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Cannot open the project in Visual Studio 2017

I am trying to open a Xamarin project in Visual Studio 2017 version 15.8.4, But it's not opening, It shows (needs migration).
When I try to reload it gives this popup.
When I click the Ok button, it redirects me to this page.
When I click on the link, it redirects me to this page.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/porting/porting-migrating-and-upgrading-visual-studio-projects?view=vs-2015.
I have gone through the above link, but I am not able to solve the issue.
I am able to open this project in Visual Studio 2015.
Visual Studio 2017 About window.
csproj file
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="14.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props" Condition="Exists('$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props')" />
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
<Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform>
<ProjectGuid>{D6C2377F-23C1-4998-A72F-622632553B58}</ProjectGuid>
<OutputType>AppContainerExe</OutputType>
<AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder>
<RootNamespace>NECMobilePOS.Client.Windows</RootNamespace>
<AssemblyName>NECMobilePOS.Client.Windows</AssemblyName>
<DefaultLanguage>en-US</DefaultLanguage>
<TargetPlatformVersion>8.1</TargetPlatformVersion>
<MinimumVisualStudioVersion>12</MinimumVisualStudioVersion>
<FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
<ProjectTypeGuids>{BC8A1FFA-BEE3-4634-8014-F334798102B3};{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}</ProjectTypeGuids>
<SccProjectName>SAK</SccProjectName>
<SccLocalPath>SAK</SccLocalPath>
<SccAuxPath>SAK</SccAuxPath>
<SccProvider>SAK</SccProvider>
<NuGetPackageImportStamp>
</NuGetPackageImportStamp>
<AppxAutoIncrementPackageRevision>True</AppxAutoIncrementPackageRevision>
<AppxPackageDir>bin\Release\</AppxPackageDir>
<AppxBundlePlatforms>x86</AppxBundlePlatforms>
<AppxBundle>Auto</AppxBundle>
<PackageCertificateThumbprint>54D50F2637891A440C3FCC71BB05D56DE984BFC0</PackageCertificateThumbprint>
<PackageCertificateKeyFile>NECMobilePOS.Client.Windows_TemporaryKey.pfx</PackageCertificateKeyFile>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
<PlatformTarget>x86</PlatformTarget>
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;DEBUG;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP;POSTYPE_RESTO;</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
<PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget>
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP;POSTYPE_RESTO;</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|ARM'">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<OutputPath>bin\ARM\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;DEBUG;WINDOWS_APP;POSTYPE_RESTO;</DefineConstants>
<NoWarn>;2008</NoWarn>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<PlatformTarget>ARM</PlatformTarget>
<UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<Prefer32Bit>true</Prefer32Bit>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|ARM'">
<OutputPath>bin\ARM\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP</DefineConstants>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<NoWarn>;2008</NoWarn>
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<PlatformTarget>ARM</PlatformTarget>
<UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<Prefer32Bit>true</Prefer32Bit>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|x64'">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<OutputPath>bin\x64\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP</DefineConstants>
<NoWarn>;2008</NoWarn>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<PlatformTarget>x64</PlatformTarget>
<UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<Prefer32Bit>true</Prefer32Bit>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|x64'">
<OutputPath>bin\x64\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP</DefineConstants>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<NoWarn>;2008</NoWarn>
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<PlatformTarget>x64</PlatformTarget>
<UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<Prefer32Bit>true</Prefer32Bit>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|x86'">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<OutputPath>bin\x86\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;DEBUG;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP;POSTYPE_RESTO;</DefineConstants>
<NoWarn>;2008</NoWarn>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<PlatformTarget>x86</PlatformTarget>
<UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<Prefer32Bit>true</Prefer32Bit>
<RunCodeAnalysis>false</RunCodeAnalysis>
<WarningLevel>3</WarningLevel>
<DocumentationFile>
</DocumentationFile>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|x86'">
<OutputPath>bin\x86\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;NETFX_CORE;WINDOWS_APP;POSTYPE_RESTO;</DefineConstants>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<NoWarn>;2008</NoWarn>
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<PlatformTarget>x86</PlatformTarget>
<UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<Prefer32Bit>true</Prefer32Bit>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(VisualStudioVersion)' == '' or '$(VisualStudioVersion)' < '12.0' ">
<VisualStudioVersion>12.0</VisualStudioVersion>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup>
<SignAssembly>false</SignAssembly>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup>
<DelaySign>false</DelaySign>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup>
<AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>NECMobilePOS.Client.Windows_TemporaryKey.pfx</AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>
</PropertyGroup>
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\WindowsXaml\v$(VisualStudioVersion)\Microsoft.Windows.UI.Xaml.CSharp.targets" />
<Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild">
<PropertyGroup>
<ErrorText>This project references NuGet package(s) that are missing on this computer. Use NuGet Package Restore to download them. For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322105. The missing file is {0}.</ErrorText>
</PropertyGroup>
<Error Condition="!Exists('..\packages\SQLitePCL.raw.0.8.6\build\win81\SQLitePCL.raw.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\packages\SQLitePCL.raw.0.8.6\build\win81\SQLitePCL.raw.targets'))" />
<Error Condition="!Exists('..\packages\Xamarin.Forms.2.2.0.45\build\portable-win+net45+wp80+win81+wpa81+MonoAndroid10+MonoTouch10+Xamarin.iOS10\Xamarin.Forms.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\packages\Xamarin.Forms.2.2.0.45\build\portable-win+net45+wp80+win81+wpa81+MonoAndroid10+MonoTouch10+Xamarin.iOS10\Xamarin.Forms.targets'))" />
</Target>
<Import Project="..\packages\SQLitePCL.raw.0.8.6\build\win81\SQLitePCL.raw.targets" Condition="Exists('..\packages\SQLitePCL.raw.0.8.6\build\win81\SQLitePCL.raw.targets')" />
<Import Project="..\packages\Xamarin.Forms.2.2.0.45\build\portable-win+net45+wp80+win81+wpa81+MonoAndroid10+MonoTouch10+Xamarin.iOS10\Xamarin.Forms.targets" Condition="Exists('..\packages\Xamarin.Forms.2.2.0.45\build\portable-win+net45+wp80+win81+wpa81+MonoAndroid10+MonoTouch10+Xamarin.iOS10\Xamarin.Forms.targets')" />
<!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it.
Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
</Target>
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
</Target>
-->
</Project>

