When trying to choose items to add to the toolbox in VS 2008 the following happened:
* Wait for a couple of minutes
* VS 2008 shuts down, no error message, just gone.
After the crash, the following events appears on the event viewer:
* .NET Runtime version 2.0.50727.3031 – Fatal Execution Engine Error (70E58C4E) (0) – Event Id: 1023
* .NET Runtime version 2.0.50727.3031 – Fatal Execution Engine Error (70BAF16D) (80131506) – Event Id: 1023
I tried this: (found on http://forums.asp.net/p/1222006/2570275.aspx)
- devenv /setup
- devenv /resetuserdata
- devenv /resetsettings CSharp
but it doesn’t seem to change a thing 
Then I removed all my add-ins (one 😉 and tried again. Same result.
According to some blogs this would be due to the installation if Powercommands for VS 2008 (Power commands: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/PowerCommands/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=559). It is recommended to uninstall these and then install them again. I haven’t installed them, but I’ll try that now, hoping that it works.
Another post on this: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/vssetup/thread/e2434065-9921-4861-b914-9cc9d6c55553. Problem: they keep on referring to Powercommands, which I haven’t installed.
Finally the solution was quite simple:
devenv /safemode
Then use Choose Items on toolbox and run through each of the tabs. Once you
accept any exceptions raised on loading controls, you can then open Visual
Studio normally and add items.
Then use Choose Items on toolbox and run through each of the tabs. Once you
accept any exceptions raised on loading controls, you can then open Visual
Studio normally and add items.
Credit: http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/VisualStudio/microsoft.public.vsnet.ide/2008-03/msg00083.html
MSDev.pro blog 