C++ Visual Studio Build Tools

Question

C++ Visual Studio Build Tools

Curly Dan 1

I have a question with off line installation of visual studio tools regarding workloads packages with C++ and all the other things for compiling with C++. I had an offline isntalaltion that I installed from my Command Prompt, I created a layout and then off line I installed from it with the --noweb and it worked fine. Now my question is, I formated my hard drive but kept the folder where I install from offline, so it's the layout folder where I copied the bootstraper and created an off line installation in that folder, all the packages are there including the exe file for the layout "vs_BuildTools.exe" when I tried to install from this folder on my formated partition it won't install, all the files and packages are there and when I use the command prompt and try to reinstall from this folder everything with vs_setup.exe --noweb --add(whatever packages I'm installing) it just launches the visual studio window where I can select what to install and it says that there is no download and no internet. So I figured there is no layout anymore even tho the files are there from previous layout and installation since I formated my hard drive, so I have to recreate a layout so maybe the system knows about location and folders, but does this not beat the point ? once you create an offline layout you should be able to install coutless times even after you format your hard drive, and you cannot create an offline cache layout without internet connection, so I have to expose my computer online eachtime, if I'm a software developer, game developer whatever, I have to expose the computer and hardrive online to reinstall things when most of software developers keep the project computer offline to not get robed and only connect it when they release games, software etc. It really beats the point having an offline installation if you cannot reuse it after you format your hard drive or on another computer. Is there any possible way in the future to do this ? To recreate the layout without connecting online to basicly re-download, overwrite the files you already have just to create a location for the system to know about. On the visual studio page it says you must have an internet connection to create the layout. I understand as off line chache sort of a usb stick that you plug in whatever computer you want to install the dependencies for visual studio C++, you install compiler and C++ packages. "The layout has to be remade online to install offline" after you format your hard drive it seems, even tho everything is in that folder. Is there any way to recreate the layout without internet and basicly re-downloading the packages because it's what it does. On a bad internet traffic day it can take a very long time to download everything, I don't understand the purpose of an off line installation if I have to download it each time I format my hard drive.

Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,441 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-07-04T02:58:01.427+00:00

Hi @Curly Dan ,

Thanks for taking time to post this issue in Microsoft Q&A forum.

From your description

there is no download and no internet.

If you try to set the --installPath <dir> parameter in offline installation command line and try to install VS again will it work?(--installPath <dir>)

Regards,
Tianyu
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-04T07:08:29.83+00:00

I'm not installing Visual Studio but rather it's C++ dependencies and packages. So I was trying to get just the C++ compiler with it's dependencies, Now I have gone and just opened up Visual Studio Installer with Internet connection and I just installed a fresh copy of these things but with Internet. But for future so I know,

It would look like this maybe ?
vs_Setup.exe --layout c:\installer_dir --installPath
Will this set the folder that I have with all the packages inside the folder as the new layout and read all the packages I already have on disk there to make it my off line installer without touching the internet.
How would I create the layout again out of my old one that I had before I formated the hard drive. I basicly just saved the directory layout off line installation files and moved it to another partition before I formated the system partition with the windows, and now I'm just trying to use that folder again offline reset it as a layout to act again as off line installation
I see that it's not very clear what this command is

**--installPath <dir> For the default install command, this parameter is Optional and describes where the instance will be installed on the client machine.

Where the instance will be installed ? and this instance is where the Visual Studio and C++ packages get installed, or is the instance refering to where the offline installation folder will be and where the off line installation packages and files will be downloaded to later install.
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-04T07:13:56.16+00:00

Another issue it's causing is the update problem, so I installed exactly the old workloads packages I had in my old instalaltion folder to see if it works, meaning I created a new offline installation layout but with internet online but with the exact old packages I had, so I only downloaded those and then I proceded to install offline, to my surprise it asked for updates when I used the install command after creating the layout and I could not skip this part, I did use --noUpdateInstaller.

