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Installation and Setup Essentials

To reduce the chance of encountering problems when you are installing a Visual Studio edition, consider several items in advance. For example, determine in advance how the target computer is configured and whether you installed a Beta. After you have installed Visual Studio, you can take additional steps, such as registering the product and installing optional components. This topic lists items to consider before you install Visual Studio and suggests steps that you can take after you have it

For information about how to install Visual Studio 2008, see the readme file.

Before You Start

After you have decided which edition of Visual Studio to install, consider the following before you start Setup.

Task

For more information, see

Compare the features that are available in each edition of Visual Studio so that you understand the capabilities of the edition you intend to install.

Visual Studio 2008 Product Line Overview

Review the hardware and software requirements for the product to learn about the minimum and recommended configurations.

Visual Studio Editions and Hardware Requirements

If you have an earlier version of Visual Studio installed on the computer, read about how to run more than one version on the same computer.

Installing Visual Studio Versions Side-by-Side and Installing Multiple Versions of the .NET Framework

If you still have questions, you can post them on the MSDN Forums.

If you have a pre-release version of Visual Studio 2008 installed on the computer, you must uninstall it correctly before you install a release version.

Readme.htm on the installation media, or the latest online version at Readme.

Information on additional readme files can be found in Locating Readme Files

Learn about the user permissions that are required for installation, and also about administrative setup options.

Setup User Permissions and Advanced Options

Learn about how to install Visual Studio on a 64-bit computer and how to develop for the 64-bit operating system.

Visual Studio 64-bit Components

Read about how Visual Studio works on a computer that has Multilingual User Interface (MUI).

Microsoft Multilingual User Interface (MUI) and Visual Studio

After You Have Installed

After you have installed a Visual Studio edition, we recommend that you register your copy of the product and check for updates. In addition, you can install optional components, such as the Visual Studio 2005 Image Library. Later, you might want to upgrade, repair your installation, or uninstall.

Task

For more information, see

Discover the various ways you can register purchased editions of Visual Studio so that you can access special offers and resources.

How to: Register Visual Studio

Learn how to check for service releases to make sure that your installation is up-to-date. Also learn how to fix your Visual Studio installation.

How to: Find Product Updates

How to: Repair Visual Studio

Learn how to receive a registration key to unlock Express editions for long-term use.

How to: Register Express Editions

Learn how to install over 1,000 images that you can use to create applications that resemble Microsoft software.

How to: Install the Visual Studio 2008 Image Library

Read about the best way to uninstall Visual Studio.

How to: Uninstall Visual Studio

See Also

Concepts

Getting Started with Visual Studio

Setup User Permissions and Advanced Options

Windows Vista and Visual Studio