Problems with Running Exe File Built with Visual Studio on Another Computer

Problems with running EXE file built with Visual Studio on another computer

I deployed my program in release instead of debug, and the EXE file now works on the other computer.

Error opening .exe of Visual Studio project in another computer

You must create a Release build. Your problem is caused by copying over a Debug build, but that build is intended for the Visual Studio Debugger.

Running C Built .exe On Another PC

If you pick the right CPU target (Project Configuration Properties -> C/C++: Enable Enhanced Instruction Set) such that the binary code doesn't include instructions understood by only a very narrow subset of CPUs, and the default for Visual Studio is to use instructions that are supported by the widest set of x86 or x64 CPUs, then your program will run on almost any Windows computer. You need to distribute any DLLs that aren't part of the base Windows installation though, which includes any additional dynamically linked language runtimes such as the Visual C++ runtime.

A good way to derive the list of DLLs that you have to package with your executable is to create a virtual machine with a fresh Windows installation without any development tools in it and then try to run your code there. If you get an error for a missing DLL, add it and repeat. When it comes to the Visual C++ runtime, Microsoft provides installable packages for the different versions that you are allowed to distribute as part of your installation (Visual C++ Whatever Redistributable Package).

Also, mind that programs compiled for 32-bit Windows will mostly run on 64-bit versions, but the opposite is not true.

Making .exe to be run on another computer without installation

No, what you need to do is to first add the picture to the project (on the menu system click Project | Add Existing Item . . .) if you haven't done that yet, and then click on the file in Solution Explorer and set its Build Action in the Properties Window to "Resource." This will ensure the picture is written into the exe file when you build the application, and you won't have to worry about copying it along with the application.

Select the "Release" build configuration, and then click Build | Rebuild on the menu system to have your application copied to the Bin\Release folder of your project folder. From here you can copy and run it on any computer that has .NET installed.

How to run a C# .exe file on many computers?

Programs compiled with VS2010 can be targeted against a variety of .NET Frameworks. However, the many versions of Windows don't always have the most recent .NET versions installed.

Check which version of the .NET Framework your program is using by looking under the Application tab of your project properties. You should see a Target Framework drop down list, which will tell you what version of the framework other computers will need to have installed in order to run your program.

You have a few options to get your program working on other computers.

1. Compile the program with a different, lower framework. (e.g. .NET 2 is often available on Windows XP, while .NET 4 is uncommon on this OS.) This will only work if you aren't using any features from later versions of .NET.
2. Install the .NET framework you require on the client machine. Microsoft provides frameworks to download and install from http://www.microsoft.com/net/download
3. Try creating a Windows Installer using the Setup Project template. Add a new project to your solution from the Setup and Deployment category. After setting up this project, you should have an installer to run on other machines.

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