.NET 3.5 - Configuration system failed to initialize exception

Question

In my winform app, I am trying to add a userSetting, although the error is occuring with appSettings too. When the setting is added I get an exeption thrown that says: "Configuration system failed to initialize" with a Inner Exception "Unrecognized configuration section userSetting"

Exception Details:

System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException was unhandled
  Message="Configuration system failed to initialize"
  Source="System.Configuration"
  BareMessage="Configuration system failed to initialize"
  Line=0
  StackTrace:
       at System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.PrepareConfigSystem()
       at System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.RefreshSection(String sectionName)
       at System.Configuration.ClientSettingsStore.ReadSettings(String sectionName, Boolean isUserScoped)
       at System.Configuration.LocalFileSettingsProvider.GetPropertyValues(SettingsContext context, SettingsPropertyCollection properties)
       at System.Configuration.SettingsBase.GetPropertiesFromProvider(SettingsProvider provider)
       at System.Configuration.SettingsBase.GetPropertyValueByName(String propertyName)
       at System.Configuration.SettingsBase.get_Item(String propertyName)
       at System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsBase.GetPropertyValue(String propertyName)
       at System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsBase.get_Item(String propertyName)
       at Settings.get_ApplicationData() in \Properties\Settings.Designer.cs:line 41
       at Common.Initialize.IsSettingsInitialized() 
       at SurveyClient.Program.Main() 
       at System.AppDomain._nExecuteAssembly(Assembly assembly, String[] args)
       at System.AppDomain.ExecuteAssembly(String assemblyFile, Evidence assemblySecurity, String[] args)
       at Microsoft.VisualStudio.HostingProcess.HostProc.RunUsersAssembly()
       at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
       at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
       at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()
  InnerException: System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException
       Message="Unrecognized configuration section userSettings.
       Source="System.Configuration"
       BareMessage="Unrecognized configuration section userSettings."
       Line=3
       StackTrace:
            at System.Configuration.ConfigurationSchemaErrors.ThrowIfErrors(Boolean ignoreLocal)
            at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.ThrowIfParseErrors(ConfigurationSchemaErrors schemaErrors)
            at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.ThrowIfInitErrors()
            at System.Configuration.ClientConfigurationSystem.OnConfigRemoved(Object sender, InternalConfigEventArgs e)
       InnerException: 

Answer 1

Try checking that the app.config (myapp.exe.config once deployed) file exists and has at the top (possibly with other bits)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
<sectionGroup name="userSettings"
    type="System.Configuration.UserSettingsGroup, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" >
</sectionGroup>

Answer 2

I had some user settings, then removed all of them and started seeing this exception - but only when running the app without debugging. It worked fine when debugging the app. The reason is that user-level settings are "cached" in the Local Application Data folder, and in fact are not read from the MYAPP.exe.config. So what I did was go to C:\Users\MYUSERNAME\AppData\Local\MYCOMPANY\MYAPP.exe_Url_longnastyhash9982749827349879\1.0.0.0\user.config (this is on Win7, the path depends on OS) and removed that folder (with the long hash) altogether. The exception went away. BTW, depending on how your settings are setup this user.config file may be under \AppData\Local or \AppData\Roaming.

Answer 3

I get this error when I write my App.Config (stupidly) as below.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>

<!--List of XMLFiles Begins -->
    <add key="ConfigFileEnvironment" value="C:\Program Files\MyProduct\Config\Environment.xml" />
<!--List of XMLFiles Ends -->

</configuration>

Notice, that there is no appSettings? I used to do this mistake regularly...

Answer 4

I started seeing this message when I removed all userSettings. I was able to fix it by adding a single userSetting back into the settings files.

Answer 5

Clean Solution Delete all currently existing settings files as well as app.config Close VS Manually go in and clear out the bin folder and the obj folder of your project Restart PC Re-add the "Application Configuration File"

Answer 6

I had a this problem today and found that I'd accidentally (not to mention erroneously) added a second custom configuration section to my App.config. Once I removed the errant addition, I was able to continue running my application without problems.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="ABCConfig" type="ABC.Configuration.ABCConfigurationSection, ABC"/>
    <!-- Other custom section definitions -->
  </configSections>
  <connectionStrings>
      <!-- Connection strings go here -->
  </connectionStrings>

  <!-- Configure ABC -->
  <ABCConfig CustomA="blah" CustomB="stuff" />

  <!-- Other custom sections -->

  <!-- Errant addition to Configure ABC which causes the problem - SHOULD NOT BE HERE -->
  <ABCConfig CustomA="blah" CustomB="stuff" />

</configuration>

Removing the second ABCConfig section resolved my problem. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Probably the problem is that your config file doesn't comply with its schema. For example, this issue can be recreated by duplication the ConnectionStrings section.

Answer 8

I had some garbage in my machine.config that was causing this error. Look for the exception stack trace and see if you have the same problem. It was essentially malformed XML.

Answer 9

I had this problem because I changed one application setting scope (from 'application' to user'). As I couldn't find a solution to resolve my problem, I decided to delete the settings file into the solution explorer. After that, I opened the properties, in the tab 'settings', I clicked where it was proposed to create the settings file. And a new settings file has been created with the values I defined into the previous settings file. I rebuilt my project and it worked well.

Answer 10

The startup tag did the trick for me on VS Pro 2013 version 12.021005.1 with .Net 4.5.51650 for console application (i.e. app.config file)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
    <startup> 
        <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.5" />
    </startup>
 <connectionStrings>
 ...
</connectionStrings>
</configuration>

Answer 11

Just posting here as I found my fix to the issue but don't see it listed here.... I added an appSettings tag under the main configuration node and when I ran it I got the same error as OP. What fixed it was making sure the configSections node preceeded my appSettings node.