Steve,
I couldn’t recreate this issue, here is what I did.
1. Install a clean machine with windows XP (we also tried Vista)
2. Download "Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition" and "Visual C# 2008 Express Edition" from the following URL:
microsoft.com/express/download/#webInstall
3. Install the Visual C# 2008 Express Edition on the machine with default settings
4. Install the WebEditionEvaluation 3.0.131 successfully.
5, Install the "Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition", then the web sample can be opened and edited
That’s very strange to have that exception during the installation. Could you let me know what’s the difference in your system that possible results in this issue, or the settings for your system in detail? We will try to recreate your issue in our system.
Thanks,
Ben