SQL Server Management Studio 18 won't open (only splash screen pops up)

I just installed SSMS 18 GA on a computer with only VS2019 installed, and when I try to open SSMS the splash screen will come up, but then the process exits.

Running ssms with the -log parameter reveals an error message:


CreateInstance failed for package [Task Scheduler Package]Source:
'mscorlib' Description: Could not load file or assembly
'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0, Version=15.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its
dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not
match the assembly reference. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131040)
System.IO.FileLoadException: Could not load file or assembly
'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0, Version=15.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its
dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not
match the assembly reference. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131040)
File name: 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0,
Version=15.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'
---> System.IO.FileLoadException: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0, Version=8.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its
dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not
match the assembly reference. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131040)
File name: 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0, Version=8.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'


WRN: Assembly binding logging is turned OFF. To enable assembly bind
failure logging, set the registry value
[HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog] (DWORD) to 1. Note: There
is some performance penalty associated with assembly bind failure
logging. To turn this feature off, remove the registry value
[HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog].


at System.Reflection.RuntimeAssembly.GetType(RuntimeAssembly
assembly, String name, Boolean thro

I just overlaid the Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0.dll in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 18\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies with the copy from ..\PrivateAssemblies\Interop and the IDE opens. (Thanks to Mitch for discovering the offending DLL name.)

This looks like a popular Q & A today, so I'm glad to know this wasn't just me.

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#237086, answer score: 131