Microsoft KB Archive/926405

= FIX: The Visual Basic 2005 compiler unexpectedly exits when you work with a Visual Basic 2005-based project in Visual Studio 2005 =

Article ID: 926405

Article Last Modified on 10/27/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Architects
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Developers
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Testers
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team System Test Edition

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Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry



SYMPTOMS
When you work with a Microsoft Visual Basic 2005-based project in Visual Studio 2005, the compiler unexpectedly exits (crashes). When this problem occurs, you receive one of the following error messages:

Error message 1

Microsoft Visual Basic Compiler has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Error message 2

Microsoft Visual Studio has encountered a problem and needs to close.

Note This problem is more likely to occur when you work with the following types of projects:
 * ASP.NET projects
 * Web application projects (WAPs)



Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Visual Studio 2005 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites
You must have Visual Studio 2005 installed to apply this hotfix.

Restart requirement
You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Registry information
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

This hotfix includes performance enhancements that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

917452 FIX: You may experience performance issues when you use solutions that contain large Visual Basic projects in Visual Studio 2005

920805 FIX: You may experience slow performance when you work with a Visual Basic solution that contains many projects in Visual Studio 2005

To obtain improved performance from this hotfix, add and then enable the  registry value. To do this, follow these steps:  Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. Locate and then click the following registry key:

Note If you are using Visual Basic Express, the registry key is as follows:

 Click Edit, click New, and then click DWORD Value. Type OptimizePDB, and then press ENTER. Right-click OptimizePDB, and then click Modify. Type 1, and then click OK. Exit Registry Editor.

After you add the  registry value, open the Visual Basic solution in Visual Studio 2005. Then, click Clean Solution on the Build menu.</li></ol>

The  registry value makes the Visual Basic compiler optimize the .pdb file to improve performance. However, the new .pdb file format is not fully compatible with the old .pdb file format. Therefore, a version of Visual Studio 2005 that does not have this hotfix applied may be unable to read the new .pdb file format. To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods:
 * Apply this hotfix on all development computers.
 * Click Clean Solution or Rebuild Solution on the Build menu before you start debugging the solution.

File information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

This hotfix includes two packages:
 * A Visual Studio 2005 package
 * A Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 package

You must install both packages.

The .NET Framework 2.0 hotfix file
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STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the &quot;Applies to&quot; section.

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MORE INFORMATION
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

This hotfix also includes the fixes that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

915038 FIX: You may receive Visual Basic compiler error messages when you are developing a Visual Basic 2005 project in Visual Studio 2005

920145 FIX: You may receive an error message when you consume an assembly that has an obfuscated generic type in Visual Studio 2005

919904 FIX: You may receive an error message when you try to build a Web project that references a .NET Compact Framework 2.0 assembly in Visual Basic 2005

924162 FIX: The Visual Basic 2005 compiler unexpectedly exits when you expand an item in the Visual Studio 2005 Watch window after you install the hotfix from KB article 920805

Keywords: kbfix kbbug kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbpubtypekc KB926405

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