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Update: 12-19-2016

I have tried to completely uninstall visual studio once again - this time opting to install visual studio 2013 as a temporary work-around... however it seems that I STILL get the error concerning the debugger being "not properly installed". This absolutely confuses me, as you would think that the debugger between the two versions would be different as well.

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--Original Post--

This is kind of a two-part issue. The issue originally exists when I code in visual C#, but it seems to affect other languages now too. At this stage of the issue, I started this new project "ExDesign" and have not coded anything yet. I pressed the start button to check the build / debug and sure enough i'm still getting the same issues as below.

The first question is in regards to a build error. when I build my program it gives several warnings and errors about being unable to move or copy the exe file from obj to bin.

Error       Unable to copy file "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Error       Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Exceeded retry count of 10. Failed.    ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 9 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 7 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 2 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 1 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 10 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process. ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 4 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 3 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Unable to delete file "c:\users\<redacted>\documents\visual studio 2015\Projects\ExDesign\ExDesign\bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Access to the path 'c:\users\<redacted>\documents\visual studio 2015\Projects\ExDesign\ExDesign\bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' is denied.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 8 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 6 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign            
Warning     Could not copy "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". Beginning retry 5 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.  ExDesign

I've tried to find a similar question to this, but the solutions mentioned in those did not help at all, so i'm hoping this isn't considered a "duplicate post". Also, please consider the fact that the error occurs on a fresh install and fresh project - compared to a work in progress as with other posts.

Things i've tried so far:

  • Run VS2015 as administrator -- result: no effect
  • Disable Avast -- result: no effect
  • Ensure program is not running in background already -- result: no effect
  • Disable "Visual Studio Hosting Process" -- result: no effect
  • Run repair -- result: no effect / takes FOREVER
  • Reinstall VS2015 -- result: no effect / takes 6 hours, just shoot me...
  • Ensure software is up to date -- result: no effect / already up to date

The second problem is the error message I get when trying to run the debugger. I don't know if this has to do with the first issue or if this is a completely different issue:

Error while trying to run project: Unable to start program 'C:\Users\<redacted>\documents\visual studio 2015\Projects\ExDesign\ExDesign\bin\Debug\Exdesign.exe'

The debugger is not properly installed. Run setup to install or repair the debugger.

Since seing this, I have tried repairing and even reinstalling the entire visual studio application - TWICE. Each time I get the same resulting error. Visual studio worked just fine about 4-5 months ago, so i'm not sure why i'm suddenly getting these issues.

System information:

Windows 10 home x64

8GB ram

1TB disk - ~500GB free

Community
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Jason
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2 Answers2

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It seems that more problems crept up on my computer, and more than just Visual Studio ended up failing. This prompted me to do a system repair using an all-in-one repair utility from www.tweaking.com. This took a considerable amount of time to run, however, everything works perfectly now.

I still don't know what the initial cause of this issue was (corrupt registry, corrupt system files, etc), but I am just happy that everything works now.

If you use the above utility, be sure to make use of the BACKUP tab to make a backup of your registry and create a restore point BEFORE running the repairs. This is a last-resort utility meant to be tried before having to resort to reinstalling the operating system.

Jason
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Unable to copy file "obj\Debug\ExDesign.exe" to "bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe". The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ExDesign.exe' because it is being used by another process.

Please check that whether it is related to the configuration manager settings like this document:

http://www.bytemedev.com/how-to-fix-visual-studio-error-the-process-cannot-access-the-file-because-it-is-being-used-by-another-process/

Many community members resolved this issue using the above steps.

Just take a backup for your project, close the VS, and then delete bin and obj folders in your project path, and then re-open this project, clean and rebuild it, check it again. Please make sure that the project output path is matched to your project folder locally in your project property.

Error while trying to run project: Unable to start program 'C:\Users\\documents\visual studio 2015\Projects\ExDesign\ExDesign\bin\Debug\Exdesign.exe'

The debugger is not properly installed. Run setup to install or repair the debugger.

For this issue, do you debug your app locally or remotely? This document shared three possible reasons which could generate this issue, if possible, you could refer to it here:

http://digioz.blogspot.sg/2007/08/debugger-is-not-properly-installed-run.html

If still no help, please also test it in other VS machine. And compare the VS version with yours if it works well in other machine. At least, we have to make sure that it is the latest VS2015 version with update 3.

Jack Zhai
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  • Thanks for the reply! I'll test these solutions and get back to you shortly. – Jason Dec 12 '16 at 02:56
  • @Jason, I look forward to hearing from you:), if you get any latest information, please feel free to let me know. – Jack Zhai Dec 12 '16 at 02:59
  • unfortunately the solutions yeilded no results. for the first issue (cannot copy), the manager only had one setting to begin with - Any CPU. Also, this is a fresh install and fresh project solution - so i'm confused why it's doing this. – Jason Dec 12 '16 at 04:20
  • for the second issue (debug). I tried the listed solutions (except the last, i'm running VS locally). the first solution listed didn't work the first three times I tried it, and took forever either way. The second solution was an issue because I did not have the regsvr32.exe file located in the listed directory (windows 10 issue?). So the 3rd solution did not yeild any errors, but no results either, sadly. I'm at a complete loss as to what the underlying problem is... – Jason Dec 12 '16 at 04:22
  • @Jason, which kind of app did you really create? As you said that it just has the Any CPU configuration, could you add a new one for your project?https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms185328.aspx. – Jack Zhai Dec 13 '16 at 11:05
  • If you copy your project to a new folder like D:\\ or the desktop, and then re-open it, how about the result? Or you could add a new user in your windows, and then log-in use this new user, re-open this project, how about the result? – Jack Zhai Dec 13 '16 at 11:07
  • sorry for the late reply, busy at work and had several Christmas parties to attend... so after trying both suggestions from @Jack Zhai-MSFT, I have had no luck in the matter. – Jason Dec 19 '16 at 09:22
  • edit: Furthermore, I have also completely uninstalled visual studio 2015 and installed Visual Studio 2013 instead, but I *still* get the same error concerning the debugger being "not properly installed" - despite it being a fresh install. – Jason Dec 19 '16 at 09:24
  • @Jason, do you get any error or warning during you re-install the VS? If two VS versions all have this issue, I think we would think about the Environment. Not a solution, just a suggestion, if you add a new user in your windows who has the enough permission, and then log-in windows, use your VS again. You'd better to create a new simple app, how about the result? – Jack Zhai Dec 20 '16 at 10:03
  • Restart your PC, please also reset your VS settings, and then create a new project, test it again. Or run your VS in safe mode. Devenv.exe/safemode. – Jack Zhai Dec 20 '16 at 10:19