I have got the reason behind the issue.
I had Xamarin windows 8.1 app project which was built on VS 2015. But I was trying to open it in VS 2017. And VS 2017 does not support windows 8.1 app, it supports UWP apps.
So you have two options.
You need to convert the Windows 8.1 app to UWP app manually if you
want to work only in VS 2017.
Just be happy with VS 2015 and develop your Windows 8.1 app.

What is a .psproj file?

I cloned a repo and in it I got a .psproj file. I tried opening in Visual Studio 2017 (since notepad++ showed it contained xml much like VS Solutions). In VS also it opened showing internal xml and not as a proj/solution file. Same outcome with VS Code.
So my question is
What is a psproj file?
Since it was contained in a PowerShell folder, so is my assumption correct that it is a powershell project file?
What is the IDE to view these projects?
The file's contents:
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
<SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
<ProjectGuid>6CAFC0C6-A428-4d30-A9F9-700E829FEA51</ProjectGuid>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<RootNamespace>MyApplication</RootNamespace>
<AssemblyName>MyApplication</AssemblyName>
<Name>Bootstrapper</Name>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup />
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="Script.ps1" />
</ItemGroup>
<Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
<Target Name="Build" />
</Project>

It's a powershell project file, but not for Visual Studio, it's for Powershell Studio. The powershell projects for visual studio are .pssproj. It took me forever to figure this out because everyone here was too busy arguing about whether this was a valid question to pro

Ok so going by the comments on questions, it is a powershell project file.
To enable your VS to understand such files, one needs to install respective extension to your VS2015 or VS2017 or VS2013
Nice article on this is here

