Installing Configuration Manager - Visual Studio Invalid license data. Reinstall is required.

This is an annoying little problem but very easy to solve. You are installing Configuration Manager (2012 or 1511) and you encounter this error.

Visual Studio 2010 Shell. Invalid license data. Reinstall is required.

Have a look at the slash.hta icon. It looks a bit funny.

This can happen if you accidentally choose Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 when you launch the wizard in the first instance (as I did).

No problem. Right click on splash.hta and choose "Open with". Now we can choose Microsoft HTML Application Host. However that doesn't work and you get the same error.

So how do we fix this? Don't worry - it's easy. We just have to change the association for the .hta file extension.

Open the Control Panel and launch Default Programs.

Find the .hta extension. See it's currently set to Visual Studio. Double-click the extension.

We're asked how we would like to open this file type. Choose HTML Application host.

Now we're back in business. See that the hta icon has changed.

Now launch splash.hta again....

...and continue with the installation.

I hope this saves you some time.