SSMS 2008 Registered Server problem

[Tim P]

Hi

I just upgraded my Vista Business to Ultimate and managed to break a working
install of SQL Server 2008 in the process. Now when I open SSMS I get the
error:

Microsoft .NET framework: Unhandled exception has occurred in a component in
your application. If you click continue the application will ignore this
error and attempt to continue. Unable to read the list of previously
registered servers on this system. Re-register your servers in the
'Registered Servers' window.

If I click continue I then get an SSMS window. If I click on the Registered
Servers tab I get another error message:

Unable to read list of previously registered servers on this
system.Re-register your servers in the 'Registered Servers' window.
Additional information: serialization output is invalid
(Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Sdk.Sfc: None is an invalid XMLNodeType. Line
7, position 9. (System.Xml)

If I then click OK I het a Microsoft .NET Framework message:

Unhandled exception has occurred in a component in your application. If you
click continue the application will ignore this error and attempt to
continue. Serialization output is invalid.

If I click Continue I can then try to register a new server, but when I do
so I get error message:

serialization output is invalid (Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Sdk.Sfc)
Additional information: Unable to generate a temporary class (result = 1)
error cs2001: Source file 'C:\Windows\Temp\tt3wvw-n.0.cs' could not be found.
error cs2008: no inputs specified
(system.xml)

I have tried repairing the .NET framework 3.5 SP1 and repairing the SQL
Server installation, to no avail.

Does anyone know what the problem is, please?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Regards

TimP

[Aaron Bertrand [SQL Server MVP]]

Does this help?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955648

On 2/20/09 1:27 PM, in article
01D682F4-7E39-4281...@microsoft.com, "Tim P"

[Tim P]

Hi Aaron

Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately there is no node to expand. Left clicking, right clicking,
double clicking does nothing at all. It seems to be this panel which is
broken. There is a row of five icons above the white panel which will do
nothing and nothing at all actually in the panel. Frustratingly, repairing
the sql server installation doesn't help. I suppose I could try completely
removing and reinstalling, but I have a nasty feeling that that isn't going
to do it either.

Regards

Tim

[Aaron Bertrand [SQL Server MVP]]

Do you have other SQL Server or Visual Studio tools installed (including SQL
Server Management Studio Express)? How about previous versions? Obviously
the unhandled exceptions are not a good sign, so it may be best to uninstall
the client tools and reinstall them fresh is going to be necessary anyway.
What does Help|About say the version of SSMS is? I'm just curious if you
have 10.0.1622 or possibly an older (pre-release) version.

On 2/20/09 5:44 PM, in article
9B9ADDFF-6806-4FC3...@microsoft.com, "Tim P"

[Tim P]

Hi Aaron

I don't have any other version of sql server installed - I removed my old 2k
Developer and 2005 Express before installing 2008. And it was all working
fine before upgrading between Vista versions.

My versions are:

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 10.0.1600.22
((SQL_PreRelease).080709-1414 )
Microsoft Analysis Services Client Tools 2007.0100.1600.022
((SQL_PreRelease).080709-1414 )
Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 6.0.6001.18000
(longhorn_rtm.080118-1840)
Microsoft MSXML 2.6 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0.6001.18000
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.50727.3074
Operating System 6.0.6001

Oddly the .NET framework is showing as v2 although I have 3.5SP1 installed.

The install was done from the release 2008 DVD and I've never had the
pre-release software installed. So it is a bit odd that pre-release versions
are mentioned above.....

In terms of an uninstall, one of the posts I found on another forum from
someone with the same issue was that both reinstalling Windows and removing
and reinstalling sql server didn't fix the problem once it started.
Frustratingly, the poster never posted a solution.

One change I had to make before upgrading windows (Vista Business to
Ultimate) was uninstalling Windows Powershell. Could this have anything to do
with it?

Regards & thanks for your advice.

TP

[Tim P]

Another thought - can you remove the client tools whilst leaving the database
engine and all your dbs intact?

[Tim P]

Checking into the Powershell issue, it is back installed, presumably done as
part of the repair of sql server I did when the problem first materialised,
so that's not it.

[Erland Sommarskog]

Tim P (Ti...@discussions.microsoft.com) writes:
> Oddly the .NET framework is showing as v2 although I have 3.5SP1
> installed.

Yes, maybe that's the way out? Reinstall .Net Fx 3.5 SP1?

