Managing the C runtime libraries

op00iuy

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Hello everyone,
I am using Windows 8.1 with Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 installed. Now I having a lot of Microsoft Visual C-runtime libraries installed on my PC (view the screenshot below)-:

sc1.jpg

Now my questions are-:
  1. Do I really need all the libraries ?? I mean what is the use of keeping both Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2008 ver 9.0.30729.17 and ver 9.0.30729.4148. Isn't that kind of redundant ?
  2. Do I need Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable at all ? Because according to this post
    Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package

    If I have Visual C++ installed I should not need any Redistributable packages installed.
  3. If I create a system restore point before uninstalling and I restore after uninstalling will I get back my installed files just as they were ?? Because I would like to avoid catastrophes.


Thanks everyone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    Intel i7
The Visual C++ libraries are not an essential component of Windows but some of your applications may require them. There is no easy way to tell. The very fact that they are there at all is a good indication they are needed. If Visual C++ is installed and being used that is clearly the case.

The only safe thing to do is leave all of these runtimes as they are.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
The Visual C++ libraries are not an essential component of Windows but some of your applications may require them. There is no easy way to tell. The very fact that they are there at all is a good indication they are needed. If Visual C++ is installed and being used that is clearly the case.

The only safe thing to do is leave all of these runtimes as they are.
Absolutely correct. Third party software also use C++ Runtime to develop their applications and depending on the version they use, they will install along with their software to ensure compatibility.

I know for sure the Cyberlink products use them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
The Visual C++ libraries are not an essential component of Windows but some of your applications may require them. There is no easy way to tell. The very fact that they are there at all is a good indication they are needed. If Visual C++ is installed and being used that is clearly the case.

The only safe thing to do is leave all of these runtimes as they are.
Absolutely correct. Third party software also use C++ Runtime to develop their applications and depending on the version they use, they will install along with their software to ensure compatibility.

I know for sure the Cyberlink products use them.

So if I uninstall all the libraries except the most recent libraries I will still face problems ? What is the use of keeping both previous and recent libraries ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    Intel i7
I've already explained it. For compatibility so if you uninstall it then one of the applications using it might break
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
I've already explained it. For compatibility so if you uninstall it then one of the applications using it might break

So let me get this straight. I have no way of knowing whether I need a particular library or not I cannot just keep the latest versions of the libraries because of compatibility reasons and I cannot use system restore to restore the libraries if I have by chance uninstalled them. So you are telling me I am stuck.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    Intel i7
I've already explained it. For compatibility so if you uninstall it then one of the applications using it might break

So let me get this straight. I have no way of knowing whether I need a particular library or not I cannot just keep the latest versions of the libraries because of compatibility reasons and I cannot use system restore to restore the libraries if I have by chance uninstalled them. So you are telling me I am stuck.
If you look at the size of each one, it is less than 12 MB. And as I said, You don't know which version different applications are using. I would leave them alone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
I've already explained it. For compatibility so if you uninstall it then one of the applications using it might break

So let me get this straight. I have no way of knowing whether I need a particular library or not I cannot just keep the latest versions of the libraries because of compatibility reasons and I cannot use system restore to restore the libraries if I have by chance uninstalled them. So you are telling me I am stuck.
If you look at the size of each one, it is less than 12 MB. And as I said, You don't know which version different applications are using. I would leave them alone.

What about creating a restore point and then uninstalling then if my applications break then I can revert back from the restore point. What do you think about that ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    Intel i7
I wouldn't take a chance on it, particularly for such meager gains. Be prepared if (when) it doesn't work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
A restore point is not good enough. It can quickly disappear. It is better and safer to make an image if you want to muck around with the libraries. Especially since you may not immediately notice a problem but brick your system only after several weeks. Then the restore point would probably be gone - unless you have allocated a very large shadowstorage.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
A restore point is not good enough. It can quickly disappear. It is better and safer to make an image if you want to muck around with the libraries. Especially since you may not immediately notice a problem but brick your system only after several weeks. Then the restore point would probably be gone - unless you have allocated a very large shadowstorage.

Give me the exact procedure of how to do this. I need to know how I can make an image an perform my tinkering. I have been looking all around to make a recovery image of Windows. Please site some references via which I can do this. Please.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    Intel i7
A restore point is not good enough. It can quickly disappear. It is better and safer to make an image if you want to muck around with the libraries. Especially since you may not immediately notice a problem but brick your system only after several weeks. Then the restore point would probably be gone - unless you have allocated a very large shadowstorage.

Give me the exact procedure of how to do this. I need to know how I can make an image an perform my tinkering. I have been looking all around to make a recovery image of Windows. Please site some references via which I can do this. Please.

That's easy - this tutorial applies to 7 and 8.1.

Imaging with free Macrium - Windows 7 Help Forums
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs

Can't I use Windows System Image Backup ?? I am kinda apprehensive about using third party tools to make backups, because if anything goes wrong then not even God can help me. Plus does the software that you have specified above work for GPT disks, because that's what I am using.

Windows imaging is no good. It has failed many times in the past (e.g. for recovery). I would really stay away from it. I had to write a special tutorial for recovery of a broken Windows system image It helped many members.

Macrium is a very safe and efficient program that many people of this forum use. I have never heard of any complaints.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Windows imaging is no good. It has failed many times in the past (e.g. for recovery). I would really stay away from it. I had to write a special tutorial for recovery of a broken Windows system image It helped many members.

Macrium is a very safe and efficient program that many people of this forum use. I have never heard of any complaints.
Sorry for the long delay.

Please have a look at the screenshot below-:

sc1.jpg

This is the layout of the partitions of my first hard disk which contains the Windows installation(The software used was Paragon Partition Manager). Now does Macurin do a sector by sector copy of the data ? When I back up from Macurin will the partitions BE EXACTLY THE SAME not just data wise but will their GUIDs be the same ?

Also please note that my system has an EFI System Partition and a Microsoft Reserved Partition. Can Macurin back up and restore that also ?

Does Macurin support GPT disks ?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    Intel i7
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