Unable to fix error "Could not load System.Net.Http, Version=4.2.0.0"

Question

On my production server I get the error:

Could not load file or assembly 'System.Net.Http, Version=4.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.

On my local machine it works fine, but on the server it throws the above error, so there must be a missing file somewhere. See update 3 where I tried adding the missing dll, which then throws a different error.

I followed instructions in these links:

• Strange issue with System.Net.Http 4.2.0.0 not found
• https://github.com/Azure/diagnostics-eventflow/issues/155
• https://github.com/dotnet/standard/issues/891

As also stated in the last link, I' in the same scenario where I don't yet want to migrate (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/consume-packages/migrate-packages-config-to-package-reference), as I don't want to run into incompatibilities, I first want to fix the current issue.

I already looked for all references of System.Net.Http (and a few others) and manually changed version numbers, this is the old codeblock in my .vbproj file:

<Reference Include="System.Net.Http, Version=4.1.1.3, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>packages\System.Net.Http.4.3.4\lib\net46\System.Net.Http.dll</HintPath>
  <Private>True</Private>
  <Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
<Reference Include="System.Runtime, Version=4.1.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>packages\System.Runtime.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
  <Private>True</Private>
  <Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
<Reference Include="System.Runtime.Serialization" />
<Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms, Version=4.2.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms.4.3.0\lib\net463\System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms.dll</HintPath>
  <Private>True</Private>
  <Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
<Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding, Version=4.0.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding.dll</HintPath>
  <Private>True</Private>
  <Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
<Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives, Version=4.0.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives.dll</HintPath>
  <Private>True</Private>
  <Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
<Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates, Version=4.1.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.4.3.0\lib\net461\System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.dll</HintPath>
  <Private>True</Private>
  <Private>True</Private>
</Reference>

Here's my latest .vbproj file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="15.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <Import Project="packages\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.2.0.0\build\net46\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.props" Condition="Exists('packages\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.2.0.0\build\net46\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.props')" />
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props" Condition="Exists('$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props')" />
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
    <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform>
    <ProductVersion>
    </ProductVersion>
    <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
    <ProjectGuid>{6455BF17-B42E-4854-96B1-D4D0E7767B0C}</ProjectGuid>
    <ProjectTypeGuids>{349c5851-65df-11da-9384-00065b846f21};{F184B08F-C81C-45F6-A57F-5ABD9991F28F}</ProjectTypeGuids>
    <OutputType>Library</OutputType>
    <RootNamespace>MyProject</RootNamespace>
    <AssemblyName>MyProject</AssemblyName>
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.7.2</TargetFrameworkVersion>
    <OptionExplicit>On</OptionExplicit>
    <OptionCompare>Binary</OptionCompare>
    <OptionStrict>Off</OptionStrict>
    <OptionInfer>On</OptionInfer>
    <MvcBuildViews>false</MvcBuildViews>
    <UseIISExpress>true</UseIISExpress>
    <Use64BitIISExpress />
    <IISExpressSSLPort>44316</IISExpressSSLPort>
    <IISExpressAnonymousAuthentication />
    <IISExpressWindowsAuthentication />
    <IISExpressUseClassicPipelineMode />
    <UseGlobalApplicationHostFile />
    <NuGetPackageImportStamp>
    </NuGetPackageImportStamp>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
    <DebugType>full</DebugType>
    <DefineDebug>true</DefineDebug>
    <DefineTrace>true</DefineTrace>
    <OutputPath>bin\</OutputPath>
    <DocumentationFile>MyProject.xml</DocumentationFile>
    <NoWarn>42016,41999,42017,42018,42019,42032,42036,42020,42021,42022</NoWarn>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <DefineDebug>false</DefineDebug>
    <DefineTrace>true</DefineTrace>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\</OutputPath>
    <DocumentationFile>MyProject.xml</DocumentationFile>
    <NoWarn>42016,41999,42017,42018,42019,42032,42036,42020,42021,42022</NoWarn>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Reference Include="AjaxControlToolkit, Version=16.1.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=28f01b0e84b6d53e, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\AjaxControlToolkit.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="aspnetforum, Version=7.2.7.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\aspnetforum.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Hammock, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=c148cfba29ed1a4d, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\Hammock.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Hammock.ClientProfile, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=c148cfba29ed1a4d, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\Hammock.ClientProfile.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="HtmlAgilityPack, Version=1.7.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=bd319b19eaf3b43a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\HtmlAgilityPack.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.AspNet.FriendlyUrls, Version=1.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\Microsoft.AspNet.FriendlyUrls.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Mollie, Version=2.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\Mollie.Net.2.0.2\lib\netstandard2.0\Mollie.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Mollie.Api, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\Mollie.Api.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="MySql.Data, Version=6.6.5.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=c5687fc88969c44d, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\MySql.Data.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=30ad4fe6b2a6aeed, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\Newtonsoft.Json.12.0.2\lib\net45\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="PresentationCore" />
    <Reference Include="PresentationFramework" />
    <Reference Include="skmValidators, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\skmValidators.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System" />
    <Reference Include="System.ComponentModel.Composition" />
    <Reference Include="System.Data" />
    <Reference Include="System.Drawing" />
    <Reference Include="System.IO, Version=4.1.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.IO.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.IO.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>

