The device is not ready error when opening Visual Studio 2012

Question

I get the error "The device is not ready" when I open visual studio, and also when I try to interact with TFS (check in, get latest, etc.)

I have tried the following to correct the issue with no luck in resolving it:

• Reboot
• Repair Visual Studio
• Uninstall/Reinstall Visual Studio

What device is not ready? How can I make it ready or otherwise correct this error? I'd prefer to not reinstall my OS, but I will if I need to.

Answer 1

This is (mostly) caused when the location your workspace is pointed to is no longer available.

All you need to do is reset the workspace (

• open sourcecontrol,
• in the toolbar click on the dropdownlist workspaces,
• edit the workspace of the computer the drive changed
• set the local folder to the correct location

)

Answer 2

I think this sort of thing can be caused by a no-longer-accessible drive. Here's something to try: Clear out your Most Recently Used project and file lists:

1. Run regedit.
2. Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0\ProjectMRUList.
3. Delete all the "File" items (File1, File2, File3, etc.).
4. Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0\FileMRUList.
5. Delete all the "File" items (File1, File2, File3, etc.).

If that doesn't work, have a look through the other items in 11.0 and under it, looking for no-longer-valid directories. Here are some other nodes to look under:

• 11.0
• 11.0\External Tools
• Find (might have a directory specified for find-in-files)
• JavaScriptLanguageService
• Keyboard
• NewProjectDialog and subnodes

...and there are probably several others, but at this point I got bored with looking. Anyway, look through the various nodes for a network location or removable drive that doesn't exist anymore, and get rid of that path or point that path elsewhere, and see if the problem goes away.

Answer 3

I recently had a HDD fail, which I managed to repair. In doing so, the drive letter changed. I changed the letter of the drive back to its original letter designation, and this issue no longer occurs.

Answer 4

I just had the same problem. I had clicked the button that was asking me to upgrade to a local workspace. After I did that I was getting the 'device not ready error' anytime I tried to do anything with TFS. The response marked as an answer did not help me. I had to completely remove the workspace (via the menu described in Olivier's answer) and then re-add a new workspace.