Visual Studio 2008 Express Readme and Known Issues

For known issues specific to Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions with SP1, view the online Readme file.

Registration Issues

Experiencing difficulties accessing your Visual Studio Express Editions with SP1 registration benefits? Refer to the Registration Benefits and the Registration FAQ for more information.

Uninstalling Previous Versions

If you are experiencing difficulties installing or using one of the Visual Studio Express products, it may be because you did not uninstall a previous version of Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions (specifically any CTPs, alpha releases or betas). Please make sure you’ve uninstalled any previous early versions of Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions.

Upgrading to Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition with SP1

When installing Visual Web Developer Express SP1 on top of Visual Web Developer Express RTM, you will lose your existing IDE settings. Examples include customized toolbox entries, tools > options settings, tool window placement, menu customizations, among others. To avoid losing these permanently, you can backup your settings prior to installing SP1 by going to Tools > "Import and Export Settings" and selecting "Export selected environment settings" and finishing the wizard. You can then import them back into Visual Web Developer Express SP1 after installation.

Frequently Asked Questions

For a list of the commonly asked questions about the Visual Studio Express Editions, please refer to the Visual Studio Express Editions FAQ.

Product Feedback

We're always looking for suggestions and feedback from our customers. If you notice a problem with the product or have a suggestion, please use the MSDN Product Feedback Center to submit your bug or suggestion.

Find Help at the Express Forums

• General Setup and Installation Forum – Questions about how to get up and running with Visual Studio Express Editions
• Visual Basic Express Editions Forum – Questions about Visual Basic Express Edition and getting started with Visual Basic
• Visual C# Express Editions Forum – Questions about Visual C# Express Edition and getting started with Visual C#
• Visual Web Developer Express Edition Forum – Questions about Visual Web Developer Express Edition and getting started with Web development
• SQL Server 2008 Express Forum – Questions related to SQL Server Express and SQL Server Compact Edition

Upgrading to SQL Server 2008 Express

To upgrade a database in an existing project

1. Open the project in Visual Studio 2008 Express with SP1
2. Go through the Upgrade Wizard if the project was originally in Visual Studio 2005 Express
3. Rebuild and run the project. The database will attach to SQL Server 2008 Express and will be upgraded

Support for older versions of Visual Studio Express Edition

Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions are not compatible with SQL Server 2008 Express. To use SQL Server 2008 Express, you need to upgrade to Visual Studio 2008 Express with SP1.

Supported Architectures

• x86
• x64 (WOW)

System Requirements

• Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3
  • Minimum of 192 MB of RAM (384 MB preferred)
  • At least a 1 GHz processor (1.6 GHz preferred)
• Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows Vista SP1
  • Minimum of 768 MB of RAM (1 GB preferred)
  • At least a 1.6 GHz processor (2.2 GHz preferred)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2
  • Minimum of 768 MB of RAM (1 GB preferred)
  • At least a 1.6 GHz processor (2.2 GHz preferred)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008
  • Minimum of 768 MB of RAM (1 GB preferred)
  • 2.4 GHz processor