    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http, Version=4.3.4, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.Net.Http.4.3.4\lib\net46\System.Net.Http.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Runtime, Version=4.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.Runtime.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Runtime.Serialization" />
    <Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms, Version=4.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms.4.3.0\lib\net463\System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding, Version=4.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives, Version=4.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates, Version=4.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <HintPath>packages\System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.4.3.0\lib\net461\System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>True</Private>
      <Private>True</Private>
    </Reference>

    <Reference Include="System.Core" />
    <Reference Include="System.Web" />
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Services" />
    <Reference Include="System.EnterpriseServices" />
    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.WebRequest">
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Helpers, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebPages.3.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.Helpers.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Mvc, Version=5.2.7.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.5.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.Mvc.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Optimization">
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.Web.Optimization.1.1.3\lib\net40\System.Web.Optimization.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Razor, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.Razor.3.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.Razor.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.WebPages, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebPages.3.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.WebPages.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.WebPages.Deployment, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebPages.3.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.WebPages.Deployment.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.WebPages.Razor, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebPages.3.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.WebPages.Razor.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="TweetSharp, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=c148cfba29ed1a4d, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
      <HintPath>bin\TweetSharp.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="WebGrease">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\WebGrease.1.6.0\lib\WebGrease.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Antlr3.Runtime">
      <Private>True</Private>
      <HintPath>packages\Antlr.3.5.0.2\lib\Antlr3.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="WindowsBase" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json">
      <HintPath>packages\Newtonsoft.Json.11.0.1\lib\net45\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.Formatting">
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client.5.2.7\lib\net45\System.Net.Http.Formatting.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Http">
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Core.5.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.Http.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="System.Web.Http.WebHost">
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.WebHost.5.2.7\lib\net45\System.Web.Http.WebHost.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform">
      <HintPath>packages\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.2.0.0\lib\net45\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.dll</HintPath>
    </Reference>
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Import Include="System" />
    <Import Include="System.Collections" />
    <Import Include="System.Collections.Generic" />
    <Import Include="System.Data" />
    <Import Include="System.Linq" />
    <Import Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
    <Import Include="System.Diagnostics" />
    <Import Include="System.Collections.Specialized" />
    <Import Include="System.Configuration" />
    <Import Include="System.Text" />
    <Import Include="System.Text.RegularExpressions" />
    <Import Include="System.Web" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Caching" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Mvc" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Mvc.Ajax" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Mvc.Html" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Routing" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.SessionState" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Security" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.Profile" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.UI" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.UI.WebControls" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts" />
    <Import Include="System.Web.UI.HtmlControls" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Folder Include="App_Data\" />
    <Folder Include="App_WebReferences\" />
    <Folder Include="Models\" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <VisualStudioVersion Condition="'$(VisualStudioVersion)' == ''">10.0</VisualStudioVersion>
    <VSToolsPath Condition="'$(VSToolsPath)' == ''">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v$(VisualStudioVersion)</VSToolsPath>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.VisualBasic.targets" />
  <Import Project="$(VSToolsPath)\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" Condition="'$(VSToolsPath)' != ''" />
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" Condition="false" />
  <Target Name="MvcBuildViews" AfterTargets="AfterBuild" Condition="'$(MvcBuildViews)'=='true'">
    <AspNetCompiler VirtualPath="temp" PhysicalPath="$(WebProjectOutputDir)" />
  </Target>
  <Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild">
    <PropertyGroup>
      <ErrorText>This project references NuGet package(s) that are missing on this computer. Use NuGet Package Restore to download them.  For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322105. The missing file is {0}.</ErrorText>
    </PropertyGroup>
    <Error Condition="!Exists('packages\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.2.0.0\build\net46\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.props')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', 'packages\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.2.0.0\build\net46\Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform.props'))" />
  </Target>
  <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it.
       Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
  <Target Name="BeforeBuild">
  </Target>
  <Target Name="AfterBuild">
  </Target> -->
</Project>

My packages.config

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<packages>
  <package id="Antlr" version="3.5.0.2" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="bootstrap" version="3.4.1" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="jQuery" version="3.3.1" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="jQuery.Validation" version="1.17.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc" version="5.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.Razor" version="3.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.Web.Optimization" version="1.1.3" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi" version="5.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client" version="5.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Core" version="5.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.WebHost" version="5.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.AspNet.WebPages" version="3.2.7" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform" version="2.0.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.jQuery.Unobtrusive.Validation" version="3.2.11" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Microsoft.Web.Infrastructure" version="1.0.0.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Modernizr" version="2.8.3" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Mollie.Net" version="2.0.2" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="Newtonsoft.Json" version="12.0.2" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.IO" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.Net.Http" version="4.3.4" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.Runtime" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.Security.Cryptography.Encoding" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net472" />
  <package id="WebGrease" version="1.6.0" targetFramework="net472" />
</packages>

I also commented out the entire <runtime> section in my web.config (containing the assemblyBindings).

