How do I fix the, "Unable to process the existing user settings" error message?

  • I'm sure I've asked this question in either this forum, or another one, in the last 6 months, but I am still struggling with it. Over the Christmas break, desktop support reimaged my dev box, so I would have thought this problem would have disappeared. But I am sadly mistaken. When I open SSMS 20.2 (I've not selected a previously opened connection, I'm just opening SSMS) I get the following error message:

    TITLE:

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    Unable to process the existing user settings and will overwrite the file with user settings from this session. A backup of this file could be used to reattempt loading in those settings or for diagnostics by contacting Microsoft through https://aka.ms/sqlfeedback

    Would you like the existing user settings file to be copied to C:\Users\rod.falanga\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SQL Server Management Studio\20.0\UserSettings-2025-01-13_09-12Backup.xml?

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    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

    There is an error in XML document (211, 8). (System.Xml)

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    Could not load type 'System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializationReader' from assembly 'System.Xml, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089'. (Microsoft.GeneratedCode)

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    BUTTONS:

    Copy

    Don't Copy

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    And that's it. All previous database connections are lost, as the error message implies. I can connect to a database server I need to connect to, but if I close SSMS, then later try to open it, I get the same error message. I've tried talking to desktop support, but their solution is to uninstall SSMS and Azure Data Studio and never install them again. That is not a solution, but that's what they tell me to do.

    So, since I have no support here at all, what can you suggest?

    Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.

  • Thanks for posting your issue and hopefully someone will answer soon.

    This is an automated bump to increase visibility of your question.

  • What happens if you remove the settings file from that folder and put it elsewhere? (Don't delete it, just move it.) then restart SSMS? Maybe the settings file is corrupted.

  • @pietlinden where is the settings file?

    Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.

  • Please read on: netcoreapp3.0 - not sure if this could help.

    DBASupport

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