Event ID 59: Generate Activation Context failed on Exchange 2007

On an Exchange 2007 server, the following event may show up in your Eventlog:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: SideBySide
Event Category: None
Event ID: 59
Date:  12/5/2008
Time:  12:30:39 AM
User:  N/A
Computer: EXCHANGE2007
Description:
Generate Activation Context failed for C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\amd64_Microsoft.VC80.MFC_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.762_x-ww_6E02DFE5\MFC80U.DLL. Reference error message: The referenced assembly is not installed on your system.

The solution for this error is to install Microsoft Visual C++ 2005

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86)
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x64)

The install does not require a reboot, neither it stops services (except the MsiInstall service). Therefore, as long as your server is an dedicated Exchange 2007 server, you can safely install Visual C++ 2005 in a production environment.