1. 1.000,00 (default for DE)
2. 1,000.00 (default for US)

This sounds like you are seeing the empty default property browser as opposed to the WPF version, which has a little preview window and a search filter instead of the combobox).Let me ask you afew clarifying questions:

• Is this on a localized version of VS (if so what language)?
• Version of VS (as seen in the About Box)?
• What is the file version of thePresentationFramework assembly in the GAC?
  (right click on PresentationFramework in %windir%\assembly, Properties, Version tab)

Hi Marco,

Localized ? Nope, OS and VS is all en/US.

VS Version ? 9.0.30729.1 SP

PresentationFramework file version ? File & Product Version: 3.0.6920.1427, Comments: Flavor=Retail, Private Build Description: DDBLD211, Architecture MSIL. Same version info on PF.Aero, PF.Classic, PF.Luna, PF.Royale.

I forgot one Beta thing in my first post: I have Silverlight 2 Beta 2 installed (v2.0.30523.8, just Runtime, no SL dev stuff).

I un- and then reinstalled Net 3.5 using your link, but the version is still 1427.
Then I uninstalled Net 3.5 and 3.0. After uninstall the PresentationFramework assembly is still in the GAC. I would have expected it to be gone. Then I reinstalled Net 3.0 and 3.5 SP1. Version is still 1427. Property window in Cider is still empty.

After installing VS 2008 SP 1, I installed SQL Server 2008 Express and MSDN Lib for VS 2008 SP1. Does that prevent proper uninstalling Net 3.0 and 3.5 ?

Shall I try to uninstall and reinstall SQL / VS / Net 3.x ? Or is there a way to force the Net Installer to overwrite that 1427 dll with the current one ?

• Microsoft.VisualStudio.Xaml
• Microsoft.VisualStudio.Xaml.LanguageService
• Microsoft.Windows.Design.Markup
• Microsoft.Windows.Design.Developer
• Microsoft.Windows.Design
• Microsoft.Windows.Design.Extensibility
• Microsoft.Windows.Design.Host
• Microsoft.Windows.Design.Interaction

Just having the runtime of Silverlight installed wouldn't cause this (SL Tools would be a whole different story).

Meanwhile i took the brute force approach and deinstalled SQL 2008, VS 2008, Net 3.5, 3.0,2.0 and SL and anything else that seemed to be related. That way i finally got rid of that dll.

Then i reinstalled Net 3.5 SP1 (which installed Net 2.0 and 3.0). Now i am installing VS 2008 and then its SP1.

Next i will check the assemblies you listed.

I will leave installing MSDN lib and SQL for later ..

Hi Marco,

PresentationBuildTasks is version 3.0.6920.1427 too, as well as all other Presentation* assemblies.

I found nothing in the EventViewer that looked like being related to VS/NET/WPF.

When VS runs in the debugger, an exception is thrown while opening the xaml. You find the test project, contents of output, callstack, exception wizard and fusion logs in a zip whose URL is very similar to:

( hxxp://sites DOT inka DOT de/mill/ftp/vswpfbug1.zip )- delete the blanks and replace DOT with you guess what .. ;-P

Nope, OS and VS is all en/US. No MUI or language packs either.
All other installed stuff is en/US too. If something localized crept in, im not aware of it ..
So unless my machine does secret traceroutes, it shouldn't have a clue about being in Germany .. ;-P

The exception thrown looks like a xaml parser exception. However, since the test app is just the C# WPF template plus one innocent button dropped on it, I assume this exception is just a symptom. I would bet the real problem is somehow version related. Thats why I recorded the fusion logs.

I have no clue if it is important, but before I installed VS 2008 SP1 a few days ago, I had VS 2005 (+ SP) andSQL Server 2005 Express on that machine, but no Net 3.x development preview or CTP stuff. Later, when VS 2008 RTM shipped, I installed that too (without uninstalling VS 2005) and moved my projects to VS 2008. Then a few days ago, I uninstalled VS 2008, SQL Server 2005 and VS 2005, but left the NET runtime 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 untouched. Then I installed VS 2008 and its SP1 and then SQL Server Express 2008. During the 2nd un- and reinstall 2 days ago (see above) I only left Net runtime 1.0 and 1.1 untouched.

