Can I execute vs2012 compiled binaries on win2k3?

Question

I am compiling C projects with vs2012 ultimate on win2k8r2 machine. But I want to execute same binaries on win2k3 server. can I do it with modified setting in vs2012?

Answer 1

As released at RTM, native applications built with Visual C++ 2012 would not run on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 - they would only run on Vista or later.

However, Microsoft will release an update that supports Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 as targets (they will still be not supported as the development platform):

• Targeting Windows XP with C++ in Visual Studio 2012

Answer 2

When you compile your binary, linker will link you executable with runtime library. This runtime library can be different on win2k3 server and win2k8. But, just try :-)

Also, you can set the compiler to use static linking in the project settings (Project -> Properties -> Config Properties -> C/C++ -> Code Generation -> Change "Runtime Library" to /MT or /MTd instead of the default /MD or /MDd)

Answer 3

As far as i know, if you want to make native app built by vs2012 work on Windows xp and Windows Server 2003, you must have vs2010 installed. There're some configurations to make vs2012 use vs2010's compiler to build apps.