VS 2015 Import and Export Settings, Disappearing Window

Question

Post has been Updated 03-05-2017

People were talking about this problem here:

• VS 2010 - Import Export Settings
• VS2013 cannot import settings from TOOLS>Import and Export Settings

Currently in 2017 the issue is still affecting Visual Studio and SQL Server Management Studio. Below is Import Export Dialog Status for my two setups:

• Win7 Ultimate x64: SSMS 2014 - Working, VS 2013 - Working, VS 2015 - Disappears
• Win10 Pro x64 1703 (Fresh Install): SSMS 2016 - Disappears, VS 2017 - Disappears (Everything is updated to their newest stable versions)

Details:

As soon as I click "Next' button here:

Video

window disappears without any message.

• There is nothing special in Visual Studio log if I run devenv.exe /log
• Here is ProcessMoinitor log: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1l5lds6n9vlwr70/VS2015Logfile.PML?dl=0
• And here is the error shown by the debugger (debugging visual studio instance, I cannot debug ssms instance because it throws permission error, I tried as administrator and as system):

I am really sick of this problem, because I got my environment highly customised and microsoft loves to make pointless things like: "hey, lets default text output in ssms to font size 7, why not?" or "lets make dark theme but only for selected apps" or even "what would you guys say if we remove python from installer of 2017, it would be so much fun! Users would be forced to install instances from multiple release channels".

As some of you already mentioned and I am grateful for it I can (as workaround) use Command window:

Tools.ImportandExportSettings [/export:filename | /import:filename | /reset]

But is it even possible in SQL Server Management Studio? If it is, I didn't find it, if it isn't, then how any of us is supposed to import settings?

I will ONLY mark as an answer post that actually prevents window from disappearing and allows me to import options successfully, however I will upvote effective workarounds, especially for SQL Server Management Studio

Answer 1

The links you provide actually contain a walkaround. Check the answer

https://stackoverflow.com/a/31300971/635654

To summarize:

• Press Ctrl+Alt+A to open VS command window

• Manually type the command to import settings from filename as:

  Tools.ImportandExportSettings /import:"<filename>"