Installing Visual Basic 2008

1. The Visual Studio 2008 DVD has an auto-run feature, but if the Setup screen does not appear
after inserting the DVD, you need to run Setup.exe from the root directory of the DVD. To do
this, click the Windows Start menu at the bottom left of your screen and then select the Run
start menu item or browse to the Setup program on the DVD. In the Run dialog box, you can
click the Browse button to locate the setup.exe program on your DVD. Then click the OK
button in the Run dialog box to start the setup program. After the setup program initializes,

you will see the initial screen as shown in Figure

2. The dialog box shown in above picture shows the order in which the installation will occur. To
function properly, Visual Studio 2008 requires various updates to be installed depending on
the operating system that you have (for example, Service Pack 2 on Windows XP). The setup
program will automatically inform you of these updates if they are not installed. You should
install those updates first and then return to the Visual Studio 2008 setup program. The
individual updates required are different from the service releases listed as the third option in
above picture. Step 1 of the setup program will install Visual Studio 2008 so click the Install Visual Studio 2008 link shown in Figure .

3. The next step in the installation process asks you if you want to send the setup information from the installation of Visual Studio 2008 to Microsoft. This is a good idea to help streamline the
installation process of future editions of Visual Studio, and no personal information will be sent.
You can click the Next button at this screen after you have selected or cleared the check box
indicating whether or not you want this information sent.


4. The third step in the installation process is the license agreement. Read the license agreement
and then select the option button indicating your acceptance of the licensing terms. Then click
the Next button to continue.

5. As with most setup programs, you are presented with a choice of options to be installed
as shown in below Picture. The default installation installs the recommended product features as
determined by Microsoft. You have the option to choose the default installation, a full
installation, or to customize the installation. When choosing the custom installation feature, you
will be presented with a dialog box allowing you to choose the languages and features of each
language to be installed. If disk space allows, it is recommended that you choose a full
installation. However, if you choose to customize the installation and omit some features from
being installed, you can always install those features later by rerunning the setup program.
After choosing your installation option, click the Install button to have those features installed.
6. The first component that is installed is the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5. During the
installation of this component you will be required to restart your computer. After your computer has restarted and you log back in, the setup program will continue. Note to Windows
Vista users: you will be prompted that the setup program needs to run and will need to grant
permission to let the setup program continue. After the setup program continues, you can sit
back and relax while all of the features are being installed. The setup program can take anywhere from 20 minutes on up depending on the installation features chosen and the speed of
your computer.


7. Once the installation has been completed, you will be presented with a dialog box informing
you of the status of the installation. Here you can see any problems that the setup program
encountered. At this point you are encouraged to update your computer with the latest security
patches and a link is provided in the notes to Windows Update. When you have finished
reviewing the setup status, click the Finish button to move on to the next step.


8. If you chose to have your setup information sent to Microsoft, the next step will be a dialog
box sending the setup information. This dialog box requires no action on your part and it will
automatically close when finished. The next dialog box is the one shown earlier in Figure 1
with the option to install the production documentation enabled. Click the Install Product
Documentation link to install the MSDN library.


9. The first step in installing the MSDN library is choosing whether to send the setup information to Microsoft. Make the appropriate choice and then click the Next button to continue.
Again, it is recommended to send this information to help streamline future MSDN library
installations.


10. Next, read and accept the license agreement. After you click the option button to accept the
license agreement, click the Next button to continue.

11. Like the installation of Visual Studio 2008, the MSDN library installation provides you with
the options to choose the installation that best suits your needs, as shown in Figure 3. If you
chose to install the complete Visual Studio 2008 product set then you’ll most likely want
to choose the full installation of the MSDN library. After making your installation option
choice, click the Install button to begin the installation.
If you have the spare hard drive space, it is a very good idea to install the full documentation. That way
you have access to the full library, which will be important if you choose a limited set of options during
the install and later add more features.


12. After the MSDN documentation has been installed, you are presented with a dialog box informing you of the status of the installation. Click the Finish button to be returned to the initial setup screen again. The Check for Service Releases option is now available.
It is a good idea to select Service Releases to check for updates. Microsoft has done a good job of making software updates available through the Internet. These updates can include anything from additional documentation to bug fixes. You will be given the choice to install any updates through a Service Pack CD or the Internet. Obviously, the Internet option requires an active connection. Since updates can be quite large, a fast connection is highly recommended.