Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64)
Lucilla Argenbright
Another special case is that you see multiple Microsoft Visual C++ versions with the same redistributable packages or some versions from the same year. For instance, you may see multiple Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable. In this case, it may indicate that one of them is a service package, while others just have slightly different version numbers.
When it comes time to deploy their software to users, developers have a choice to make. They can bundle those DLLs into the installation of their application, or they can rely on a standard distributable package of shared code. Most choose the latter, and that package is known as a Visual C++ Redistributable. There are several advantages to using a redistributable. The packages are made available by Microsoft, who also tests and updates them with bug and security fixes. Redistributables also offer a single installation on a user's computer that multiple programs can use at the same time.
Sometimes, you'll get a pop up the first time you run a program saying that the redistributable package is being installed. You'll notice this a lot if you're a PC gamer, especially if you get your games through Steam. Typically, this means that the developer has chosen to have the latest package downloaded from Microsoft at installation time. Sometimes, the package is bundled along with the application. Here's a shot of the installation of the current AMD graphics driver package, which you can see wants to install the 2012 and 2013 C++ Redistributables.
It's also possible that you'll see what look like multiple versions of the same redistributable installed, or at least multiple versions from the same year. For example, you might see multiple versions of the 2008 redistributable. One might indicate that it's a service pack, while others might just have slightly different version numbers. So, while it sometimes looks like multiple versions of the same package are installed, they are all subtly different. And unfortunately, unlike with the somewhat similar .NET Framework, Microsoft never consolidated all these older versions into a unified package.
You never really know which of your installed applications rely on each redistributable. If you uninstall a program, that program will not automatically remove the redistributable upon which it relied, since it has no way of knowing if other applications also rely upon it. Sure, there may be some redistributable packages on there that you don't need--but if you manually remove a redistributable package that some programs are still using, you could cause them to not run correctly and, in some cases, even cause problems in your Windows installation itself.
Unfortunately, it's often hard to narrow a problem with an application down to a bad redistributable installation. You rarely get an error message during installation or operation of a program that points you directly to the redistributable packages. Still, it is a possibility and sometimes it's worth testing, particularly if a program you've just installed causes another already installed program to break and you know they both rely on the same redistributable.
If those steps fail to resolve the problem, you can try uninstalling and then reinstalling the version in question. And, if you don't know the specific version, you can take a gamble and try uninstalling all the redistributable packages from your computer and then installing all the latest implementations of each version. Whichever route you take, make sure you back up your computer first!
After you've reinstalled the above packages, navigate again to Control Panel > Programs And Features. On the Programs and Features screen, repair all the versions of Microsoft Visual C++ 2012, 2013, and 2015 redistributable packages. To do so, follow these steps:
If any of the versions shown above is not already installed on your machine, ensure that you install the latest versions of 2012, 2013, and 2015 Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable packages (both x86 and x64) on your machine. For download links, visit Microsoft's page: The latest supported Visual C++ downloads.
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