Support for Visual Studio

Support for Visual Studio

Help and support for Visual Studio.

Key Resources

Key Resources

Visual Studio 11 Beta
The Visual Studio 11 Beta is now available. Learn about the integrated development experience and start building apps now.

Get Visual Studio 2010 Now
MSDN subscribers can download from the MSDN Subscriber Download site. To subscribe to MSDN please visit MSDN Subscriptions. You may also purchase Visual Studio 2010 from a reseller or download the full trial version.

Visual Studio 2010 SP1
Service Pack 1 provides the latest updates to Visual Studio 2010.

Visual Studio 2010 Free and Trial Downloads
Download a wide range of Visual Studio trials, samples, tools, code and other resources from Microsoft and from the Visual Studio Community.

Visual Studio Product Home Page
Visit the Visual Studio Home Page for product information, trial software, purchasing options, technical resources and more.

Visual Studio Developer Center
The Visual Studio Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers utilizing the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) related products and features.

MSDN Library for Visual Studio
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Visual Studio 2010 Express Home Page
Visit the Visual Studio 2010 Express Home Page for product information, downloads, feature comparisons and more.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual Studio Forums
Ask a question in the Visual Studio Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Top Solutions

FIX: An application that uses the Mfc80.dll module or the Mfc80u.dll module crashes after you update the module version
This article provides a resolution for applications that rely on an older version of the Mfc80 or Mfc80u DLLs, which stop working correctly due to the installation of a newer/replacement version. It provides a solution for both computers which have Visual Studio installed (ie: software developers), and computers that don't have it installed.

Use the Microsoft Symbol Server to obtain debug symbol files
This article provides details (including a video) for software developers, on how to reference the Microsoft Symbol Server to obtain symbol debugging information.

Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 Release Notes
The Visual Studio 2005 SP1 Release Notes document known issues with the installation and uninstallation of Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and with Visual Studio 2005 SP1 features.

How to troubleshoot Visual Studio .NET installation
This step-by-step article describes best practices for software developers that need to troubleshoot a Visual Studio .NET installation. It also provides guidance on locating log files that are useful in troubleshooting installation problems.

How to create a Setup package by using Visual Studio .NET
This step-by-step article provides guidance for software developers on how to create a setup package in the Visual Studio .NET development environment. It also explains the different types of setup projects and how to include files or dependencies in your setup.

Why are there so many versions of the .NET Framework, and which one(s) do you really need?
Scott Hanselman's blog post provides a good general understanding on the background and philosophy of .NET Framework versioning, and explains how this applies to a specific scenario for ASP.NET configuration.

Learn

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 Training Course
The Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Training Course includes videos and hands-on-labs designed to help you learn how to utilize the Visual Studio 2010 features and a variety of framework technologies including: C# 4.0, Visual Basic 10, F#, Parallel Computing Platform, WCF, WF, WPF, ASP.NET AJAX 4.0, ASP.NET MVC Dynamic Data.

Visual Studio Learning Center
Visit the Visual Studio Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

MSDN Code Gallery
The MSDN Code Gallery provides hundreds of sample applications, code snippets, and other resources you can download and share with the developer community.

Related Solution Centers

.NET Framework
Visit the .NET Framework Solution Center for support information including key resources, top issues, community resources, support options, and support lifecycle details.

Silverlight
Visit the Silverlight Solution Center for support information including key resources, top issues, community resources, support options, and support lifecycle details.

Application Lifecycle Management

Key Resources

Visual Studio Developer Center
The Visual Studio Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers utilizing the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) related products and features.

MSDN Library for Application Lifecycle Management
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Server Products

Team Foundation Server Resources
Team Foundation Server (TFS) is the collaboration platform at the core of Microsoft’s application lifecycle management solution that automates the software delivery process and enables organizations to effectively manage software development projects throughout the IT life cycle.

Visual Studio 2010 Team Foundation Server - Supplemental Upgrade Guide
This guide is intended as a supplement to the Upgrade information found in the Team Foundation Server Installation and Administration guides. It covers scenarios which may be encountered during and after the upgrade process and provides examples of most common and potential issues.

