When I start Visual Studio 2015 in safe mode (as with devenv.exe /SafeMode), the NCrunch Configuration window (which I have usually open), looks as follows:



It is actually a text box and the error is:



Now, I don't expect NCRunch to work in any way (in fact, I think it should be unloade?) when running Safe Mode, but certainly, the error itself is unnecessary and/or ought to be suppressed?

(I am not trying to solve the error, when running in safe mode, I actually expect extensions not to be loaded, but I notice that quite a few extensions, including NCrunch, PostSharp, .NET Reflector, ResX, get loaded anyway, albeit with odd behaviors, but that is besides the point here)

Yes, you are probably right. I had the impression that VS was executing *some* code of the extension, but if it is executing no code at all, there'll little to nothing you can do. Besides, I think that by maintaining the window layout, as VS is doing, at least I won't use any window layout related issues.

Strange, when I run VS in Safe Mode again, this time the menu items (NCrunch, .NET Reflector, PostSharp, even Architecture) have disappeared, while they were showing the first time around.

Also, in my Window Layout are windows of .NET Reflector Analyzer and .NET Reflector Object Browser, and they simply show up empty (dark background, no error). Which appears to me that at least for some extensions they managed to "die silently" when requested to open in Safe Mode. I checked online for some references in the VS documentation on writing extensions but couldn't readily find it.

Of course, like you mention, the error itself is clearly harmless.