Windows 7: Multiple installs MS Visual C++?

As you can see by the attached screen shot, I have 5-6 installs of the above referenced software. It would appear that MS is not removing the prior version when installing the new. Is this thinking correct?

Assuming the answer is yes, do I simply uninstall all but the latest version?

Thanks,



mark

Many programs use Visual C++ and install their own version of it, they expect to locate their own copy at runtime and are likely to stop working if their copy is uninstalled. Also many installers dont check for existing components or for newer versions of those components and older versions may be installed for backward compatibility. In any case they dont do any harm though it does get a bit cluttered.

I'm positive I wrote a similar message this morning and intended to edit the message. However, I've searched the likely sub-forums and can't find the message. Since the two are similar, an answer to this one will answer the second since the initial post is subsumed within this text.

I'm uninstalling applications that I no longer use. Here's a rough list:

Application # installs with different ver #'s

WindowsMobileDevice 1 icon for the original + 1 icon for the

updateWindows Driver Pac 10

Intel network and Intel Pro 1 of each
Network

Microsoft Visual C++ 9

Windows Driver Package 13

I think the Drive pacages should be left as is since they could easily refer to different drivers within the same package. However, I suspect regarding the balance of the above, if the latest date of the duplicated listings is kept and earlier versions removed I should be okay.

The second part of this question relates to files left over after an application installs and files the application backup up prior to install in the event the user needed to revert to the earlier version (I'm assuming that many applications, particularly MS, do not delete the prior or even their install files after installing?). Are these files keep in a certain location and do they have similar filename nomenclature so that I could go about safely deleting them all for more room?

Not the answer I was looking for--

But absent a conflicting answer I'll leave the installs alone.

Again, sorry for the two posts. You found the first which I couldn't coming back on to post an addenda to the first and ended up posting new to (I think) a separate sub-forum.

Thanks,

Mark

Other thread found and merged.

As has been mentioned by Bill earlier, don't worry about multiple instances of Visual C++ being installed. Many programs rely certain components and functions within the C++ code to operate, and some require a specific revision as well.

It's the inefficiency that gets me. Assume for grins the installed size is 20mb. Then do to the conditions that you all describe, the total of installs require an order of magnitude more disk space. On a laptop with only 92GB gross, these things tend to annoy.

Mark