Visual Studio 2010 Team Foundation Server - Getting Started
This guide is intended as a supplement to the Upgrade information found in the Team Foundation Server Installation and Administration guides. It covers scenarios which may be encountered during and after the upgrade process and provides examples of most common and potential issues.

Getting Started with Visual Studio Team Lab Management
Visual Studio Team System 2010 Lab Management is an integrated solution to give you all the benefits of virtualization for application lifecycle management, enabling you to create, assign, and track virtual environments to use in your virtual lab. The environments can be used for application development, deployment, and testing.

Visual Studio Team Lab Management Administration
Guide to configuring and administering Lab Management.

Learn

A Lap Around Visual Studio Application Lifecycle Management
This demo-rich session takes a tour of many of the new capabilities of Visual Studio 2010 for application lifecycle management.

Visual Studio and Application Lifecycle Management Learning Center
Visit the Visual Studio & ALM Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

Visual Basic

Key Resources

Visual Basic Developer Center
The Visual Basic Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual Basic.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual Basic Forums
Ask a question in the Visual Basic Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual Basic Community Page on MSDN
Stay up-to-date on the latest buzz from the Visual Basic community.

MSDN Library for Visual Basic
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

What's New in Visual Basic 2010
Here’s everything you need to know to hit the ground running with Visual Basic in Visual Studio 2010.

Top Solutions

How to access serial and parallel ports by using Visual Basic .NET
This step-by-step article provides Visual Basic developers with guidance and sample code, on how to access the serial and parallel ports on a computer.

Learn

Visual Basic Learning Center
Visit the Visual Basic Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

Visual C#

Key Resources

Visual C# Developer Center
The Visual C# Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual C#.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual C# Forums
Ask a question in the Visual C# Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual C# Community Page on MSDN
Stay up-to-date on the latest buzz from the Visual C# community.

MSDN Library for Visual C#
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Top Solutions

How to read XML from a file by using Visual C#
This article shows software developers how to use the XmlTextReader class to read Extensible Markup Language (XML) from a file.

How to automate Microsoft Excel from Microsoft Visual C# .NET
This article shows software developers how to create an Automation client for Microsoft Excel by using Microsoft Visual C# .NET.

How To Implement Forms-Based Authentication in Your ASP.NET Application by Using C# .NET
This article shows software developers how to implement forms-based authentication by using a database to store the users.

How to trace and debug in Visual C#
This article provides software developers with guidance on how to use the Debug and the Trace classes found in the Microsoft .NET Framework.

How to serialize an object to XML by using Visual C#
This step-by-step article provides Visual C# software developers with guidance on how to serialize an object to XML. This method is useful for persisting the state of an object, and for cloning an object by de-serializing the XML back to a new object.

How to create a smooth progress bar in Visual C#
This article provides Visual C# software developers with guidance on how to create a simple, custom UserControl to create a smooth, scrolling ProgressBar control.

How to automate Microsoft Word to create a new document by using Visual C#
This article shows software developers how to create an Automation client for Microsoft Word by using Microsoft Visual C# .NET, and how to automate the creation of a Word document.

Learn

Visual C# Learning Center
Visit the Visual C# Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

Visual C++

Key Resources

Visual C++ Developer Center
The Visual C++ Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual C++.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual C++ Forums
Ask a question in the Visual C++ Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual C++ Community Page on MSDN
Stay up-to-date on the latest buzz from the Visual C++ community.

MSDN Library for Visual C++
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Top Solutions

Description of the security update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package: July 28, 2009
s article discusses the availability of an ATL security fix for Visual C++ 2008 SP1, with references to the related Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS09-035). Home users are guided to use Microsoft Update to obtain the fix; IT Pros are provided with a link to the security bulletin which refers to the downloadable fix.

Description of the R6025 run-time error in Visual C++
This article provides additional technical details for software developers, experiencing Visual C++ runtime error R6025.

Description of the update for the Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (for previously installed versions): July 28, 2009
This article discusses the availability of an ATL security fix for Visual C++ 2005 SP1, with references to the related Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS09-035). Use Microsoft Update to obtain the fix.

Redistribution of the shared C runtime component in Visual C++
This article provides Visual C++ software developers on guidance for redistributing and installing the Microsoft C run-time libraries (CRT).

