VS corrupted .sln file?

visual-studio tfs solution corruption
Larry Watanabe picture Larry Watanabe · Jul 21, 2010 · Viewed 11.3k times · Source

When I try to open my .sln file, Visual Studio quits on me. I can open it by opening up TFS, getting a specific version, choosing the latest version, forcing an overrwrite, opening up the .sln file, and then ignoring an 'incompatible doc message".

However, I would like to know what's wrong and how it can be fixed, in case some day I can't do this.

How can this be fixed?

Answer

Richard picture Richard · Jul 21, 2010

I would think this is more likely to be the .suo (which is a hidden file). These are know to corrupt (and this has been true since at least VC++ V6). Deleting it will clear all sorts of odd/erroneous behaviour in VS.

(The .suo holds local settings: which files are open and layout, breakpoints, bookmarks, ... only: nothing that really matters to the solution or projects.)

For Visual Studio 2015 and 2017: rather than being in the same location as the solution (.sln) file, it is now held in a, hidden, folder called .vs in the folder containing the solution file.

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