowPackage]</description>
   <guid>{BFC24BF4-B994-4757-BCDC-1D5D2768BF29}</guid>
   <hr>80004003 - E_POINTER</hr>
   <errorinfo>Object reference not set to an instance of an object.</errorinfo>
</entry>

For NuGetPackage:

 <entry>
    <record>405</record>
    <time>2015/07/21 13:02:04.096</time>
    <type>Error</type>
    <source>VisualStudio</source>
    <description>SetSite failed for package [NuGetPackage]</description>
    <guid>{5FCC8577-4FEB-4D04-AD72-D6C629B083CC}</guid>
    <hr>80004003 - E_POINTER</hr>
    <errorinfo>Object reference not set to an instance of an object.</errorinfo>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <record>406</record>
    <time>2015/07/21 13:02:04.096</time>
    <type>Error</type>
    <source>VisualStudio</source>
    <description>End package load [NuGetPackage]</description>
    <guid>{5FCC8577-4FEB-4D04-AD72-D6C629B083CC}</guid>
    <hr>80004003 - E_POINTER</hr>
    <errorinfo>Object reference not set to an instance of an object.</errorinfo>
  </entry>

For ErrorListPackage it said:

<entry>
    <record>409</record>
    <time>2015/07/21 13:02:04.624</time>
    <type>Information</type>
    <source>VisualStudio</source>
    <description>Begin package load [ErrorListPackage]</description>
    <guid>{4A9B7E50-AA16-11D0-A8C5-00A0C921A4D2}</guid>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <record>410</record>
    <time>2015/07/21 13:02:04.629</time>
    <type>Error</type>
    <source>VisualStudio</source>
    <description>SetSite failed for package [ErrorListPackage]</description>
    <guid>{4A9B7E50-AA16-11D0-A8C5-00A0C921A4D2}</guid>
    <hr>80004003 - E_POINTER</hr>
    <errorinfo>Object reference not set to an instance of an object.</errorinfo>
  </entry>

What I have tried so far

• At Tools --> Extensions and Updates I have tried to de-install and re-install the extensions. But when I click on the menu item "Extensions and Updates" I get the "Object reference not set" exception?? So I can't try this option.
  • I have deinstalled Visual Studio 2015 and reinstalled it. No effect.
  • I have done what is suggested in https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/details/1123745/setsite-failed-for-package-microsoft-visualstudio-editor-implementation-editorpackage at 13-2-2015 at 16:49. No effect. In fact, the entire exact same folder structure and files (at a quick glance) gets copied back after starting up Visual Studio 2015 again.

So... Any suggestions out there?

Updates to the question

First update

I just tried to load a project and... Something is very wrong. It can't load a bunch of packages like: "CSharpPackage, IntegrationPackage, MigrationPackage, FileIndicatorPackage, etc..." and the Solution Explorer is completely blank! What is going on?

Second update

This is how my Programs and Features look like:

Third update

I have uninstalled and removed as much as I dared.

• Removed everything in AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0
• Removed everything in AppData\Local\VisualStudio\14.0
• Uninstalled Visual Studio 2015 via Programs and Features (above screenshot)
• Removed the Visual Studio Secondary Installer folder in the Program Files folder altogether
• Removed everything that has to do with Visual Studio 14.0 from Program Files

I don't want to mess up my Visual Studio 2013 installation. Visual Studio 2015 still can't load the packages above!

So if anyone has more information as to which programs exactly can be uninstalled from the above screenshot, I would be very happy.

Fourth update

Steps to be taken (updated from update 3)

• Removed everything in AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0
• Removed everything in AppData\Local\VisualStudio\14.0
• Remove everything concerning Visual Studio 14.0 from ProgramData
• Uninstalled Visual Studio 2015 via Programs and Features (above screenshot)
• Did everything this article says: https://support.microsoft.com/nl-nl/kb/3016536
• Removed the Visual Studio Secondary Installer folder in the Program Files folder altogether
• Removed anything that has to do with Visual Studio 14.0 from Program Files basically. Anything left over from uninstalling in Programs And Features.
• Uninstall Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable (x86) - 14.0.xxx also
• Uninstalled my Xamarin stuff also
• Hope I didn't forget anything, but bottom line is to totally get rid of anything Visual Studio 2015 related.
• Reinstall Visual Studio 2015 RTM and it should work now. I have to install some third-party stuff again, but at least it works!

Answer 1

I have Visual Studio 2012, 2013 and 2015 all installed on my machine. After installing Visual Studio 2013 Update 5, I started getting the "package did not load correctly" error in VS 2013.

All I did to get it working was to follow this step:

1. Close all instances of Visual Studio
2. Delete everything in this folder C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\ComponentModelCache
3. Restart Visual Studio

Though I have not tried this for Visual Studio 2015, I believe this should solve the problem too. To do this for Visual Studio 2015, 12.0 should be changed to 14.0.

UPDATE

Instead of deleting everything in the folder (as suggested by step 2 above), it is much more safer to rename the folder and allow Visual Studio create a new one. Sometimes, you might have to copy somethings over from the old folder.

Answer 2

One more workaround for Visual Studio 2015 Update 1

1. Open c:\Users\{User_Name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\devenv.exe.config
2. Change binding redirection for System.Collections.Immutable, newVersion should be 1.1.37.0 (not 1.1.36.0).

The redirection should look like this:

    <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Collections.Immutable" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral"/>
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.27.0-1.1.65535.65535" newVersion="1.1.37.0"/>
    </dependentAssembly>

Error from ActivityLog.xml:

SetSite failed for package [CSharpPackage][Could not load file or assembly 'System.Collections.Immutable, Version=1.1.36.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not match the assembly reference. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131040)]:{ at Microsoft.VisualStudio.LanguageServices.Implementation.LanguageService.AbstractPackage`2.Initialize() at Microsoft.VisualStudio.LanguageServices.CSharp.LanguageService.CSharpPackage.Initialize() at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Package.Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.IVsPackage.SetSite(IServiceProvider sp)}

You can read more about how to troubleshoot such issues in my blog post How to restore Visual Studio 2015 after the Update 1.

Answer 3

I've had the same problem with Visual Studio 2015 Community RTC and was able to fix this by deleting everything in:

1. C:\Users\<your users name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0 and
2. C:\Users\<your users name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0

So I would recommend trying this as you may be able to avoid uninstalling/reinstalling Visual Studio.