Visual Studio C# project in Monodevelop - Errors for GenerateSatelliteAssemblies and GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute

I am trying to setup a C# project that is compatible with both Windows 10 / Visual Studio 2015 and Ubuntu 16.04 / MonoDevelop.
In the MonoDevelop project options, I set the target framework to Mono / .NET 4.5 and configuration to Debug|x86.
The .csproj file now looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
<Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">x86</Platform>
<ProjectGuid>{myprojectsguid}</ProjectGuid>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<RootNamespace>myproject</RootNamespace>
<AssemblyName>myproject</AssemblyName>
<TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.5</TargetFrameworkVersion>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|x86' ">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Debug</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>DEBUG;</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<Externalconsole>true</Externalconsole>
<PlatformTarget>x86</PlatformTarget>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|x86' ">
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Release</OutputPath>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<Externalconsole>true</Externalconsole>
<PlatformTarget>x86</PlatformTarget>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="System" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="Program.cs" />
<Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
</ItemGroup>
<Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
</Project>
When I build, I get this message:
Erzeuge Projektmappe: myproject (Debug|x86)
myproject (Debug|x86) wird erzeugt
Build started 26.05.2016 22:05:49.
__________________________________________________
Project "pathto/myproject.csproj" (Build target(s)):
Target PrepareForBuild:
Configuration: Debug Platform: x86
Target GenerateSatelliteAssemblies:
No input files were specified for target GenerateSatelliteAssemblies, skipping.
Target GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute:
Skipping target "GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute" because its outputs are up-to-date.
Done building project "pathto/myproject.csproj".-- FAILED
Build FAILED.
0 Warning(s)
0 Error(s)
Time Elapsed 00:00:00.0785520
--------------------- Fertig ---------------------
Erzeugung erfolgreich.
The message seems to contradict itself. The English part says "build failed", while the localized/German part says "build successful". But no executable was created.
I did not find any applicable information about GenerateSatelliteAssemblies or GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute.
Do I need to change the project settings even further? Do I need to supply some missing files?
Update:
Apparently, some packages were missing. So I ran sudo apt-get install mono-complete. Now the project builds successfully.
Though, the notifications about GenerateSatelliteAssemblies and GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute are still there. Looks like they don't break the build. I still wonder what they mean.

(I'm just posting the answer that the asker wrote in the question.)
For the asker, it turned out that some packages were missing. The asker ran sudo apt-get install mono-complete, and then the project would build successfully.

How can a project be built as a portable or a normal class library depending on the selected configuration?

