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URGENT: Visual Studio Installer complete crash / Cannot uninstall / System.IO.FileNotFoundException

Dan Shy 0 Reputation points
2026-03-28T13:29:02.5466667+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support,

I am reporting a critical issue with the Visual Studio Installer that has completely blocked my work and prevents me from completing an urgent C# project. The installer is broken, it won't allow me to install or uninstall the IDE, and all official Microsoft repair tools fail.

Here is the step-by-step description of the issue:

1. Forced installation on drive C: I started the Visual Studio installation to program in C#. I selected drive D (HDD) as the installation path because I did not want to save anything on drive C (SSD). Despite my choice, the installer started downloading and installing gigabytes of shared components on the system drive (C:) in the background.

2. Out of space on drive C and crash: As a result of this forced background download, my C drive ran out of space. This caused the installer to crash/hang. I decided to completely uninstall Visual Studio and start over after freeing up space.

3. Blocked Control Panel and disappearing installer: Trying to uninstall the program via "Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs" completely failed (no reaction). Downloading a fresh vs_setup.exe and running it always ends the same way: it downloads the initial files for a few seconds, and then the process silently closes. No UI appears, no error code is displayed. It just dies in the background.

4. Official repair tools fail (Critical Errors): I tried to fix this using your official methods:

InstallCleanup.exe: I ran InstallCleanup.exe -i from the command prompt as an administrator. The tool immediately throws an unhandled exception: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'System, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified. The cleanup tool cannot even start.

Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter: I downloaded this tool, but upon running it, it shows an "unexpected error" and a yellow banner stating that these troubleshooters have been moved and are being retired.

Summary: I currently have free space on my C drive, I cleared the temp folder (%temp%), and restarted the system. Despite this, the remnants of the broken Visual Studio block any new installation, and the installer systematically crashes at launch due to a broken .NET Framework component (as evidenced by the InstallCleanup error).

I need an immediate and effective method (a registry cleanup script or a manual step-by-step procedure) to forcefully remove all hidden flags and locked files of the Visual Studio Installer from my system so a fresh installer can run. Do not tell me to use InstallCleanup.exe, as it is broken on my machine (proof above).

I have attached a screenshot of the CMD error for reference.

Best regards,Wybrany obraz wyświetlany w widoku lightbox.

Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Setup
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  1. Lizzy Dinh (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 430 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-30T06:06:07.7733333+00:00

    Hi @Dan Shy ,

    Thank you for providing such a detailed description of the situation, and I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.

    1. Forced installation on drive C: I started the Visual Studio installation to program in C#. I selected drive D (HDD) as the installation path because I did not want to save anything on drive C (SSD). Despite my choice, the installer started downloading and installing gigabytes of shared components on the system drive (C:) in the background.

    To clarify, even when Visual Studio is installed on a non‑C drive, the C: drive is still required for system‑level components and setup infrastructure. For a smooth and reliable installation, I recommend having approximately 25–30 GB of free space available on your C: drive.

    2. Out of space on drive C and crash: As a result of this forced background download, my C drive ran out of space. This caused the installer to crash/hang. I decided to completely uninstall Visual Studio and start over after freeing up space.

    To keep your system running smoothly, it’s important to maintain sufficient free space on the C: drive. Low available disk space can negatively impact your device’s performance, especially during startup and regular use.

    3. Blocked Control Panel and disappearing installer: Trying to uninstall the program via "Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs" completely failed (no reaction). Downloading a fresh vs_setup.exe and running it always ends the same way: it downloads the initial files for a few seconds, and then the process silently closes. No UI appears, no error code is displayed. It just dies in the background.

    This behavior may be caused by a corrupted installation cache from the previous failed setup. It may also be related to insufficient free space on the C: drive, which can affect system stability during continuous operations.

    To resolve this, please try the following steps:

    1. End all current task relates Visual Studio using Task Manager
    2. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and search for Visual Studio Installer to uninstall. User's image
    3. Press Win + R and remove contents of these folders (skip any that do not exist): %ProgramData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages %ProgramData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Installer C:\ProgramData\Package Cache C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer
    4. Reboot your device.

    After rebooting, please download the Visual Studio Installer again from Microsoft's official site. If you need an older version of Visual Studio, kindly let me know which version you require, and I will be happy to provide a direct download link.

    Note: Make sure that you have temporarily disable all firewall/proxy and anti-virus software during download and installation.

    Once downloaded, right‑click the installer file and select Run as administrator. During the Workloads selection step, make sure to set your preferred installation path.

    User's image

    4. Official repair tools fail (Critical Errors): I tried to fix this using your official methods: InstallCleanup.exe: I ran InstallCleanup.exe -i from the command prompt as an administrator. The tool immediately throws an unhandled exception: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'System, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified. The cleanup tool cannot even start.

    Since Visual Studio was not successfully installed, this could explain why InstallCleanup.exe was unable to locate the necessary components. As an additional cleanup step, you may manually delete the following registry keys that were created during the initial installation attempt. Please ensure you back up the registry before making any changes.

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Setup

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Setup

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Setup

    Finally, if you continue to experience installation issues, you may start an Installation Help chat session (English only) for immediate assistance, or feel free to leave a comment here and I will be glad to help further.

    I hope this information addresses your concerns. If so, I would greatly appreciate your feedback on my support by following this instruction.

    Have a nice day!

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