Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (Versions & Hotfixes)

[Dogway]

Hello, I just formatted my PC and Im giving the final brushes on tunning up the system, but I don't know which redistributable is the latest.

These are the ones I have downloaded:

visualstudio_2005_SP1_x86.v6.0.2900.2180.exe 2684Kb
visualstudio_2005_SP1_x86.v6.0.2900.2180.exe 2647Kb
visualstudio_2005_SP1_x86.v6.0.3790.0.exe 2663Kb
visualstudio_2008_SP1_x86.v9.0.30729.4148.exe 4381Kb
visualstudio_2008_SP1_x86.v9.0.30729.5677.exe 4375Kb

[Atak_Snajpera]

My common sense tells me that this one :
visualstudio_2008_SP1_x86.v9.0.30729.5677.exe 4375Kb

[Dogway]

What about 2005? In this web (http://support.unify.com/supportforum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1179#p5241) they say 6.00.3790.0 (internally v8.0.56336) is the correct version, and not 6.0.2900.2180 (v.8.0.59193). I don't know if in their specific environment.
Sometimes common sense is not enough in experience.

[the_weirdo]

What about 2005? In this web (http://support.unify.com/supportforum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1179#p5241) they say 6.00.3790.0 (internally v8.0.56336) is the correct version, and not 6.0.2900.2180 (v.8.0.59193). I don't know if in their specific environment.
Sometimes common sense is not enough in experience.

In this case, why don't you just install this version (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=5638) of MSVC 2005 Redist and let Windows update it for you?

[Dogway]

That one is v6.0.3790.0. It's for an offline installation so I want to have everything in the disc from the beginning.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Thanks to WinSxS (Side-by-side assembly) different versions of MSVCR90.DLL and friends can exist "side by side" on the system.

Generally every application will install the Runtime version that it is intended to run with. And WinSxS will look at the executable's embedded Manifest to load exactly that version. So even if you have installed the "latest" version of the Visual C++ Runtime, an application may install and use some "older" version.

For example, I currently have installed at least 10 different versions of MSVCR90.DLL on my computer...

[Dogway]

I normally install lots of software, for testing, temporal usage, whatever. It was one year and a half since last formatting and I only had one 2005 and 2008 redistributable, they were 6.0.2900.2180 for 2005 and 9.0.30729.4148 for 2008 if I remember correct. Anyway as you say it could really happen the situation where one software would need v.6.0.2900.2180 and other v.6.0.3790.0, being unable to work with any other version?
My main concern is avoid installing too many things I wont need. But I know that at least I will need one 2005 and one 2008 redistributable soon or late, that's something I'm sure of.


edit: Also in microsoft knowledge base they state that depending on redistributable versions there might be security holes.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

With an up-to-date Windows it's practically impossible to prevent your WinSxS folder from growing continuously. After Vista came out, which made more extensive use of WinSxS than XP, many people complained about the growing WinSxS folder. That's because "new" DLL versions don't simply replace "old" versions. They get installed side-by-side and thus the "old" version is kept for applications that still may need it. The "old" version may even be installed by some application which is intended to run with that particular version when the "new" version is already present. The Manifest tells the OS which exact DLL version it needs to load for the individual executable. However this doesn't necessarily mean that "old" versions will remain unfixed. Actually one argument for using WinSxS is that "globally shared" DLL's that are handled by WinSxS will be kept up-to-date by Windows Update*, while DLL's installed in the application folder or statically linked libraries will not be effected by system updates. Funny enough, starting with VS2010, the VC++ Runtime Libraries are not handled by WinSxS anymore...

(*) I'm not sure if that happens by patching the "old" DLL version -or- by redirecting applications, that request an "old" (insecure) version, to some "newer" (fixed) version.

[Dogway]

That's something to note, especially that even "old" versions get fixed. Then my question would be where could I download these fixes. I saw many descriptions of the KB but not any download link. My XP installation disc is very austere, so I have everything off, firewall, DEP, Download Center, Windows Media, etc. I would like to have everything I need up to this date inside the disc and to be aware of what I do.


About the WinSxS folder, I knew about it and how much space it takes. In XP for me stays below 100Mb, but I know how in Vista or 7 it can get to many Gb. One of the reasons I stay with XP.

[Atak_Snajpera]

About the WinSxS folder, I knew about it and how much space it takes. In XP for me stays below 100Mb, but I know how in Vista or 7 it can get to many Gb. One of the reasons I stay with XP.
LOL! I didn't know that big hard drives (1T) are so expensive these days... XP is a very outdated system... On Windows NT 6.0 , 6.1 (...) at least interface runs on GPU (aero) instead of CPU like on XP.

[Dogway]

LOL! I didn't know that big hard drives (1T) are so expensive these days... XP is a very outdated system... On Windows NT 6.0 , 6.1 (...) at least interface runs on GPU (aero) instead of CPU like on XP.

That's what an average consumer would think, not programmers. One thing doesn't hide the fact of an inefficient design.

About GUI's I couldn't care less, as long as it isn't a console window... by this you might already know what my wallpaper is right? blank

EDIT: I wanted to note I solved the ZCfgSvc.exe problem. I had to manual edit the exe properties from "custom policy" to "trust application".