Error hresult e fail has been returned from a call to a com component

And back to the error with no meanings:

I’ve created a document, published it on an IIS, and opened it from the IIS, resolved the security problems, and now facing this error message:

Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.

************** Exception Text **************

System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80004005): Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.

   at Microsoft.Office.Core.CommandBarControls.Add(Object Type, Object Id, Object Parameter, Object Before, Object Temporary)

   at CreditCommentsDoc.ThisDocument.ThisDocument_Startup(Object sender, EventArgs e)

   at Microsoft.Office.Tools.Word.Document.OnStartup()

   at CreditCommentsDoc.ThisDocument.FinishInitialization()

   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Runtime.AppDomainManagerInternal.ExecutePhase(String methodName)

   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Runtime.AppDomainManagerInternal.ExecuteCustomization(IHostServiceProvider serviceProvider)

When the document runs from my machine, it runs just fine

According to the error message, there was a problem, adding a button to the toolbar, and that’s it, figure it out, you are on your own.

Thank you for the meaningful errors MS, if one day I am writing an application that will be used by Microsoft; I will defiantly make sure I’ll remember that

Ok, I am not that bad

Background

Using Visual Studio 2019 and needing to add references to components, I accessed the “Add Reference” menu option but got the error noted below.

Image

Textual

Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.

TroubleShooting

Google Search

I googled on the error.

Unfortunately, the most popular Google match, a stack overflow QA post, provided too many suggestions and it was difficult to wield through each of the remediative steps.

BTW, that post is here:-

Stack Overflow
Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component VS2012 when debugging
Link

Simplified

Upon trying out a couple of tracks mentioned in the StackOverflow post, and not finding any joy, I knew I had to simplify my scenario a lot more and return to the basics.

Outline

Here are the steps we took towards simplicity:-

1. Visual Studio – Create New Project
   • Closed the current solution
   • Created a new project
     • A simple .Net Console Project
     • Choices
       • .Net Core ( No )
       • .Net Framework ( Yes )
2. Visual Studio – Add Reference
   • In Visual Studio, choose to add a new Reference
     • Click on “Add Reference”
3. ActivityLog.XML

Visual Studio – Create New Project

Images

Image – Create a New Project

Image – Configure Your New Project

Visual Studio – Add Reference

Steps

1. Accessed the Add Reference menu option and got an error
2. Error
   • Title
     • The ‘ReferenceManagerPackage’ package did not load correctly.
   • Message
     • The problem may have been caused by a configuration change or by the installation of another extension.
     • You can get more information by examining the file ‘c:usersdadenijiAppDataRoamingMicrosoftVisualStudio16.0_9919f19dActivityLog.xml’
3. Error Explanation
   • Error Text
     • c:usersdadenijiAppDataRoamingMicrosoftVisualStudio16.0_9919f19dActivityLog.xml
   • Error Template
     • c:users<username>AppDataRoamingMicrosoftVisualStudio<version>ActivityLog.xml

Images

Image – The ‘ReferenceManagerPackage’ package did not load correctly

ActivityLog.xml

Entry

CreateInstance failed for package [ReferenceManagerPackage]Source: ‘mscorlib’ Description: Could not load type ‘Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.IVsReferenceManager2’ from assembly ‘Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a’. System.TypeLoadException: Could not load type ‘Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.IVsReferenceManager2’ from assembly ‘Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a’. at System.Reflection.RuntimeAssembly.GetType(RuntimeAssembly assembly, String name, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase, ObjectHandleOnStack type) at System.Reflection.RuntimeAssembly.GetType(String name, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase) at System.Activator.CreateInstanceFromInternal(String assemblyFile, String typeName, Boolean ignoreCase, BindingFlags bindingAttr, Binder binder, Object[] args, CultureInfo culture, Object[] activationAttributes, Evidence securityInfo) at System.AppDomain.CreateInstanceFrom(String assemblyFile, String typeName)

Image

Key Data

The key data from our error is that a type “Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.IVsReferenceManager2” could not be loaded.

