gitregistryvisual-studio-2017tfs-workitem

Cant create TFS Work Items, Denied Access to registry key that doesn't exist

I created a Git repository on GitHub, then created a TFS Project with Git scm and Agile process template, then I chose Import Repository and specified the GitHub URL.

After the TFS Project was created I see an error message in Team Explorer:

Access to the registry key 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\15.0_8708a912\WorkItemTracking\TeamMenu\AddWorkItemMru\TFSServer01\XYZProjectCollection\64c06df7-220f-433c-b7d6-6a59426340e1' is denied.

I get a messagebox with the same error when I try to create work items.

The symptom of the problem is not the root cause; the registry key doesn't even exist so I can't give permission to it:

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I saw this related QA but clearing TFS and VS cache don't help.

I ran a ProcessMonitor trace while reproducing the problem and I see the ACCESS DENIED but it points to another REGISTRY A?

enter image description here

So it's misleading that it was Denied Access to the Registry Key HKEY_Current_User. But what is this REGISTRY\A and where is it located? When I use ProcessMonitor JumpTo it can't find the location in the registry and ends up at Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Software\Microsoft\Windows

How can I give myself permission to this REGISTRY\A?

Note: I am the TFS Admin and an admin of this PC. I've read up on REGISTRY\A and Application Hives, I just don't know how to give myself access. Also, the GitHub repository was empty when imported to TFS, if that makes a difference. This is an on-premise install of TFS2017 on an Azure server in a VPC.

Solution

  • To edit a Application Hive. Ref: Access Visual Studio 2017's private registry hive

    This key appears to be stored in VS application hive file:

    C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\15.0_05fc10d7\privateregistry.bin

    Start regedit as admin, load the hive file (privateregistry.user.bin) into regedit :

    1. Launch RegEdit.exe
    2. Select the Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE node in the left-hand pane
    3. Select the File | Load Hive... menu item, and load the privateregistry.user.bin
    4. When prompted for a key name, just type in something like "VSRegHive"
    5. This will load the data into a VSRegHive under the HKLM node

    6. To fix the problem either create the missing keys or edit existing ones

    7. When finished select the VSRegHive and select File | Unload Hive... , before exiting the RegEdit.exe utility, otherwise VS will fail to start. Keeping the hive loaded in regedit creates some sort of lock that prevents DevEnv.exe from launching.