Problem: Unable to activate Windows Store app: The App1exe process started, but the activation request failed with error 'The app didn't start'

Sharing is caring! I got some super awesome help fromDaniel Plaisted again , again related to Portable Class Libraries, and more particluar the Async for .NET Framework 4, Silverlight 4 and 5, and Windows Phone 7.5 1.0.12-beta. After installing it in a PCL, adding a project and attempting to add other packages the app failed to start. Giving me an error message that didnt help much:

unable to activate windows store app

Unable to activate Windows Store app ‘db427b9e-06d0-491f-b8e7-fa5450a5dabd_snjqad683v1dc!App’.
The App1.exe process started, but the activation request failed with error ‘The app didn’t start’.

Great. That helps, NOT!

This is why:

NuGet will try to add an app.config with binding redirects to Windows Store apps if it thinks it is needed. However, Windows Store apps don’t need app.config, and will actually fail to start with a very confusing error message if it is present.

Solution:

Remove the App.config

Read more here

Now give Daniel a follow on Twitter and have a look at his tutorials/videos from Build , I honestly quite like them.

Comments

Thanks a lot! This helped :D 

Awesome!!! United we stay strong - against the annoying errors :D 

I looked around a lot before I found this. Thanks for posting, it was really helpful! 

Thanks, this really helped! The other solutions I found weren't applicable for me, but this was just what I needed. 

Great tip! Helped me too, thank you! 

Thats great! 

I got this same Error after Upgrading from Visual Studio Update1 to Update2, The Worse is that NO APPS since then starts anymore. I cannot even start the Windows Store itself not even the Weather App or any other App. When I try to Run an App from Visual Studio, then this EXACT ERROR POPS UP... Till now NO solution yet. What can be the problem?.. You can follow the thread here: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsapps/en-US/2d89c746-4c21-4a36-9b96-4b693d625d17/problems-after-upgrading-visual-studio-2013-to-update-2-windows-store-store-apps-stop-working?forum=winappswithhtml5&prof=required 

I love you ! ;) thx 

Last modified on 2012-11-04