Have there been any other reports of this designer error in Visual Studio or Expression Blend? It seems to happen randomally (though often), and sometimes goes away after a reboot.
Access to the path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v8.0\ExtensionSDKs\ActiproSoftware.WinRT.Xaml\12.2.0100\References\CommonConfiguration\Neutral' is denied.
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.WaitForCompletion(NestedCallContext nestedCallContext, BlockingCall call, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalOutSynchronous(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId, WaitHandle aborted, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalOut(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId, WaitHandle aborted, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalOut[TValue](RemoteHandle'1 targetObject, Action action, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalOut[TResult,TValue](RemoteHandle'1 targetObject, Func'2 func, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.CreateDesignerImpl(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, RemoteCancellationToken remoteCancelToken)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass12.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__11(RemoteCancellationToken remoteToken)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.CallWithCancellation[TResult](CancellationToken cancelToken, Func'2 func)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, CancellationToken cancelToken)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IsolatedDesignerService.IsolatedDesignerView.CreateDesignerViewInfo(CancellationToken cancelToken)
System.UnauthorizedAccessException
Access to the path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v8.0\ExtensionSDKs\ActiproSoftware.WinRT.Xaml\12.2.0100\References\CommonConfiguration\Neutral' is denied.
Server stack trace:
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.WaitForCompletion(NestedCallContext nestedCallContext, BlockingCall call, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalIn(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalIn(IRemoteObject targetObject, Action action)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalIn[TResult](IRemoteObject targetObject, Func'1 func)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IRemoteHostSourceItem remoteItem, IRemoteHostTextEditor remoteEditor, IRemoteCancellationToken remoteToken)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink._PrivateProcessMessage(IntPtr md, Object[] args, Object server, Object[]& outArgs)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink.SyncProcessMessage(IMessage msg)
Exception rethrown at [0]:
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage reqMsg, IMessage retMsg)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgData, Int32 type)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IRemoteHostSourceItem remoteItem, IRemoteHostTextEditor remoteEditor, IRemoteCancellationToken cancelToken)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass8.<CreateDesignerImpl>b__6(IRemoteDesignerService d)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.<>c__DisplayClass4'2.<MarshalOut>b__3()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.Call.InvokeWorker()
System.UnauthorizedAccessException
Access to the path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v8.0\ExtensionSDKs\ActiproSoftware.WinRT.Xaml\12.2.0100\References\CommonConfiguration\Neutral' is denied.
at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
at System.IO.FileSystemEnumerableIterator'1.CommonInit()
at System.IO.FileSystemEnumerableIterator'1..ctor(String path, String originalUserPath, String searchPattern, SearchOption searchOption, SearchResultHandler'1 resultHandler, Boolean checkHost)
at System.IO.Directory.EnumerateFiles(String path, String searchPattern, SearchOption searchOption)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Assemblies.ProjectAssemblyResolver.<FindMetadataAssembly>b__17(DirectoryFileNameSpecification specification)
at System.Linq.Enumerable.<SelectManyIterator>d__31'3.MoveNext()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Assemblies.ProjectAssemblyResolver.FindBestMetadataAssembly(IEnumerable'1 possiblePaths)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Assemblies.ProjectAssemblyResolver.FindMetadataAssembly(String assemblyPath, String designerExtension)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Assemblies.ProjectAssemblyResolver.EnsureDesignMetadataLoaded(Boolean showErrors)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Assemblies.ProjectAssemblyResolver.RegisterDesignMetadata()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Assemblies.ProjectAssemblyService.GetProjectAssemblyResolver(IHostProject project)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Project.ProjectContextBase.Initialize()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Project.XamlProjectContext.Initialize()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Project.ProjectContextManager.GetProjectContext(IHostProject project, IPlatform platform, Boolean create)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Project.ProjectContextManager.GetSourceItemContext(IHostSourceItem sourceItem)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.DesignerService.CreateDesigner(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, CancellationToken cancelToken)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass10.<>c__DisplayClass12.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__f(CancellationToken cancelToken)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.CallWithCancellation[TResult](IRemoteCancellationToken remoteToken, Func'2 func)
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass10.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__e()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.<>c__DisplayClass16'1.<MarshalIn>b__15()
at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.Call.InvokeWorker()