How to determine if the 32-bit Visual Studio 2013 redistributable is installed on a user's machine reliably via the Registry?

Question

I am using DeployMaster to build an installer for a 32-bit Windows application written in C++ using Qt.

The executable depends on the Visual Studio 2013 redistributable - i.e., the 32-bit Visual Studio 2013 redistributable must be installed by the end user, prior to running this application.

I have googled, and looked at other StackOverflow questions. In particular, this link provides the exact Registry key to check, but for the case of VS 2008.

I need VS 2013, not VS 2008.

However, ideally it will be a reliable registry check - not a programmatic solution - because I can easily check a registry key with a DeployMaster installer. (If the system is determined to not have the redistributable installed, it's also easy to have the DeployMaster installer kick off the installer.)

Does anybody know a reliable method, preferably using a Registry key, that allows to make it possible to determine if the 32-bit VS 2013 redistributable is installed on an end-user's machine?

Answer 1

The key you need is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DevDiv\vc\Servicing\12.0\RuntimeMinimum.

Answer 2

I'm using these reg keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\VC\Runtimes\x86 Installed HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\VC\Runtimes\x64 Installed

I've confirmed that they appear only after the redist is installed, and they more closely match the ones for previous versions. e.g. VC++ 2010 is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0\VC\VCRedist\x86 Installed HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0\VC\VCRedist\x64 Installed

Answer 3

Just in case someone is looking at this, but is using NSIS to deploy their program.

You check:

ReadRegDword $0 HKLM "SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DevDiv\vc\Servicing\12.0\RuntimeMinimum" "Install"

If $0 equals 1, then it is installed. If not, it isn't.

Answer 4

I found it here:

32bit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{13A4EE12-23EA-3371-91EE-EFB36DDFFF3E}
or
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{13A4EE12-23EA-3371-91EE-EFB36DDFFF3E}

64bit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{A749D8E6-B613-3BE3-8F5F-045C84EBA29B}

This is probably better than the devdiv keys, as its the Windows key used to uninstall the msi, if its been installed. Now I just wish Microsoft's devdiv could talk to the Windows team so we can have a canonical place to detect this stuff, and a canonical name for Redistributable. Hint Microsoft, it ain't called 'minimum runtime'

Answer 5

For Visual Studio 2013 Update 5, 32 bit version (12.0.40664), the key is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{8122DAB1-ED4D-3676-BB0A-CA368196543E}