1. 1.000,00 (default for DE)
2. 1,000.00 (default for US)

*blush*

In ControlPanel/RegionalAndLanguageOptions/RegionalOptions I had selected English(US), but later I had customized some individual settings to german conventions, so that my number format was german.
Now I have switched back to English(US) and the WPF property window works !

Problem solved - Thanks a lot !!

So my theory about what was going on is:
I guess the VS installer checks the general locale (but not the individual, possibly customized settings) and picksmatching preformatted project templates to install.
But the xaml parser usesthe individual (customized) regional settings, which dont match the xaml from the project template.
Does that make sense ?
Not really - then VS wouldn't have been able to open the xaml at all.
Must be more complex, but something in that direction ...

Thanks for your help !

To reproduce set RegionalOptions to EnglishUS and then customize the individual formats like this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International]
"iCountry"="1"
"iCurrDigits"="2"
"iCurrency"="3"
"iDate"="2"
"iDigits"="2"
"iLZero"="1"
"iMeasure"="0"
"iNegCurr"="8"
"iTime"="1"
"iTLZero"="1"
"Locale"="00000409"
"s1159"="AM"
"s2359"="PM"
"sCountry"="United States"
"sCurrency"="â‚?quot;
"sDate"="-"
"sDecimal"=","
"sLanguage"="ENU"
"sList"=";"
"sLongDate"="ddd, yyyy-MMMM-dd"
"sShortDate"="yyyy-MM-dd"
"sThousand"="."
"sTime"=":"
"sTimeFormat"="HH:mm:ss"
"iTimePrefix"="1"
"sMonDecimalSep"=","
"sMonThousandSep"="."
"iNegNumber"="1"
"sNativeDigits"="0123456789"
"NumShape"="1"
"iCalendarType"="1"
"iFirstDayOfWeek"="6"
"iFirstWeekOfYear"="0"
"sGrouping"="3;0"
"sMonGrouping"="3;0"
"sPositiveSign"=""
"sNegativeSign"="-"


That should mess it up .. ;-P

I am seeing the same issue of not being able to load WPF designer and intellisense not working after installing VS 2008 SP1. I tried your solution of attaching one instance of VS from another. I am getting the following exceptions (though I haveMicrosoft.VisualStudio.WPFFlavor.dll at the location below):

Could not load file or assembly 'D:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\\Common7\\IDE\\Microsoft.VisualStudio.WPFFlavor.dll' or one of its dependencies. The given assembly name or codebase was invalid. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131047)

System.IO.FileLoadException occurred
Message="Could not load file or assembly 'D:\\\\Program Files\\\\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\\\\Common7\\\\IDE\\\\Microsoft.VisualStudio.WPFFlavor.dll' or one of its dependencies. The given assembly name or codebase was invalid. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131047)"
Source="mscorlib"
FileName="D:\\\\Program Files\\\\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\\\\Common7\\\\IDE\\\\Microsoft.VisualStudio.WPFFlavor.dll"
FusionLog=""
StackTrace:
at System.Reflection.AssemblyName.nInit(Assembly& assembly, Boolean forIntrospection, Boolean raiseResolveEvent)
at System.Reflection.Assembly.InternalLoad(String assemblyString, Evidence assemblySecurity, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, Boolean forIntrospection)
InnerException:

System.Resources.MissingManifestResourceException occurred
Message="Could not find any resources appropriate for the specified culture or the neutral culture. Make sure \"VSPackage.resources\" was correctly embedded or linked into assembly \"Microsoft.VisualStudio.WPFFlavor\" at compile time, or that all the satellite assemblies required are loadable and fully signed."
Source="mscorlib"
StackTrace:
at System.Resources.ResourceManager.InternalGetResourceSet(CultureInfo culture, Boolean createIfNotExists, Boolean tryParents)
InnerException:

System.EntryPointNotFoundException occurred
Message="Unable to find an entry point named 'nonexistent_dummy' in DLL 'MSVCR80.dll'."
Source="PresentationCore"
TypeName=""
StackTrace:
at nonexistent_dummy()
at InitCRT()
InnerException:

I have the same problem and think this might help:
InTools/Options/Environment/International Settings,change Language to "Same as Microsoft Windows",
then restart VS

Edit: forgot to remind that check "Show all settings" in Options window