Microsoft Visual Studio: WHAT is its purpose?

Microsoft visual studio is the IDE (Integrated development environment) for Microsoft .NET programming languages such as VB.NET and C#. I am surprised that it is on your PC unless you have installed it but having said that if you don't do any program development it is safe to uninstall.

Are you talking about an item you see listed in the Start menu or are you talking about something you see listed in Add/Remove Programs? There are Visual Studio files that are listed in Add/Remove Programs which are run-time modules that are required by other programs that were developed using Visual Studio. If you uninstall them, then other programs may stop working. If you see Visual Studio as a program listed in the Start Menu and it's something you don't want or use then you can safely uninstall it.

strollin said:

Are you talking about an item you see listed in the Start menu or are you talking about something you see listed in Add/Remove Programs? There are Visual Studio files that are listed in Add/Remove Programs which are run-time modules that are required by other programs that were developed using Visual Studio. If you uninstall them, then other programs may stop working. If you see Visual Studio as a program listed in the Start Menu and it's something you don't want or use then you can safely uninstall it.

Good point.

famousken said:

Now then, i am cleaning my Laptop for SPACE purposes and trying to find out things or files that i don't use. Microsot Visual Studio is a file that i don't know! and i think i am not using it? so, is it safe to uninstall these? I AM USING WINDOWS 7 HB 32BIT.

Leave them alone.

You have installed or used a program which require one or more elements of Visual Studio.

karlsnooks said:

famousken said:

Now then, i am cleaning my Laptop for SPACE purposes and trying to find out things or files that i don't use. Microsot Visual Studio is a file that i don't know! and i think i am not using it? so, is it safe to uninstall these? I AM USING WINDOWS 7 HB 32BIT.

Leave them alone.

You have installed or used a program which require one or more elements of Visual Studio.

That is most likely the case. Unless you or someone who used your computer installed VS which you would probably remember. A lot of games and other software require visual studio files and that is probably what you see and they need to be there or it will break other stuff on your system.

Microsoft Visual C++ 20xx Redistributable ≠ Microsoft Visual Studio 8.

I would say it is safe to uninstall the latter if you don't even know what it is.