"Unspecified error" on compile

[Owen Blacker (mySociety)]

One of my projects is giving me the output "Error: The operation could
not be completed. Unspecified error" when I try to compile it (either
on its own, as the solution or as a prerequisite to some other
project).

Searching Google doesn't seem to provide me any help here and it's not
a problem other users are experiencing with the same CSPROJ file, nor
have I always had this problem (though I don't know what on my machine
has changed since I could last compile it, obviously). I can happily
compile several other projects, the problem only seems to affect this
project. I still get the problem if I start VS using the command-line
switch to reset my addons.

Aside from uninstalling and reinstalling Visual Studio, which won't
necessarily help, does anyone have any ideas how I might resolve this
issue, so that I may once again compile this project?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


Owen

 

[PvdG42]

message

One of my projects is giving me the output "Error: The operation could
not be completed. Unspecified error" when I try to compile it (either
on its own, as the solution or as a prerequisite to some other
project).

Searching Google doesn't seem to provide me any help here and it's not
a problem other users are experiencing with the same CSPROJ file, nor
have I always had this problem (though I don't know what on my machine
has changed since I could last compile it, obviously). I can happily
compile several other projects, the problem only seems to affect this
project. I still get the problem if I start VS using the command-line
switch to reset my addons.

Aside from uninstalling and reinstalling Visual Studio, which won't
necessarily help, does anyone have any ideas how I might resolve this
issue, so that I may once again compile this project?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


Owen

Let's start with some additional information needed, but not supplied, to
intelligently address your issue.
Although some here have crystal balls, they are not powerful enough the
divine the answers to the following:

What version and edition of Visual Studio?
Which language are you using?
What version/edition of Windows?
What type of project is this symptom observed in?
Is the symptom consistent across multiple projects of the same type, or in
one, only?
Is the symptom consistent across projects of different types?

 

[Morten Wennevik [C# MVP]]

One of my projects is giving me the output "Error: The operation could
not be completed. Unspecified error" when I try to compile it (either
on its own, as the solution or as a prerequisite to some other
project).

Searching Google doesn't seem to provide me any help here and it's not
a problem other users are experiencing with the same CSPROJ file, nor
have I always had this problem (though I don't know what on my machine
has changed since I could last compile it, obviously). I can happily
compile several other projects, the problem only seems to affect this
project. I still get the problem if I start VS using the command-line
switch to reset my addons.

Aside from uninstalling and reinstalling Visual Studio, which won't
necessarily help, does anyone have any ideas how I might resolve this
issue, so that I may once again compile this project?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


Owen

Hi Owen,

Are you having several solutions open? I have seen the unspecified error
when trying to compile a solution containing a database project, while at the
same time having another solution with another database project opened. In
that case the problem was solved by closing the other visual studio solution.

 

[Owen Blacker]

message







Let's start with some additional information needed, but not supplied, to
intelligently address your issue.
Although some here have crystal balls, they are not powerful enough the
divine the answers to the following:

What version and edition of Visual Studio?
Which language are you using?
What version/edition of Windows?
What type of project is this symptom observed in?
Is the symptom consistent across multiple projects of the same type, or in
one, only?
Is the symptom consistent across projects of different types?

Sorry.

Visual Studio 2008 v9.0.21022.8 RTM
C#
Windows XP (v5.1 build 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.080814-1236 : Service Pack 3)
It's a Web site project (not a Web application)
The problem is only occurring with this one project; other projects
(Web site projects in other solutions and class libraries in this
solution) are building fine.


Owen

 

[Owen Blacker]

Hi Owen,

Are you having several solutions open?  I have seen the unspecified error
when trying to compile a solution containing a database project, while atthe
same time having another solution with another database project opened.  In
that case the problem was solved by closing the other visual studio solution.

No, this problem occurs both when other VS instances are open and when
this solution is the only instance open.

 

[PvdG42]

Sorry.

Visual Studio 2008 v9.0.21022.8 RTM
C#
Windows XP (v5.1 build 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.080814-1236 : Service Pack 3)
It's a Web site project (not a Web application)
The problem is only occurring with this one project; other projects
(Web site projects in other solutions and class libraries in this
solution) are building fine.


Owen

OK, it's pretty clear that VS is absolved of blame, and that the issue is
within the web site in question. This is hardly "intelligent", but have you
tried deleting all files from the site that were created by the build
process? Candidates would be anything found in debug or release folders
and/or anything with the extension .dll or .exe. The theory is that one or
more such files have become corrupt and are causing the issue, and that a
rebuild after physical removal will not be impeded by the corruption.

 

[Owen Blacker]

OK, it's pretty clear that VS is absolved of blame,

Well, certainly the unhelpful nature of the error message is Visual
Studio's fault ;o)

and that the issue is
within the web site in question. This is hardly "intelligent", but have you
tried deleting all files from the site that were created by the build
process? Candidates would be anything found in debug or release folders
and/or anything with the extension .dll or .exe. The theory is that one or
more such files have become corrupt and are causing the issue, and that a
rebuild after physical removal will not be impeded by the corruption.

I hadn't actually thought of that, but just deleted the entire project
and re-fetched it from Subversion (the same location that other
developers can successfully build from and that our Cruise Control
instance is building quite happily).

I still get precisely the same problem, I'm afraid, despite having
deleted *everything* and restoring the files from a source that works
for other developers.


Owen

 

[Andrew Morton]

I still get precisely the same problem, I'm afraid, despite having
deleted *everything* and restoring the files from a source that works
for other developers.

Maybe they're using VS2008SP1?

Andrew

 

[Adam Benson]

What's the full path to your sln on your machine?
If it's really long that may be the cause of the problem.

AB
==

 

[Owen Blacker]

Maybe they're using VS2008SP1?

Thank you, Andrew. Installing SP1 seems to have made the problem go
away.

Whatever stupid bug it was in VS, SP1 apparently fixes it )


Owen