Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

[Eldmannen]

Should you have all of the following installed?

* Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable

* Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable

* Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable

Or is it enough to just have 2010?

[James_A]

No, unfortuneately, you can't have just 2010.

You need each one according to the version of Microsoft Visual C++ that programs have been built with. If you have many programs built with Microsoft Visual C++, you most likely will need all three.

If, for example, a project was built using Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 then you need to have the library for that (i.e. msvcr90.dll)

It does not help that Microsoft has (rather stupidly, in my opinion) given every downloadable redistibutable package exactly the same name (i.e. vcredist_x86.exe). Despite the same name, the packages have completely different files inside. Having the same name means that you can't download more than one to the same directory, without losing the previous downloads. As I have said, complete stupidity!

.

[Tarun]

This is especially true for gaming. So many runtimes and frameworks.

[Eldmannen]

Oh, yeah that is very stupid.

I wish they would fix this insanity.