do i need 5 different versions of the microsoft visual C++ redistributable ?????????????

[keakar]

i have a bunch of games from 2000-2010 that have installers that install the current redistributable (x64) and redistributable (x86) versions for the years they came out,

so i have 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, and the latest 2015-2022 version. so thats 10 installs for the 5 different year versions i have of it on my computer

i assume i need them all, but i have no idea if thats true, so my question is, why are there so many versions,

and do i really need them all, or does the 2015-2022 version, already include the older versions?

the reason i ask is, i want to skip the whole install process and make a 250GB SSD with all my installed games, so its faster to do reinstalls or add them to my other computers

but when doing so, i am concerned they might be missing something they need from an old version of microsoft visual C++ redistributable

also, what about other things like directX ? some of my games need it, so just to be safe, i always install it, but do i really need to or does windows now have all that?

 

[Klemc]

You only need what the app(s) you use needs, if your apps additioned need all versions, install all... and x86 x64 too is separated :

GitHub - abbodi1406/vcredist: AIO Repack for latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes

AIO Repack for latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes - abbodi1406/vcredist

github.com

AiO

/aiV
Quiet mode. *Only* VC++ packages are installed.

//

DX has only one version, 2006 month something it's dx9c

 

[LabRat 891]

Every time I *only* install the latest/redist inclu. w/ apps/games, I eventually stumble into a missing version for some old game, etc.
So, I also assume all installable versions must be installed.

Typically on a new install, I'll use TPU's downloads for VC++ and DX.

Latest Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes All-in-One May 2024 Download

This archive contains the latest version (May 2024) of all VCRedist Visual Studio C++ runtimes, installable with a single click by running the includ

www.techpowerup.com

DirectX Runtime Offline Installer Jun 2010 Download

This free download provides the Microsoft DirectX Redist Runtime, which is required for many games to play properly. The download is the offline inst

www.techpowerup.com

Then, I'll go and find a .NET framework AIO.

All In One Runtimes: Install All Required Runtimes At Once In Windows 10

All In One Runtimes and Ninite are the two programs you can use to install all Runtime versions so that you don't have to install them individually. Download and install them using this guide.

www.itechtics.com

 

[anonuser57]

If the game required you to install a particular version then you need that particular version and the newer version can't be used instead of the old one. Chances are nothing uses 2005 x64 so you could probably skip that one and same for 2015 x86. Even if the new version has everything the old version has an application compiled against the old one can't use the new one.

 

[unwind-protect]

There is no escape.

One or two versions might be removable because an update to the requiring app originally installed them but is now requiring a newer one. But that's hard to track down. It's not that you can use `ldd` like in Linux to tell which app needs what. It's all installer magic.