For, well, quite a long time, I’ve noticed that Visual Studio .NET 2003 locks up hard when I try to pin/unpin the toolbox window. I chalked it up to some odd interaction between add-ins I was running.

Stu sent me over this article, though, and it turns out this is a known issue from .NET Framework 1.1 SP1.

According to the article, it’s not the toolbox locking up, it’s the Server Explorer (even if it’s not showing). The solution? Dock the Server Explorer on a different side of the Visual Studio window than the toolbox.

I did it and I can now pin/unpin the toolbox with no issues whatsoever. YMMV.