Context: We have a common library project called 'THEPROJECT' that is shared with a Xamarin mobile solution and a web project in visual studio. This shared library is a PCL Profile259 due to restrictions in Xamarin. In our web application solution we would like to mark the data models with the appropriate attributes for DataContext to work correctly (as we want to use LinqToSql).
Attempted Solution: We decided to look into the project for 'THEPROJECT' and change the msbuild in a way that would allow it to exist in a state of portable library / normal class library depending on the selected configuration in visual studio.
We have looked at the solution in this post however it is only part of the solution. We can get the project to exist as one or the other, however it requires a manual change to the project file. Now we get the error loading the following project. The for a portable project must be '.NETPortable'.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">DebugDesktop</Configuration>
<Platform Condition="'$(Platform)' == ''">AnyCPU</Platform>
<ProjectGuid>{426E7BD8-9DA8-4E15-9512-72E7C632B037}</ProjectGuid>
<OutputType>Library</OutputType>
<AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder>
<RootNamespace>THEPROJECT</RootNamespace>
<AssemblyName>THEPROJECT</AssemblyName>
<TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.5</TargetFrameworkVersion>
<MinimumVisualStudioVersion>10.0</MinimumVisualStudioVersion>
<BuildMode>Desktop</BuildMode>
</PropertyGroup>
<!-- Define the Build Configurations -->
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'DebugDesktop|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Desktop\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;DEBUG;</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<ConsolePause>false</ConsolePause>
<BuildMode>Desktop</BuildMode>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'ReleaseDesktop|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Desktop\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<BuildMode>Desktop</BuildMode>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'DebugPCL|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\PCL\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE;DEBUG;</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<ConsolePause>false</ConsolePause>
<BuildMode>Portable</BuildMode>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'ReleasePCL|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\PCL\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<BuildMode>Portable</BuildMode>
</PropertyGroup>
<!-- Determine the correct properties for PCL/Desktop -->
<Choose>
<When Condition=" '$(BuildMode)' == 'Portable' ">
<PropertyGroup>
<ProjectTypeGuids>{786C830F-07A1-408B-BD7F-6EE04809D6DB};{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}</ProjectTypeGuids>
<TargetFrameworkProfile>Profile259</TargetFrameworkProfile>
<TargetFrameworkIdentifier>.NETPortable</TargetFrameworkIdentifier>
<DynamicImportPath>$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\Portable\$(TargetFrameworkVersion)\Microsoft.Portable.CSharp.targets</DynamicImportPath>
</PropertyGroup>
</When>
<When Condition=" '$(BuildMode)' == 'Desktop' ">
<PropertyGroup>
<FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
<TargetFrameworkProfile />
<DynamicImportPath>$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets</DynamicImportPath>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="System.Data.Linq" />
</ItemGroup>
</When>
</Choose>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=30ad4fe6b2a6aeed, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
<HintPath>..\..\mobileapplication\packages\Newtonsoft.Json.8.0.2\lib\portable-net40+sl5+wp80+win8+wpa81\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
<Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
<Reference Include="System" />
<Reference Include="System.Core" />
<Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
<Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />
<Reference Include="System.Xml" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<ProjectReference Include="..\..\sqlite-net-extensions\SQLiteNetExtensions\SQLiteNetExtensions-PCL.csproj">
<Project>{f723017d-ede5-49cc-a84f-881c067c6004}</Project>
<Name>SQLiteNetExtensions-PCL</Name>
</ProjectReference>
<ProjectReference Include="..\..\sqlitenetpcl\src\SQLite.Net\SQLite.Net.csproj">
<Project>{4971d437-0694-4297-a8cc-146ce08c3bd9}</Project>
<Name>SQLite.Net</Name>
</ProjectReference>
</ItemGroup>
<Import Project="$(DynamicImportPath)" />
<!-- Source/Resx etc... -->
</Project>

To answer the question about making a project be "Portable" or "Normal" depending on the configuration, when the error that pops up is something about the <TargetFrameworkIdentifier> must be .NETPortable:
Remove all the <ProjectTypeGuids> from the configuration.
Those project type GUIDs give Visual Studio some GUI things that have to do with portable projects only, so when the configuration is not portable it causes the error you got. But since you're comfortable editing the XML, you obviously don't need that stuff. Plus you can continue to use the GUI to edit project properties with the project type GUIDs removed.
At least as of Visual Studio 2015.

