Coding⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Microsoft Visual C# 2010 Express error loading Silverlight

Error loading Silverlight in Microsoft Visual C# 2010 Express

Quick Answer: Check if the .NET Framework version is compatible with Silverlight, and ensure that the correct version of the Microsoft.VisualStudio.Silverlight assembly is installed.

The error 'this template attempted to load component assembly Microsoft.VisualStudio.Silverlight, Version=10.0.0.0' occurs when Visual Studio C# 2010 Express is unable to load the required Silverlight components for a project template.

This issue can be frustrating as it prevents users from using certain templates in their projects, and the error message does not provide clear instructions on how to resolve the problem.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that Microsoft.VisualStudio.Silverlight has been deprecated and removed from Visual Studio 2010.
  • An alternative cause could be a missing or corrupted Silverlight installation on the user's system, which would prevent the component assembly from loading.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Updating Visual Studio and Installing Silverlight

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Open Visual Studio and go to Tools > Options.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: In the Options window, navigate to Tools > General and check if Microsoft Visual Studio is up-to-date.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: If not updated, download and install the latest version of Visual Studio.
  4. Step 4: Step 4: After updating Visual Studio, uninstall any existing Silverlight installation from your system.
  5. Step 5: Step 5: Download and install the latest Silverlight version from the official Microsoft website.
  6. Step 6: Step 6: Restart Visual Studio and try to load the project template again.

Enabling Custom Template in Visual Studio

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Open Visual Studio and go to Tools > Options.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: In the Options window, navigate to Tools > Templates in the Project Types section.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: Look for the 'Enable custom templates' checkbox and check it.
  4. Step 4: Step 4: If the checkbox is not visible, try disabling any extensions that may be interfering with template loading.
  5. Step 5: Step 5: Restart Visual Studio and try to load the project template again.

🎯 Final Words

By following these steps, users should be able to resolve the 'this template attempted to load component assembly Microsoft.VisualStudio.Silverlight' error in Visual Studio C# 2010 Express. If the issue persists after trying both methods, it may be worth seeking further assistance from a technical support specialist or updating to a newer version of Visual Studio.

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