Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Generic trust failure when installing Visual Studio Tools for Office Runtime 2010 (VSTO)

Overview

If you see a “Generic trust failure” error while installing Office Timeline, it typically indicates that an older installer is being used.

Older versions of Office Timeline relied on Microsoft’s Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) Runtime. Installation issues related to VSTO, including trust or certificate errors, are no longer relevant to current versions.

Symptoms

When installing Office Timeline:

  • You are prompted to install the Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) Runtime
  • The installation fails with a “Generic trust failure” error

Solution

This issue occurs when using an outdated installer.

To resolve it:

  1. Download the latest version of Office Timeline from:
    https://www.officetimeline.com/updates
  2. Run the installer.

The current version of Office Timeline does not require VSTO, so no additional components need to be installed.

Background

Older versions of Office Timeline were built using Microsoft’s Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) framework and required the VSTO Runtime.

Current versions use a newer architecture and no longer depend on VSTO. Errors related to VSTO (such as “Generic trust failure”) indicate that the installer being used is outdated.

Additional Notes

  • Installing VSTO is not required for current versions of Office Timeline
  • If you continue to see this error, ensure you are using the latest installer from the official website
  • Remove any previously downloaded installers before retrying