When you create a Portable Class Library you need to create your library as a Windows 8.1 Portable Library you can't use Universal Libraries for this, which it sounds like you did by the constraints of Xamarin. The Windows 8.1 Portable Library is a kind of hybrid library that allows classic .net to communicate with the new lightweight versions of .net.
The issue with the Portable Class Library is it can't reference a a Classic Class Library via project reference, you can only reference it via DLL reference. You do not need to mess around with the XML if you are uncomfortable editing that file just find the compiled DLL and add the reference manually. If you choose to do this you will need to manually update the build dependencies or you may have broken references.
It seems like the issue isn't entirely in your .csproj but it is also in your project.json. I have been noticing visual studio not generating the proper project.json file. I have to tinker with the targets in the UI to get it to generate correctly. Once I get the initial project.json to generate I have no other issues.
Prior to doing anything we need to wire up our Portable Class Library to handle a Classic Class Library. The first step is updating the target framework from the properties to target .net 4.5 or whatever version you prefer.
Once you do this confirm that the project.json file looks something like this:
{
"supports": {},
"dependencies": {},
"frameworks": {
".NETPortable,Version=v4.5,Profile=Profile259": {}
}
}
Once your Portable Class Library is targeting the correct version you can then add a DLL reference to the compiled .net 4.5 assembly. I have made no additional changes to the csproj file for the portable class library but here is the source to that so you can take a look.
Notice how the ClassLibrary1 is referenced:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="14.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props" Condition="Exists('$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\Microsoft.Common.props')" />
<PropertyGroup>
<MinimumVisualStudioVersion>11.0</MinimumVisualStudioVersion>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
<Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform>
<ProjectGuid>{7C4EB968-4C17-438C-B981-97EDC865F312}</ProjectGuid>
<OutputType>Library</OutputType>
<AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder>
<RootNamespace>PortableLibrary</RootNamespace>
<AssemblyName>PortableLibrary</AssemblyName>
<DefaultLanguage>en-US</DefaultLanguage>
<FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
<ProjectTypeGuids>{786C830F-07A1-408B-BD7F-6EE04809D6DB};{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}</ProjectTypeGuids>
<TargetFrameworkProfile>Profile259</TargetFrameworkProfile>
<TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.5</TargetFrameworkVersion>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="Class1.cs" />
<Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="ClassLibrary1">
<HintPath>..\ClassLibrary1\bin\Debug\ClassLibrary1.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<None Include="project.json" />
</ItemGroup>
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\Portable\$(TargetFrameworkVersion)\Microsoft.Portable.CSharp.targets" />
<!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it.
Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
</Target>
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
</Target>
-->
</Project>
This should eliminate issues assuming your web project is ASP.NET Core 1.0. If you are running a Classic ASP.NET application you may still have to create the build rules.
TLDR:
Looks like there is an issue with your project.json file, make sure it is getting generated correctly and you can't directly reference .net 4.5 via project reference you have to reference the DLL.

Every C# console application prints "The system cannot find the path specified"

Every time I run a C# console application (either from Visual C# Express 2010 or Visual Studio Ultimate 2010), the first line of output is
The system cannot find the path specified
, even when my program doesn't do anything, and doesn't specify any paths. Why would this happen? Is there some way to check what the path it's looking for might be? Programs run fine otherwise. I tried to catch a System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException but couldn't figure out where to put the try/catch blocks.
I am running Windows 7 x64, building console applications, and have tried all the different platform targets (x86, x64, AnyCPU) I can in Visual Studio, always getting the same
I have been having some other issues and have a hunch this may have something to do with those, which is why I am trying to figure it out. Thanks!
Below is z .csproj file that Visual Studio generated (this project displays the problematic behavior I am describing when run from the command line or when run from VS)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
<Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">x86</Platform>
<ProductVersion>8.0.30703</ProductVersion>
<SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
<ProjectGuid>{04EC9A5E-74D8-4A5F-BCD3-05D9B6CA1477}</ProjectGuid>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder>
<RootNamespace>UsingNLOpt</RootNamespace>
<AssemblyName>UsingNLOpt</AssemblyName>
<TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.0</TargetFrameworkVersion>
<TargetFrameworkProfile>Client</TargetFrameworkProfile>
<FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|x86' ">
<PlatformTarget>x86</PlatformTarget>
<DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
<DebugType>full</DebugType>
<Optimize>false</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|x86' ">
<PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget>
<DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
<Optimize>true</Optimize>
<OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
<DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
<ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
<WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
<AllowUnsafeBlocks>false</AllowUnsafeBlocks>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="System" />
<Reference Include="System.Core" />
<Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
<Reference Include="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" />
<Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />
<Reference Include="System.Data" />
<Reference Include="System.Xml" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="Program.cs" />
<Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
</ItemGroup>
<Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
<!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it.
Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
</Target>
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
</Target>
-->
</Project>
EDIT: Solved - an Autorun entry to an nonexistent directory in the registry for the Microsoft Console. See the answer below.

Can you check your registry:
\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun
in both the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER hives?
It may be that the command processor is trying to run something on startup that isn't there.