Do MS uninstalls really uninstall?
I want to share two adventures which I would have thought were totally unrelated that I had recently in the hopes that I can save someone else some pain.
I have been studying for the C# Web app cert using Amit Kalani's book on my laptop. My first adventure started with creating a data form wizard. It worked up to the point after I selected a table and tried to pull the columns back. Here is the post I sent to the microsoft.public.vsnet.ide newsgroup.
I am trying to use the Data Form Wizard against the
Northwind database in SQL Server. After I select a table
and click next I get the following error
---------------------------
Error
---------------------------
The following error occurred:"Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: type"
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------
This happens with any database. Any ideas?
An MS support person really tried to help for over a week but I got nowhere so I let it go after trying everything he said, right down to reinstalling Visual Studio (what a pain in the ass that is). I ran it on another machine at work and was able to do the section in the book. Since I don't intend on using the wizard I wasn't too concerned since it was the only problem I had with VS.
Next I'm doing the web services chapter and I can't add a web reference. So I spend a whole night googling, searching MSDN and just about every thing I could think of but got nowhere. Here is the error I was getting.
The 'type' attribute must be set to a valid type name. (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe.config line 33)
I look at devenv.exe.config and don't see anything wrong. Now I'm getting nervous. Is my laptop whacked out? Could there be a VS .Net specific virus? Two problems back to back? I post up to the microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet.webservices newsgroup and finally go to bed at 2 am totally defeated for the night. The next day I go to work and check this out on 2 machines at work. Guess what - their devenv.exe.config files did not contain the following section:
<system.web>
<webServices>
<soapExtensionImporterTypes>
<add type="WseSettings.WseExtensionImporter, WseSettings, Version=2.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=6c8e35098ebaa666" />
</soapExtensionImporterTypes>
</webServices>
</system.web>
Then I get it - I had installed WSE but uninstalled it. Stupid me, I should have known that didn't belong in there. (yeah right) So I comment out the section and viola, I can now add a web reference. Like a good citizen I posted back to my original post, which still had no reply this early, with the solution.
So then I say to myself, "self - could this possibly fix the data form wizard? After all, it does have something to do with the dev environment and every thing in VS is based on XML and config files." So I run the dataform wizard without a hitch. Bingo! And, yes, I posted this solution also in a reply to my earlier post.
So my point is what the hell is the sense of an uninstall if it doesn't unistall everything? If I run the uninstall that means I want it gone. And if they absolutley insist on saving me from myself, then at least tell me that some files or reg settings are still there so I can clean them out after backing them up if I want. The MS uninstalls are the only ones I can remember that do this. Am I nuts or has anyone else seen this?