title: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.Host.exe locking 32-bit processes with Visual Studio 2012/WIn7
body: <p>I have Windows 7/64 Pro box with Visual Studio 2012 Ultimate, revised to Update 4, with a problem.</p>
  
  <p>Over the last week, I've started experiencing a problem that was originally tolerable, but now has grown worse to a matter of unusability, and I'm in need of some (any?) suggestions. It may turn out this is more appropriate over as a Microsoft issue moreso than a purely programming issue, but I thought perhaps someone might have experienced the issue, hence I'm taking a shot here.  </p>
  
  <p>The problem: The VS2012 IDE, moments after starting, seizes with no solution or project loaded, going into "Not Responding" mode, never to return. Worse, however, is that when this occurs, it blocks the OS from starting <em>any</em> 32-bit processes, and 64-bit processes aren't exactly responsive. </p>
  
  <p>This had occurred only once or twice in the last week, and thus I assumed it was an odd/one-off situation and didn't think it was a chronic problem. Today became chronic. Whereas over the last few days this symptom was unusual, today it prevented me from working in VS2012 all day. The VS2012 IDE would be responsive for a brief time, then seize up. </p>
  
  <p>Doing a bit of research on the nature of the issue, and observing it didn't occur until I started VS2012, I began to realize it must be associated with the native VS executable or the ancillary devenv.exe that starts along with it. The real culprit, however, was the Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.Host.exe executable that provides the web version of the VS hosting environment that was causing the problem. </p>
  
  <p>When the VS2012 IDE would seize, killing the Web.Host.exe process would immediately free the IDE for a time, and allow any "queued" 32-bit apps to start. However, the symptom would return as soon as the web hosting process restarted. </p>
  
  <p>I have updated VS2012 to Update 4, and performed a repair installation of VS2012, and nothing has changed. There are no errors in the event logs that would indicate hardware issues (such as a hard drive failure) or any other lower-level/organic OS issues. There's really nothing to configure (that I know of) on the web host process side, so short of a complete reinstall of VS2012, I'm not sure what else to try. </p>
  
  <p>I saw a fleeting resemblance to this error in a Microsoft Connect forum, but the symptoms were not, in fact, identical, and the prescribed fix (VS2012 up to Update 4) was to no avail.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Edit:</strong> <em>Minor bit of additional information</em> - the only unusual element that might prove an "x-factor" in this situation is the recent switch to TFS - within the last week - frighteningly coincident with the onset of the problem. But thinking the SCC provider would be less interested in the <em>content</em> than supporting things like Intellisense, debugging, and the like, I had a tough time convincing myself it would be a player. At this point, however, who knows.</p>
  
  <p>Any suggestions appreciated.</p>