Still, the error persists, what else can I do?

UPDATE 1

Based on @welotty's answer I did the following:

I run fuslogvw from the VS2019 Developer Command Prompt, but I just see and empty window (no applications):

I can't see where I can select a directory to analyze or any other settings for my specific app.

UPDATE 2

Based on @welotty's comment I got fuslogvw to run. I cleared all messages, build my app in Visual Studio 2019 and now see this (no mention of System.Net.Http):

I opened up System.IO log, and I get this below in the log, but als no mention of System.Net.Http)

*** Assembly Binder Log Entry  (24-Aug-2019 @ 4:47:53 PM) ***

The operation failed.
Bind result: hr = 0x80070002. The system cannot find the file specified.

Assembly manager loaded from:  C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\clr.dll
Running under executable  C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe
--- A detailed error log follows. 

=== Pre-bind state information ===
LOG: DisplayName = System.IO
 (Partial)
WRN: Partial binding information was supplied for an assembly:
WRN: Assembly Name: System.IO | Domain ID: 1
WRN: A partial bind occurs when only part of the assembly display name is provided.
WRN: This might result in the binder loading an incorrect assembly.
WRN: It is recommended to provide a fully specified textual identity for the assembly,
WRN: that consists of the simple name, version, culture, and public key token.
WRN: See whitepaper http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=109270 for more information and common solutions to this issue.
LOG: Appbase = file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/MSBuild/Current/Bin/
LOG: Initial PrivatePath = NULL
LOG: Dynamic Base = NULL
LOG: Cache Base = NULL
LOG: AppName = MSBuild.exe
Calling assembly : Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Core, Version=15.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a.
===
LOG: This bind starts in default load context.
LOG: Using application configuration file: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe.Config
LOG: Using host configuration file: 
LOG: Using machine configuration file from C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\config\machine.config.
LOG: Policy not being applied to reference at this time (private, custom, partial, or location-based assembly bind).
LOG: Attempting download of new URL file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/MSBuild/Current/Bin/System.IO.DLL.
LOG: Attempting download of new URL file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/MSBuild/Current/Bin/System.IO/System.IO.DLL.
LOG: Attempting download of new URL file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/MSBuild/Current/Bin/System.IO.EXE.
LOG: Attempting download of new URL file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/MSBuild/Current/Bin/System.IO/System.IO.EXE.
LOG: All probing URLs attempted and failed.

*** Assembly Binder Log Entry  (24-Aug-2019 @ 4:47:53 PM) ***

The operation failed.
Bind result: hr = 0x80070002. The system cannot find the file specified.

First of all: how would I resolve these issues? The log states The system cannot find the file specified and secondly: I think this is not related to my actual issue?

UPDATE 3

I noticed that System.Net.Http.dll was actually missing from the bin folder on my production server. So I copied the dll from my local machine. However, then I get the error:

Cannot load a reference assembly for execution.

I checked here, but that seems awful complex for something as simple as adding a new dll to a bin folder. And not sure if it matters, but my prod server does not have the folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.7.2.

Why am I getting this error?

Answer 1

I know this is old but I ran into this today with a .net 4.8 project. I was able to track down the issue and for me I'm using Swagger via Swashbuckle. It uses WebActivatorEx which requires System.Net.Http v4.0.0.0, the binding redirects it the lastest version 4.2.0.0 and so this is my fix. In my web.config. Note the newVersion is not the latest but what is utilized and required by WebActivator Ex.

  <dependentAssembly>
    <assemblyIdentity name="System.Net.Http" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
    <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.2.0.0" newVersion="4.0.0.0" />
  </dependentAssembly>

Answer 2

Have you installed the appropriate framework/developer package for 4.7.2?

dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework/net472

Answer 3

This does not answer your question, but I've had a lot of luck using fuslogvw to track down issues like this. It's installed with visual studio by default, and documented at

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/tools/fuslogvw-exe-assembly-binding-log-viewer

Once you run it (it's simple, and you can copy it to another machine without having to install anything), it will tell you exactly why the problem is occurring:

The tool displays the following details about the selected bind failure:

The specific reason the bind failed, such as "file not found" or "version mismatch".

Information about the application that initiated the bind, including its name, the application's root directory (AppBase), and a description of the private search path, if there is one.

The identity of the assembly the tool is looking for.

A description of any Application, Publisher, or Administrator version policies that have been applied.

Whether the assembly was found in the global assembly cache.

A list of all probing URLs.