Getting "BadImageFormatException" when attempting to connect through Visual Studio to Oracle I get the following message: “Attempt to load Oracle client libraries threw BadImageFormatException. This problem will occur when running in 64 bit mode with the 32 bit Oracle client components installed.” when I attempt to create a connection from both Visual Studio 2008 and 2012 to Oracle from my Windows 8 64bit workstation. 

I’m not running a web app when this message happens. I’m only trying to establish an Oracle connection with Visual Studio.
Any solutions posted on the internet that I have seen that resolve this issue with others, doesn’t seem to apply to my circumstances.


I did not have this issue when I was using Widows 7 64bit.
I have set the Active Solution Platform to both Any PC and x86 when I have a solution open, but I still get the same message with either setting.
I have the latest Oracle 32 bit Client since 64 bit Oracle client won’t work with 32 bit Visual Studio.
At this point, I am only trying to connect to Oracle from Visual Studio and not run a web application. So IIS settings have nothing to do with this issue.


My environment is 


Windows 8 64bit
Visual Studio 2012 and 2008
Oracle 32 bit Client. But also tried 64 Bit Client.
Oracle 11.2.0.3 database.
Active Solution Platform was tried with both Any PC and x86.


Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I discovered the solution myself. I found that apparently when I had installed Oracle Client, it had installed on my external drive E the first time and became Oracle Home #1 in the Windows registry. I don't believe it was "looking" at the Oracle client I had installed on the C drive even though it was first in the path. I uninstalled the Oracle clients on both the C and E drive and reinstalled the client on the C drive. I am now able to connect to Oracle with Visual Studio.