Learn

Visual C++ Learning Center
Visit the Visual C++ Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

Visual F#

Key Resources

Visual F# Developer Center
The Visual F# Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual F#.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual F# Forums
Ask a question in the Visual F# Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual F# Community Page on MSDN
Stay up-to-date on the latest buzz from the F# community.

MSDN Library for Visual F#
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Learn

Visual F# Learning Center
Visit the Visual F# Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

Visual Studio Team System

Key Resources

Visual Studio Team System Developer Center
The Visual Studio Team System Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual Studio Team System.

MSDN Library for Visual Studio Team System
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual Studio Team System Forums
Ask a question in the Visual Studio Team System Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual Studio Team System Facebook Page
Connect with the Visual Studio Team System community on Facebook.

Learn

Visual Studio and Application Lifecycle Management Learning Center
Visit the Visual Studio & ALM Learning center for learning resources, including the "How Do I" video series, Tips & Tricks, book recommendations, and more.

Visual FoxPro

Key Resources

Visual FoxPro Developer Center
The Visual FoxPro Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual FoxPro.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual FoxPro Forums
Ask a question in the Visual FoxPro Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual FoxPro Community Page on MSDN
Resources for the FoxPro community including third-party sites and information.

MSDN Library for Visual FoxPro
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Top Solutions

How to manually register an ActiveX control (.ocx) used by a Visual FoxPro application
This article provides guidance to Visual FoxPro software developers, that need to register an ActiveX control (.ocx file) manually. This is required for applications that don't use the Visual FoxPro Setup Wizard or InstallShield Express features.

Visual J#

Key Resources

Visual J# Developer Center
The Visual J# Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual J#.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual J# Forums
Ask a question in the Visual J# Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

Visual J# Community Page on MSDN
Resources for the J# community including forums, webcasts, technical chats, and more.

MSDN Library for Visual J#
The MSDN Library is an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, technologies and services. The MSDN Library includes how-to and reference documentation, sample code, technical articles, and more.

Community

Ask the Community

MSDN Forums Home
The main MSDN site for all Visual Studio, Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and Language forums. Most questions are answered in 24 hours or less.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual Studio Forums
Ask a question in the Visual Studio Forums. Most questions answered in 24 hours or less.

MSDN Community Center
On this page you will find links to help you stay connected with the MSDN community. Read what people are saying about MSDN and see what people are doing with Microsoft technologies.

Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Forum
Discuss TFS Administration and User features for software development teams.

Visual Studio Team Lab Management Forum
Discuss setting up and using the new Lab Management features in Visual Studio 2010.

Blogs and Twitter Feeds

MSDN Blogs Home
Master listing of all MSDN Blogs by category, including OPML and RSS feeds.

Visual Studio Blogs and Twitter
A listing of Visual Studio team and community blogs, as well as Twitter feeds.

Visual Studio Team Lab Management Blog
Follow the Lab Management team's blog.

Visual Studio Team Lab Management Twitter Feed
Follow the Lab Management team's twitter feed.

Self-Support Options

Self-Support Options

Search the Knowledge Base
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for technical solutions to common break-fix issues with Visual Studio.

Got a question? Post a question in the Visual Studio Forums
Ask a question or search for answers in the Visual Studio forums. Experts are on hand to help. Most questions answers in 24 hours or less.

Use Microsoft Connect to provide product feedback
Register for and use Microsoft Connect to provide product feedback directly to Microsoft product groups and to find workarounds for common issues.

Visual Studio Developer Center
The Visual Studio Developer Center is the primary resource for Developers seeking resources to begin developing with Visual Studio.

Microsoft Premier Customers
Enterprise customers with a Premier account can visit Microsoft Premier Online for troubleshooting information or to open a support incident with a Microsoft support professional.

Microsoft Partners: Visit the Microsoft Partner Network
Microsoft Partners can select available support options on the Microsoft Partner Portal.

Assisted Support Options

Assisted Support Options

Contact a Microsoft Support Professional via e-mail, online submission or phone.

Paid Incident Support
To contact a Microsoft Support Professional click on the product and version below that is applicable to you. We’ll ask you a few questions in order to serve you efficiently.