And, that type is part of the “Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral”

Remediation

Outline

1. Launch Visual Studio Command Prompt in Administrator Mode
2. Determine the folder where our assembly ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0 ) is located
3. Change the contextual folder to the identified folder
4. Register the assembly in GAC ( gacutil )

Launch Visual Studio Command Prompt

Outline

1. Please launch command prompt preferably “Developer Command Prompt for VS < Version >”
   • <Version> standing for the version number of your Visual Studio
2. Confirm Command Shell (    )
   • The command shell should indicate “Administrator” by reading “Administrator:“

Images

Image – Command Prompt – Search

Image – Command Prompt – Shell

Find Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.<Major>.<Minor> ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0 )

Outline

1. Find Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.<Major>.<Minor>
2. In our case “Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0“
3. There are a few options for looking for a file
   • In this post, we will use the where command

Command

Command – Where

Outline

1. The syntax for using the where command is
   • option
     • /r ( recursive )
   • Base Folder
   • Filename

Syntax

where /r <folder-base> <filename>

Sample

where /r c: "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll"

Output

Output – Image

Output – Textual

where /r c: “Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll”

c:Program Files (x86)Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 18Common7IDEPublicAssembliesMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll

c:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2017SQLCommon7IDEPublicAssembliesMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll

c:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019CommunityCommon7IDEPublicAssembliesMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll

c:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019ProfessionalCommon7IDEPublicAssembliesMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll

Explanation

In our case, we have four matches for Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll.

Those are:-

1. Microsoft – SQL Server Management Studio
   • Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio – Version 18
2. Microsoft – Visual Studio
   • Microsoft Visual Studio 2017
   • Microsoft Visual Studio 2019
     • Edition – Community
     • Edition – Professional

Change Directory

Syntax

cd "c:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio<version>ProfessionalCommon<version2>IDEPublicAssemblies"

Sample

cd c:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019ProfessionalCommon7IDEPublicAssemblies"

Output

Image

Register Assembly ( gacutil )

Outline

1. Issue gacutil against assembly
2. Review gac for the presence of the assembly

Register Assembly ( gacutil )

Syntax

gacutil -i Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.<versionMajor>.<versionMinor>.dll

Sample

gacutil -i Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll

Output

Image

Textual

Assembly successfully added to the cache.

Review Assembly ( gacutil )

Outline

Please review the registered assemblies in GAC by issuing “gacutil -l“.

Specific Assembly

Syntax

gacutil -l <assembly>

Sample

gacutil -l Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0.dll

Output

Image

Textual

>gacutil.exe -l  "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0"
Microsoft (R) .NET Global Assembly Cache Utility.  Version 4.0.30319.0
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

The Global Assembly Cache contains the following assemblies:
  Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL

Number of items = 1

Matching Assemblies

Syntax

gacutil -l | findstr <assembly>

Sample

gacutil -l | findstr "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop."

Output

Image

Textual

>gacutil.exe -l | findstr "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop"

  Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.10.0, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL

  Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.11.0, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL

  Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop, Version=7.1.40304.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a

  Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a

  Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.9.0, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a

>

Confirmation

Let us go confirm.

We do so by exiting our Visual Studio Session, restarting Visual Studio, and attempting to add a Reference.

References

1. Microsoft
   • Visual Studio Community
     • ReferenceManagerPackage failed to load
       Link
     • Add a reference raise error: Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component
       Link
2. Stack Overflow
   • Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component VS2012 when debugging
     Link
3. Cameron Dwyer
   • How to fix “The operation could not be completed” error adding references to Visual Studio 2017
     Link
4. SS64
   • Where Command
     Link

@Marusyk , well after I fixed a slight issue in your Main method of the repro projects to use the correct names for the service types (must not have changed from your original project when you created the sample), then I discovered what was going on. It seems the real issue is that you are indeed missing PackageRootConfigSettings.xml in both services

In the «Remove Application» debug mode the platform must be creating this missing Settings.xml files when the package is provisioned as I find them i under the C:SfDevClusterData_App_Node_0PlatformType_App2Stateful.ApiPkg.Config.1.0.0 location (and stateless).

However, when using «Refresh Application» debug mode, we setup symbolic links back to the output bin path and it appears the platform doesn’t create these files automatically when things are provisioned in that mode.

To fix, you can create a new SF service project and copy the Settings.xml file from it into the PackageRootConfig folder of each service. Let me know if that fixes things.