title: Error 175: The specified data store provider cannot be found
body: <p>I'm using VS2010 with the <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/5.1.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MySQL .NET Connector</a>.  My project that used to work started reporting:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Error 175: The specified data store provider cannot be found, or is not valid.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I don't know why, though things got weird after a MS recommended hotfix to VS.</p>
  
  <p>Sure enough, if I go to add a test ADO.NET Entity Data Model to the project, the Entity Data Model Wizard that generates the .edmx file does not show the data provider when I select 'Generate from database'. Worse yet, right-clicking and attempting to do an 'Update Model from Database...' on an existing .edmx file sends VS2010 into a death spiral of dialog boxes that can only be terminated with Task Manager.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Here's how I fix it</strong>:  Shutdown VS2010. Uninstall the MySQL Connector completely. Reboot. Install the MySQL Connector completely. Reboot. Restart VS2010.</p>
  
  <p>Suddenly, my data provider exists. I can compile my code. As well as add test .edmx files. The wizard sees my MySQL database, passes the test connection, and builds object models with my relational tables.  I can clean/rebuild as much as I want.</p>
  
  <p>All's good until I run the app.  My "fix" doesn't stick.</p>
  
  <p>At that point an exception is thrown stating that the connection object is returning null, and if I recompile with no code changes, I get the Error 175 error again. Lather, rinse, repeat.</p>
  
  <p>Some <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/434864/how-to-check-if-connection-string-is-valid">experiments based off of this StackOverflow answer</a>, show that <strong>the Connection String is valid</strong>, and using the MySqlConnection object, <strong>I can access the database and roll my own working queries</strong> in this state.</p>
  
  <p>The problem seems to be that the data store provider is somehow getting lost or stepped on, and this is impacting the ability to do things through EntityFrameworks.</p>
  
  <p>I'm looking for some advice on where to look for these being stored, if anyone has run across something similar, and if there's any useful suggestions or ideas you think I might try.
  &nbsp;</p></p>
  
  <p><strong>UPDATE</strong> -- While this tidbit did not solve my problem, <STRIKE>it did make VS2010 more stable</STRIKE>: Immediately after uninstalling of the .NET Connector, I checked under Control Panel's installed programs and found there was an older .NET Connector installed as well. I uninstalled that one from the control panel, rebooted, and <em>then</em> installed the new one. <STRIKE>VS2010 now remembers the database provider for working with EntityFrameworks</STRIKE>. Apparently I installed a newer MySQL Connector thinking it would uninstall the old one, instead they step all over each other.</p>
  
  <p>Now I'm getting a <code>System.ArgumentException</code> inside <code>System.Data.Entity.dll</code> stating the slightly different message:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>The specified store provider cannot be found in the configuration, or is not valid.
    System.ArgumentException: Unable to find the requested .Net Framework Data Provider.
    It may not be installed.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>This happens at the <code>System.Data.Common.DbProviderFactories.GetFactory(String providerInvariantName)</code> method.</p>
  
  <p><em>REVISION NOTE</em> -- The reason for the strike-outs above is that VS2010 eventually did lose the settings again. But I was able to uninstall the .Net Connector from the control panel and reinstall the connector again, without a reboot, and got my data provider back again in the environment.  This part of the problem is feeling more like a VS2010 bug than a .NET Connector issue.</p>