Thread: Visual C++

Same question. Can I delete the older versions?

Not sure where those came from, but possibly VC++ runtime DLL's. Depends on the applications that use them, but you may need all of them. Its hard to tell just by looking at the picture of a bunch of icons.

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Those a VC++ runtime installers or installations. Probably best to leave them alone unless you know what you are doing.

Originally Posted by Pearo

Those a VC++ runtime installers or installations. Probably best to leave them alone unless you know what you are doing.

Definitely this. As somebody who does know what he is doing (I'm a software developer - sorry I couldn't find the stuck up himself smarty-pants smiley) I'd leave them alone too. They are generally quite small (though that 2013 one seems a bit large), so leaving them is likely to cause fewer problems than removing them.

These provide the basic run-time facilities used by most programs. Things like opening files, managing memory, etc. Due to various (in)compatibility reasons, each version of Visual C++ gets its own copy of the run-time, so that any "improvements" don't cause older software to break.

Microsoft in their infinite wisdom have gone back on forth about where the run times should be installed. It started out as one copy for the whole system - but then you would end up breaking things when you updated. Then one copy for each application - but then you couldn't fix the inevitable security problems. I think they've finally settled on a single system managed version, but where the all the updates are kept around and managed a bit better to avoid breaking things as much as possible.

Iain

Thanks Iain, I wasn't sure what they did and it doesn't bother me but curiosity led me to ask the question. I am a firm believer in the principle that if it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you don't know what your doing, keep hands in pockets and mouth shut though i have often been accused of not doing the last a few times

No problem Ray.

Having gained so much information from the woodworkers, builders, electricians, etc over the last year I've been actively on here, it was nice to be able to contribute something for a change.

Iain