Documentation > Troubleshooting > Troubleshooting Common Installation Errors

Troubleshooting Common Installation Errors

Overview

This page describes how to troubleshoot common VisualGDB installation errors.

First of all, if you encounter any issues with VisualGDB installation, please run Windows Installer with diagnostic logging enabled:

msiexec /l* VisualGDB.log /i VisualGDB-<version>.msi

This will save a detailed installation log to the VisualGDB.log file, that may contain clues to the cause of the error.

The rest of this page discusses common installation errors and steps for fixing them.

The Specified Account Already Exists

Sometimes, installing or uninstalling VisualGDB can trigger the following error:

The Specified Account Already Exists

The error is caused by a corruption of the Windows Installer files and is sometimes triggered by uninstallation or reinstallation of Visual Studio. In order to resolve the problem, please follow the steps below:

  1. Download and run the Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter from Microsoft [mirror].
  2. Uninstall VisualGDB using the troubleshooter.
  3. Manually delete the entire <Visual Studio Directory>\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Sysprogs\VisualGDB and C:\Program Files (x86)\Sysprogs\VisualGDB directories.
  4. Install VisualGDB again by running its MSI file.

A DLL required for this install to complete could not be run

This error could trigger if your Windows security settings prevent the Windows Installer from unpacking installer plugins and running them from the %TEMP% directory. In order to fix it, try running the MSI file as administrator.

Updating Visual Studio Version

If you would like to remove a Visual Studio instance that had VisualGDB integrated into it (e.g. after updating to a newer VS), we recommend uninstalling VisualGDB first, and reinstalling it once you install the new VS version.

If you have already removed the old Visual Studio instance and VisualGDB fails to uninstall or update due to it, please follow the steps below:

  1. Uninstall VisualGDB completely. If it doesn’t work, try using the Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter referenced above. This will keep your settings, projects, activation state, etc.
  2. Once the new Visual Studio instance has been installed, install VisualGDB normally. It will automatically integrate into the new Visual Studio, and will pick up all the settings from the previous version.