But I think this is something else ? not for installation, but an option for when creating the layout ?
So even If I get passed that stage it will ask to update packages, instead of installing inside my command prompt packages it will launch the Installer Window and will tell me to update because there are important updates, the window just pops up, then of course it will say there is no internet connection and I can't do anything, I close the window and nothing happens in my command prompt. So if there are some packages that are new on your windows system and the VS installer sees this it will not install the old packages you have without update unless you update it online. So any new thing it sees, like a newer netframework for example and you have your old files it's going to ask for update. You cannot skip the update part.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,441 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-07-05T10:13:33.883+00:00

Hi @Curly Dan , thanks for your reply. The --installPath parameter is used to set the location for saving the Visual Studio instance(it’s where the VS and C++ packages get installed). I am considering if you use the same version of bootstrapper file to download packages, as newer version of bootstrapper file will include/require newer features/fixes to be downloaded and installed. But normally, if you use the same bootstrapper file and the same layout folder, the installation should work without any issue like reporting network connection required.
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-06T07:03:18.987+00:00

I used the same one from the old offline cache I had, I have the packages there along with "VS_Setup.exe."
So VsSetup has been there all along since years ago, it's the same one I used, when I formated the hard drive I saved the folder and then put it back on the new partition, I used CD, to CD into the folder and once in the folder I tried to launch VS_Setup.exe that was in that folder with install command, but it did not work and instead of starting to install packages under the command prompt it launched the window of the installer to pick packages with you know the mouse, so instead of launching the install in Ms Dos window Command Prompt it opens the installer interface.

It's all fine now, if I download everything online with the command prompt and make a layout with it, it will work, the problem is after you format your system drive with windows on it, the layout is not going to work. I get the workloads then shut off the internet and install, so it will work as long as it's the same window system and not another windows fresh copy. or another computer. So the old folder with everything in it will not work in this case, so I was asking if there is a command to remake the layout off line cache installation with all the packages inside the folder with everything that was old there the exe files, the old boostraper, the old exe installer, I used these, I did not use a new bootstraper, so you download the bootstraper and then this downloads your files, then you use the other exe file that you downloaded with the packages to launch the installment.
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-06T07:25:03.96+00:00

So what the install path does is tells you where the Visual Studio and it's tools will be installed ? Not where it's going to create the off line installation for you to install from later offline.
You said:
The --installPath parameter is used to set the location for saving the Visual Studio instance(it’s where the VS and C++ packages get installed)
So if I understand you said "where the VS and C++ packages get installed" So it does this because it does not have an install path ? okay I will try next time I do this, no point in uninstalling things now, it took me a long time to download everything, lots of things to download since I use it for unreal engine dependencies.

I guess I don't understand the Layout thing in it's entirety, my thought was that the windows system does not know about the offline cache, and when it downloads the files and creates a layout it creates a mark of some sort in the registry maybe and because that is gone now the layout does not work anymore and the system does not know about the folder anymore,
I did not think that it does not know where to install since VS_setup.exe the old one when I launch the window it has paths. There is a tab called Installation Locations with 3 options, 1Visual Studio Ide, 2Download 3 Cache and shared components, Sdks, tools. They all point to the old location C:\program files, This is the old file. It's not a problem if I can't pull this off, but it would of been nice after you format your hard drive to be able to.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,441 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-09-07T13:33:27.1+00:00

Hi @Curly Dan ,

May I know if you formatted all the hard drives? I mean, all drives like C, D, E drives. I just suspect some installed VS parts(VS Installer, Windows Registry items for VS…) maybe remain in one of them which cause this issue.

Your answer

Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,441 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-07-04T02:58:01.427+00:00

Hi @Curly Dan ,

Thanks for taking time to post this issue in Microsoft Q&A forum.

From your description

there is no download and no internet.

If you try to set the --installPath <dir> parameter in offline installation command line and try to install VS again will it work?(--installPath <dir>)

Regards,
Tianyu
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-04T07:08:29.83+00:00

I'm not installing Visual Studio but rather it's C++ dependencies and packages. So I was trying to get just the C++ compiler with it's dependencies, Now I have gone and just opened up Visual Studio Installer with Internet connection and I just installed a fresh copy of these things but with Internet. But for future so I know,

It would look like this maybe ?
vs_Setup.exe --layout c:\installer_dir --installPath
Will this set the folder that I have with all the packages inside the folder as the new layout and read all the packages I already have on disk there to make it my off line installer without touching the internet.
How would I create the layout again out of my old one that I had before I formated the hard drive. I basicly just saved the directory layout off line installation files and moved it to another partition before I formated the system partition with the windows, and now I'm just trying to use that folder again offline reset it as a layout to act again as off line installation
I see that it's not very clear what this command is

**--installPath <dir> For the default install command, this parameter is Optional and describes where the instance will be installed on the client machine.