Visual Studio 2010 and Languages
Visual Studio 2010
Visual Studio 2010 Remote Debugger
Visual Studio 2010 Software Development Kit
Visual Studio 2010 Tools for the Microsoft Office System
Visual Web Developer 2010 Express
Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010
Visual Studio Agents 2010
Visual Studio Lab Management 2010
Visual Studio Test Professional 2010

Visual Studio 2008 and Languages
Visual Studio 2008
Visual Studio Team System 2008
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Suite
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Test Load Agent

Visual Studio 2005 and Languages
Visual Studio 2005
Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition academic license
Visual Studio 2005 Team System
Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server
Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite
Visual Studio 2005 Team Test Load Agent

Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Languages
Visual Studio .NET 2003
Visual Basic .NET 2003
Visual C# .NET 2003
Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System version 2003

Visual FoxPro
Visual FoxPro 9.0
Visual FoxPro 8.0

Visual J#
Visual J# .NET 2003
Visual J# Version 2.0 Redistributable Package Second Edition

Visual SourceSafe
Visual SourceSafe 2005

Contract Incident Support

Contact a Microsoft Support Professional using your MSDN Subscription
As an MSDN Subscriber, you may be entitled to receive up to four (4) technical support incidents depending on your subscription level. These support incidents can be used to resolve technical break-fix issues in a non-production environment and are the equivalent of paid Professional Support incidents. You can use a technical support incident to find a solution to a production issue if you can replicate that issue in a non-production environment. Learn more.

Microsoft Premier Customers
Enterprise customers with a Premier account can visit Microsoft Premier Online for troubleshooting information or to open a support incident with a Microsoft support professional.

Microsoft Partners: Visit the Microsoft Partner Network
Microsoft Partners can access unlimited online support via the Microsoft Partner Network.

Microsoft Software Assurance
Get volume licensing and additional benefits with the Microsoft Software Assurance program.

Support Lifecycle

View Support Lifecycle Information

Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy
Visit the Support Lifecycle Policy page to view Microsoft’s guidelines for product support from availability to end of product lifecycle.

Visual Studio Lifecycle Policies

To view Support Lifecycle information for a specific version of Visual Studio, select the product and version below that is applicable to you.

Visual Studio 2010 and Languages
Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1
Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN
Visual Studio 2010 Professional
Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN
Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN Embedded
Visual Studio 2010 Remote Debugger
Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate
Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN
Visual Studio 2010 Shell (Integrated)
Visual Studio 2010 Shell (Isolated)
Visual Studio 2010 Software Development Kit
Visual Studio Web Developer 2010 Express
Visual C# 2010 Express
Visual C++ 2010 Express
Visual C++ Redistributable Package
Visual Studio Agents 2010
Visual Studio Lab Management 2010
Visual Studio Team Explorer Everywhere 2010
Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010
Visual Studio Test Professional 2010

Visual Studio 2008 and Languages
Visual Studio 2008 Academic Edition
Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition
Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition Service Pack 1
Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition
Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition
Visual C# 2008 Express Edition
Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition
Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Database Professionals
Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Software Developer
Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Software Tester
Visual Studio 2008 Team Foundation Server
Visual Studio 2008 Team Suite
Visual Studio 2008 Team System Test Load Agent

Visual Studio 2005 and Languages
Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1
Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition
Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition academic license
Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Office System
Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition
Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition
Visual C# 2005 Express Edition
Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
Visual J# 2005 Express Edition
Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Database Professionals
Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Architects
Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Developers
Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Testers
Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server
Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite
Visual Studio 2005 Team Test Load Agent

Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Languages
Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Architect
Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Developer
Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional Edition
Visual Studio .NET 2003 Service Pack 1
Visual Studio Tools for the Office System version 2003
Visual Basic .NET 2003 Standard Edition
Visual C# .NET 2003 Standard Edition
Visual C++ .NET 2003 Standard Edition
Visual J# .NET 2003 Standard Edition

Visual FoxPro
Visual FoxPro 9.0 Professional Edition
Visual FoxPro 8.0 Professional Edition

Older Versions
View the Support Lifecycle Index

Last Review : May 23, 2012