[2018 Serial Fix] Download and setup Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition

If you are like me, you’ll sometimes need to run older software and quickly discover that you can’t find a fix, or that you can’t download it, run it, or register the stupid software. Well, I was in that situation for trying to run/install MS C# 2008 Express Edition.

Although I’ve got a serial code in an email that I registered years ago, it doesn’t want to work… so what does one do?

There are options.

Firstly, it’s not an easy install unless you want to download the entire ISO file ( about 600MB) which for me currently isn’t an option.

Fortunately, this post was here to help. I have condensed it a little though.

Download this file which is like a zipped the set up file.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/4/B/64B33C58-2E6D-4478-BFAF-5DB045785F31/Ixpvcs.exe

Then, extract that file to your favourite location, such as C:\temp. (Right click and choose extract or similar)

Then to make the set up work, you’ll need to execute the following:

c:\temp\msiexec /i vs_setup.msi vsextui=1 addlocal=all reboot=reallysuppress

This will then automatically set the program up. You may need to have various service packs installed prior to doing this such as the .NET packages, but I wasn’t able to test that theory, as it worked straight away for me.

The next problem could be a 30 day registration period that lasts if it isn’t registered. As the Microsoft servers aren’t active any more for this service, you can remove that problem, which quite possibly will have to be done each time the software is run.

Delete the following registry key\folder:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VCSExpress\9.0\Registration

Hopefully that should help you out.