Note, this is not suggestion based on knowledge, just idea of something
to try.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esq...@sommarskog.se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx

[Tim P]

Thanks Erland

Unfortunately that doesn't help either - I removed .net 3.5 and reinstalled
it, but still have the problem.

I also tried uninstalling and reinstalling older versions of .net, but no
change.

I've repaired the sql server installation, no change.

I'm all out of ideas.....

Regards

[Aaron Bertrand [SQL Server MVP]]

> The install was done from the release 2008 DVD and I've never had the
> pre-release software installed. So it is a bit odd that pre-release versions
> are mentioned above.....

This is actually a bug. I complained about it in these two Connect items
and it should be fixed in the next CU that involves any modifications to
SSMS.

http://connect.microsoft.com/SQL/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=36343
1

http://connect.microsoft.com/SQL/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=36984
5

[Erland Sommarskog]

I was thinking that the problem may lie with .Net Fx 2.0, but you seem to
have reinstalled that one as well. In any case, in your previous post
you gave the version number 2.0.50727.3074. Myself I have 3053, so it is
not that the upgrade gave you an arcane version of .Net. Possibly you got
a too new one, but they wouldn't do that, would they?

And you upgraded from SP1 of Vista Business to SP1 of Ultimate, did you?

As last-ditch attempt could be to nuke
"C:\Users\sommar\Application Data\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL
Server\90\Tools\Shell\RegSrvr.xml",
but I don't have too much hope on it.

I guess opening a support case is not really an option for you.

But you could try submitting a bug on
http://connect.microsoft.com/SqlServer/Feedback, including any stack
traces you get. Not that this really seems to be a bug with SSMS, rather
with Vista.

[Tim P]

Hi guys

Thanks for the ideas.

Yes, I updated Business SP1 to Ultimate SP1.

I tried deleting RegSrvr.xml very early in the problem, but that didn't make
any difference.

I have now tried backing up every db, completely removing SQL Server and
Visual Studio, deleting the remaining folders, reinstalling.

It still does it.

The guy who reported that this didn't work on another forum was quite
right....

This is beginning to really seriously hack me off!

The only solution I can think of is to wipe my hard drive and completely
start again, but as that would mean several days work, I don't really want to
do it.

I really don't know what else to do.

Regards

Tim

[Tim P]

Thinking this through further, I removed SQL and trahsed all the sql server
folders in the Program Files folder. But when I reinstall and need to connect
to a server, all the previous servers are remembered. So SSMS must store its
server list somewhere else other than in its own folder, which could well be
the file I need to nuke.

Anybody know where this is, please?

[Jeffrey Williams]

On Vista - those are stored in your Documents folder. If you have not moved
them, it would be

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\SQL Server Management Studio
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Visual Studio 2005

The Visual Studio 2005 folder contains the settings for BIDS.

"Tim P" <Ti...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D3D5F0A4-C140-4390...@microsoft.com...

[Tim P]

Jeffrey

Thanks for the reply.

I haven't moved the folders (although I'd like to, it irritates the hell out
of me when apps insist on cluttering up your docs folder and won't let you
configure them to be elsewhere).

But when I look in them, I can find vsettings files, but when I look at them
in notepad they contain no reference to server registrations. Lots of other
settings, but not these.

However, in the same place I found a folder called Backup Files, containing
a folder called Solution1. Inside this were two .sql files
(Recovered-Feb-19-2009-0246PM.~vsDD7C.sql and
Original-Feb-19-2009-0246PM.~vsDD7C), which I opened (in ssms, by default).
They didn't seem very interesting, so I closed them again.

Then, miracle of miracles, next time I opened ssms I got the usual error
message but also my Registered Servers window had content again - a Database
Engine tree. Now I can re-register my servers and the problem is gone!!!!!!

I really don't know how it happened, but never mind. It may have been
something to do with the original/recovered files. Who knows.....

Anyway, thank you very much to all who contributed.

Regards

TP

[Tim P]

Actually, for the sake of completeness in the event that anyone has the same
problem in the future, I should record the other thing I did at the same time
which may have contributed. One of the error messages refers to being unable
to create a file in c:/Windows/Temp, so I looked at the permissions in that
folder. I noticed that my main Windows account didn't have full control and
neither did SQLServerReportServerUsers$DESKTOP$MSRS10.MSSQLSERVER, so I gave
both these accounts full control. I applied and tried again, without any
change. However, it was only five minutes later that all came good, so who
knows what did it.....