Fix: Failed to add reference to ‘comerr64’ when installing MySql.Data

Problem

When installing MySql.Data 8.0.32, you may receive the following error:

Install-Package : Failed to add reference to 'comerr64'.
  Please make sure that the file is accessible, and that it is a valid assembly or COM component.
At line:1 char:1
+ Install-Package MySql.Data

Or, when running dotnet build, you may receive the following warnings:

C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk\7.0.100\Microsoft.Common.CurrentVersion.targets(2352,5):
warning MSB3246: Resolved file has a bad image, no metadata, or is otherwise inaccessible. System.BadImageFormatException: PE image does not have metadata. [C:\MySql.csproj]
warning MSB3246:    at System.Reflection.Metadata.MetadataReader.GetAssemblyName(String assemblyFile) [C:\MySql.csproj]
warning MSB3246:    at Microsoft.Build.Shared.AssemblyNameExtension.GetAssemblyNameEx(String path) [C:\MySql.csproj]
warning MSB3246:    at Microsoft.Build.Tasks.SystemState.GetAssemblyName(String path) [C:\MySql.csproj]
warning MSB3246:    at Microsoft.Build.Tasks.ReferenceTable.SetPrimaryAssemblyReferenceItem(ITaskItem referenceAssemblyName) [C:\MySql.csproj]

Cause

This is a bug in the MySql.Data NuGet package introduced in version 8.0.32.

Fix

A fix from Oracle is now available in MySql.Data version 8.0.32.1. This is mentioned in the fix for bug 109670. Should that not resolve the problem, there are two other fixes:

Recommended Fix

The recommended fix for this problem is to switch to MySqlConnector, which fixes this problem and many other bugs in MySql.Data. To do this, use Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Manage NuGet Packages for Solution… to uninstall MySql.Data and install MySqlConnector instead.

For more information, see our guide on migrating from MySql.Data to MySqlConnector.

Alternative Fix

Users report that the problem only occurs when using packages.config. You may be able to fix the problem by switching to <PackageReference> elements. To do this, right-click packages.config in Solution Explorer and select Migrate packages.config to PackageReference. For more information see Migrate from packages.config to PackageReference at MSDN.

After doing this, the installation of MySql.Data 8.0.32 should succeed. A full conversion to SDK-style projects should not be required.