Where the instance will be installed ? and this instance is where the Visual Studio and C++ packages get installed, or is the instance refering to where the offline installation folder will be and where the off line installation packages and files will be downloaded to later install.
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-04T07:13:56.16+00:00

Another issue it's causing is the update problem, so I installed exactly the old workloads packages I had in my old instalaltion folder to see if it works, meaning I created a new offline installation layout but with internet online but with the exact old packages I had, so I only downloaded those and then I proceded to install offline, to my surprise it asked for updates when I used the install command after creating the layout and I could not skip this part, I did use --noUpdateInstaller.

But I think this is something else ? not for installation, but an option for when creating the layout ?
So even If I get passed that stage it will ask to update packages, instead of installing inside my command prompt packages it will launch the Installer Window and will tell me to update because there are important updates, the window just pops up, then of course it will say there is no internet connection and I can't do anything, I close the window and nothing happens in my command prompt. So if there are some packages that are new on your windows system and the VS installer sees this it will not install the old packages you have without update unless you update it online. So any new thing it sees, like a newer netframework for example and you have your old files it's going to ask for update. You cannot skip the update part.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,441 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-07-05T10:13:33.883+00:00

Hi @Curly Dan , thanks for your reply. The --installPath parameter is used to set the location for saving the Visual Studio instance(it’s where the VS and C++ packages get installed). I am considering if you use the same version of bootstrapper file to download packages, as newer version of bootstrapper file will include/require newer features/fixes to be downloaded and installed. But normally, if you use the same bootstrapper file and the same layout folder, the installation should work without any issue like reporting network connection required.
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-06T07:03:18.987+00:00

I used the same one from the old offline cache I had, I have the packages there along with "VS_Setup.exe."
So VsSetup has been there all along since years ago, it's the same one I used, when I formated the hard drive I saved the folder and then put it back on the new partition, I used CD, to CD into the folder and once in the folder I tried to launch VS_Setup.exe that was in that folder with install command, but it did not work and instead of starting to install packages under the command prompt it launched the window of the installer to pick packages with you know the mouse, so instead of launching the install in Ms Dos window Command Prompt it opens the installer interface.

It's all fine now, if I download everything online with the command prompt and make a layout with it, it will work, the problem is after you format your system drive with windows on it, the layout is not going to work. I get the workloads then shut off the internet and install, so it will work as long as it's the same window system and not another windows fresh copy. or another computer. So the old folder with everything in it will not work in this case, so I was asking if there is a command to remake the layout off line cache installation with all the packages inside the folder with everything that was old there the exe files, the old boostraper, the old exe installer, I used these, I did not use a new bootstraper, so you download the bootstraper and then this downloads your files, then you use the other exe file that you downloaded with the packages to launch the installment.
Curly Dan 1 Reputation point

2022-07-06T07:25:03.96+00:00

So what the install path does is tells you where the Visual Studio and it's tools will be installed ? Not where it's going to create the off line installation for you to install from later offline.
You said:
The --installPath parameter is used to set the location for saving the Visual Studio instance(it’s where the VS and C++ packages get installed)
So if I understand you said "where the VS and C++ packages get installed" So it does this because it does not have an install path ? okay I will try next time I do this, no point in uninstalling things now, it took me a long time to download everything, lots of things to download since I use it for unreal engine dependencies.

I guess I don't understand the Layout thing in it's entirety, my thought was that the windows system does not know about the offline cache, and when it downloads the files and creates a layout it creates a mark of some sort in the registry maybe and because that is gone now the layout does not work anymore and the system does not know about the folder anymore,
I did not think that it does not know where to install since VS_setup.exe the old one when I launch the window it has paths. There is a tab called Installation Locations with 3 options, 1Visual Studio Ide, 2Download 3 Cache and shared components, Sdks, tools. They all point to the old location C:\program files, This is the old file. It's not a problem if I can't pull this off, but it would of been nice after you format your hard drive to be able to.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,441 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-09-07T13:33:27.1+00:00

Hi @Curly Dan ,

May I know if you formatted all the hard drives? I mean, all drives like C, D, E drives. I just suspect some installed VS parts(VS Installer, Windows Registry items for VS…) maybe remain in one of them which cause this issue.

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C++ Visual Studio Build Tools

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